Originally Posted By: Notes Norton
Originally Posted By: JohnJohnJohn
<...>Using your "logic", if you are using BIAB or RB you are putting other musicians out of work! That drummer and bass player and rhythm guitar player and keyboardist who have to work as Walmart greeters could be making a living playing music if you were not using software to eliminate their jobs! And Notes, you actually make money selling tools to help others eliminate paid musicians!<...>


Faulty logic.

We play in venues that hire singles and duos, and never hired a larger band. There isn't even enough room for a larger band. The stage, if there is one is 8'x8' and even a trio wouldn't fit on that. Putting musicians out of work? Not. Putting musicians to work.

In addition there are places around that hire 4 piece and larger bands. They would never-ever hire a duo because their venue is too large, we would look tiny on stage, and couldn't fill the room with the ambience that a larger group could.

In fact, we played for the local Marine Corps League for the Corps' birthday party for 12 years straight. They got a bigger facility, thanked us for all our years of entertainment, and told us that they needed a bigger band for their new building. I recommended a couple of bands to them.

So we are not putting anybody out of work at all. Your logic is very flawed.

We have a couple of clubs here that now have open mic nights on the weekends. Musicians are playing for free, they are bringing in paying customers, and getting one free beer. That's exploitation, that's putting other musicians out of work.

How would you like it if someone came to your boss, told him he would do your job for free a couple of days a week, and your boss gave you a couple of days a week off without pay?

This is what open mic venues do to working musicians.

Insights and incites by Notes


Spot on, Notes. Giving a club a free band while bands are sitting at home wishing they had a gig is bad for our business and if band members would "band" together and stop doing free stuff, the practice of jam night would die a quiet death. But the non-working musicians are still attention whores and that few bits of empty praise from their friends matters to them. For myself, the only one I have to impress is ME.

I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.

1. How much did you make in 2023?
2. Send it to us.