[Dixielandjazz] Free Music/ Truly upsetting

[Kevin Yeates]

At the risk of over-extending the life of this thread I dare to suggest the following.

Comparing musicians to doctors or plumbers is not a valid comparison. When the pipes in your house are leaking, you NEED a plumber. When you have a broken leg, you NEED a doctor. When you have a social event you DON'T NEED musicians. We are the icing on the cake. It is simply supply and demand. There are a lot of people who are willing to play music, but not that much demand. We are not absolutely needed for life to go on, thus the price people are willing to pay us vs a doctor is quite understandable.

The idea that we have to make a living so people should pay us well is also bogus. The customer does not owe us a living. We owe it to ourselves. If you aren't making enough money as a musician, you may have made a poor career choice.

I can go on and on but I am trying to keep it succinct. 

Kevin Yeates
Vancouver, Canada