You told me that your opinion of Mastodon depended on how much money they sent you. You can't squirm out of that judgement by claiming you're a non-profit—but you "really need" money.
Did you —really— "break a story" though? Or were you the first who published what was well-known, but many were struggling to make known?
Your whole "but still—Capitalism?!?" reeks of the monarchists who infest post-capitalist marketplaces. We also call them magats and fascists.
Stick to steak knives (at least it's honest), although I hear silver-infused bedsheets also do well.
Read Marcy Wheeler/emptywheel for examples of 'actual' no-one-pays journalism.
I am a musician. You've got nothing to school me with about working for free.