Well, I do mean in the context of the article. I'm not suggesting no one ever played in an orchestra. I'm saying that are vanishingly few middle class touring and recording rock, hip hop, pop and country artists and this has largely always been the case. In this domain you either hit it out of the park or go on to do something else.

I don't really know what the table of Berklee grads is pointing toward. Are you suggesting that this says it is now harder to become a middle class recording / touring artist today than it was in the past? If so, how?