Your viewpoint is at a more broad level than mine. I definitely think arts benefit society, which is in line with what you're saying.

But at a human level, those who unsuccessfully pursue the arts suffer. With their most productive years spent unfruitfully, their late lives seem difficult. Often, they haven't saved anything for retirement and need to toil in menial labor until their bones crumble to dust. Especially later in life, providing for others, especially one's children, becomes increasingly important. I see a lot of my artist friends struggle emotionally because they don't have the means to give their children certain opportunities.

Comparing musicians to startups is interesting. To continue the analogy, if you're not finding product-market-fit, then it might be time to pivot :)