Climbing The Charts: Is It Still Possible?

Many artists today, including myself, have a vision of one day becoming well known enough that the music you write will be played on radio stations, in clubs, or in in people's cars all around the world. The popular method of trying to reach that goal is to just start recording and making music, improving with experience. And thanks to the technology that is available today, it is easier than ever to get started producing some good sounding songs. However, because of the sheer amount of people currently creating music, I often wonder if it's even still possible to be heard from among the herd of equally deserving musicians and vocalists. Is the only way to break through to fame luck (aka getting discovered on YouTube) or is even that have to do with putting in countless hours of hard work?
I personally don't know and probably never will. Maybe by the time I die I might have a slightly better understanding of this issue, but I doubt it can ever be as simplified as some people try to make it. Either way, I will keep making music because ultimately it is still fun for me whether it is the whole world or just my friends and family who listen to my songs. What do you think? Let me know.