The very large income disparity among artists

The majority of artists derive most of their income from non-artistic activities due to a high concentration of earnings at the top. This attraction to creation despite the lack of demand is explained by non-monetary gains and the hope of obtaining the considerable income of the rare stars. The economist Alain Herscovici demonstrates this reality in figures for the year 1986, where 71 percent of the rights holders affiliated with the SACEM earned less than 4,000 francs against more than 300,000 francs for only 1 percent of them.