Money…

Being young, I didn't really care about money very much, but one day I did ask Cage "How did you ever make any money?", meaning from his music. From a place that couldn't have been more than five years old, yet fully jubilant, he said "I never made any money until I was 50"

At twenty one, that seemed like an extremely long time to me...I asked him how he made his money until then. He said he worked in an advertising agency.
I asked him when that changed for him, looking for some hope. He said that with the release of his 25 year retrospective concert things changed and that that was when he then began to make money from his music.

32 years later, on November 13, 2009, I was seated next to George Avakian, "Legendary record producer and new music enthusiast", listening to a Henry Cowell performance by a local producer.
I knew Avakian had produced the recording of the 25 Year Retrospective Concert of the Music of John Cage, recorded at Town Hall, New York, May 15, 1958, as a three-record album (Available now on Apple Music).
I told him what Cage and said to me about how that recording was the turning point in his financial musical life.

He said "Cage never made any money...I'm still paying for that record, LOL"