The DeFranco Family, Vanilla Ice, Bay City Rollers, Bobby Sherman, Milli Vanilli, etc. had hit records. But they're long forgotten about and/or considered jokes today. But other acts like John Coltrane & Black Sabbath, who had no hit singles, still sell and are held in high esteem by some people. Having hits doesn't really guarantee a long career as the pop market is really fickle, but having memorable music does.
That's how it has always worked. Very few acts make much money from record sales. Recording contracts (or CONtract as Prince calls it, lol) are always in favor of the label and are designed to keep acts in the hole and broke. But today the record company even gets touring income like with the deal Madonna did with Live Nation.
Some people seem to put a lot of emphasis on what is popular or number 1 or that somebody has sold more than someone else. I'm a fan of music, not a fan of hits, so labels like "one hit wonder" or "King, Queen, Prince, etc. of such & such" mean nothing to me. I don't like something just because a bunch of other people bought it or because it was on the radio. Having a hit or selling a lot of records mostly has to do with promotion and how much money and power a record label has. If the Thriller album came out on a label like Blue Note, Verve, or Malaco, it wouldn't have done anything because they don't have the distribution muscle or money to get songs on the radio and make videos. A label with big money can make almost anything a "hit", and they have. It doesn't mean it's better than something that is not on the radio. Being nominated for awards or winning them is no indicator of quality either, just music business politics.
Some people seem to put a lot of emphasis on what is popular or number 1 or that somebody has sold more than someone else. I'm a fan of music, not a fan of hits, so labels like "one hit wonder" or "King, Queen, Prince, etc. of such & such" mean nothing to me. I don't like something just because a bunch of other people bought it or because it was on the radio. Having a hit or selling a lot of records mostly has to do with promotion and how much money and power a record label has. If the Thriller album came out on a label like Blue Note, Verve, or Malaco, it wouldn't have done anything because they don't have the distribution muscle or money to get songs on the radio and make videos. A label with big money can make almost anything a "hit", and they have. It doesn't mean it's better than something that is not on the radio. Being nominated for awards or winning them is no indicator of quality either, just music business politics.
Most jazz acts never had any hits and they generally don't release singles. They don't get Top 40 airplay. Wynton Marsalis has been around for a long time and doesn't have any hits. Bobby McFerrin has been performing for over 20 years and only has one radio hit. Acts like Sonic Youth, Iggy Pop, The Grateful Dead, Phish, or Jimmy Buffett don't depend on radio play. They have more of a word of mouth following. Look at Genesis. When Peter Gabriel was the lead singer, they were an underground prog rock band with weird lyrics and Peter's crazy costumes. Genesis first album was released in 1969, but they didn't have a hit song until 1978, which was 3 or 4 years after Peter left. They basically changed their music to a more pop radio friendly sound, and that's when they started becoming popular. Having a lot of hit songs or selling big are mainly criteria for pop acts, not for other genres. Whenever somebody makes a list with the biggest selling albums or acts a bluegrass, classical, blues, or jazz act is never on them.
That's obvious, lol. But it isn't necessary to make a living. Many musicians don't even make records. They just play in bars, clubs, social events, weddings, etc. Others work as session musicians on records. Look at MJ's records. He didn't make them by himself. The musicians playing on his records made the songs happen, but they don't share in the glory, money, & fame nor any of the downsides that goes with being famous. They're basically anonymous. Everybody doesn't want to be famous. Also selling a lot of records doesn't guarantee an act will be rich if they have a really bad contract.
. They can walk in the streets of England and nobody cares and stuff. 
