Do you really need to start a startup?

Hey Neil. Indeed. I did mean typical. Basically I'm not at all interested in taking investor money. Not the 'done thing', I know, but I'm not interested in world domination, either. So to understand where I'm coming from:

I started in music, and ended up working for Rondor Music (the publishing arm to A&M) and then Albert's (AC/DC). The dream job. Until the internet. Then everyone lost their jobs, and now only a few remain. So from there I went into broadcast, as a stopgap. That was roughly 20 years ago. I've been to the parties, travelled at the pointy end of the plane, and had men in suits in shiny black cars drive me wherever I want to go. I am done.
So, I see the whole startup business thing like the new rock n roll, where the founders are the rock stars and the VCs are the record companies. The best bands to sign were always the ones that had their own thing, songs, sound, style and most importantly - a good following. And they always got there under their own steam. I can't understand why programmers need money to create something for themselves. I hate to sound old, but we used to work our day job then make music until the early hours then start it again the next day. Every day. I managed to build an app by myself, from zero, with a very demanding day job. So if someone as dumb as me can do it, it confounds me as to why people aren't making their own stuff by the tens of thousands and giving the big finger to the system. Maybe punk is dead, afterall... Haha.

But I've digressed. What I am wondering is - is there anyone else that actually has a small thing happening, that gives them enough money to live? Or does it, realistically, need to be all or nothing?
PS I'm on holidays right now, so the OAuth issue will be sorted next week.