I'm certainly at that level myself. The music I play is done when it hits the walls of the venue. Or my living room. ;-) The main financial impact of recording for me is not having to spend any money on it.

There's a middle level out there. The genres I'm familiar with are things like folk, fiddling, some classical. Some of those people are good enough to travel a little bit, and have a supportive following. Sometimes a local organization will help arrange for a venue, and promote it. Those folks always have a briefcase full of CDs with them.