One of the best things about publishing is that almost everybody goes into it for the right reasons. No one expects to make heaps of money; everyone just wants to do his or her part to further a worthwhile endeavor.
That is rather idealistic, of course, and that leads to one of the other best things about publishing: the manifold ways that disappointed idealism manifests itself.
A case in point: the recently profiled rapping ascendance of a former colleague. Awesome. Listen here.
This totally inspires me to get over the fact that I am the worst guitar player in the history of humankind--seriously, my midget sausage fingers can't stretch far enough to make any of the damn chords, and I am demonstrating about zero natural ability in all areas of songwriting and performance--and get going on my first Adairdevils album. (Tentative title: Sympathy for the Greeting Card Industry.) I half want to just buy a microphone and see how horrible I can be in GarageBand. Oh, Apple, you foster creativity in the most dangerous areas.