Mathew, indeed - it's an entertaining world in which we find ourselves. As for the music business, being disillusioned seems an inevitable, and healthy, step in the process. The challenge is to remain an idealist, a dreamer, a creator, in spite of the "star-making machinery behind the popular song".
All this blogging looks like such fun, I'm going to try my hand at the medium. I can't see that I'll have time to post regularly, but, now seems a good time to start: http://borneveryminute.blogspot.com/