Is songwriting a more viable career opportunity in Europe?

This Slate article has got some bulletin board posters’ panties in a bunch elsewhere, but it makes a good point. Here in the States, we have used “singer-songwriter” as a filter to winnow down the number of folks who can potentially enjoy a lucrative music career. However, in Europe, “behind the scenes” songwriting lets creative writers couple their work with flashy pop star personas without the gift of craft.

What do you think?