That has little to do with their output, in terms of performance. Success isn't really due to the artist. It's the audience that creates success. You can't instruct the world to go out and purchase your music. It's not like we're making soap or coffee grinders.
Success is a gift.
There are corporations that spend billions of dollars trying to figure out how to manufacture success. And sometimes they get lucky. But that's no place for an artist-to be scheming. It's a sin against humanity for an artist to be scheming. Being a musician is a difficult life.