This is a good point, though getting at the letter of the words rather than its spirit. And it's a sad spirit trying to derive some prideful elitism at the expense of others. Speaking of prideful elitism, I wish people would relax about having some anathema of "selling out." Maybe musicians wouldn't have to rely on day jobs if they could sell merch guilt-free, and then they could buy the decent sounding overpriced equipment. This idea of making it selling music alone is soooooooo pre-napster. At this point, I think the better gambit is cheap or free music, and selling non-digital merch and shows. I bet it would have caught on a lot sooner too if it weren't for these meddling kids screaming sell out at every opportunity.
Being in a band that has released an album, tours and constantly plays shows I would say this: I would remove the word "real". It is VERY hard to make a living at and is NEAR impossible to become filthy rich. If you look at the top 100 bands out today, they are a fraction of the total musicians (solo and ensemble) playing at this very moment. When you understand how getting paid for gigs and a record contract works, it's harder and harder to make a true living just off music. All the big bands I know in my area have side jobs. Cursive, the Faint, Conor Oberst still does some other stuff. The Envy Corps, Skypiper. Etc etc. Mynabirds is probably the only band from Nebraska who I can say "Damn, they made it!" Laura is playing keyboards for the Postal Service reunion. So that sticker is a bit cynical, but my band understand the chances of making it big, no matter how good you actually are, is slim to none in today's world. It comes down to a lot of luck.