mixing music + $$$

Look, I'm basically very distrustful of people who only play music when money is involved -- it strikes me that there is a decided lack of passion in such instances. And art after all is about passion (according to me, anyway). But those people have a point: not only should they be allowed to make a living (this is a largely a capitalist system, after all) but also there is a huge tendency in our culture to expect things like music to be free. Always expecting money, then, will help counterbalance this tendency.

It's amazing how often I meet doctors, lawyers, architects, business people who feel that any lesson or fee for doing a gig which isn't free is really overpriced. They don't, notice, think that the services that they offer should be free. Again, this isn't totally unfair: we don't live in a society where economic worth is determined from some governmental agency and handed down to us: we bargain, each party attempting to get the best possible deal for itself. The pernicious aspect is, again, the expectation that music (art in general) should be free. I suppose because it should, after all, be 'fun'.

I don't argue with that last point. In fact I think that equally pernicious for art (especially 'serious' music -- serious said with rolling eyes) is the lack of awareness that art has an entertainment component. Nevertheless if people expect there to be music there have to be musicians making that music. And if they expect that music to soar as high as is possible it will have to be done based upon the model of doctors: we don't expect surgeons to be hobbyists. Music is not so life and death, obviously, but the principle is the same. There have to be some full timers out there practicing their craft if we have high expectations. And not only that, those who labor (and it is work) after a day gig -- effectively a second job -- also should of course be rewarded economically. If you consider all the time, money for lessons, money for instruments and rehearsal spaces, and outlay for advertising it's really rare that there's a real economic profit.