another trend that fits into this is the proliferation of singles acts.

Like it or not, there are so many alternatives to live music that even talented people have had to get creative in order to make any money playing music. One or two people can still get gigs if they have a pleasing sound. But that puts a lot more pressure on those two people than in the old days when one person had one responsibility in the band.

A good lead guitar player who could easily hold his own in a band may find that now he also has to sing, play bass, find a way to generate drums, keyboards etc... and all that is above his pay grade.

The good musician who is a so-so singer can make a good show for an audience with just a little help. His overall contribution is much more demanding than if he just played lead, and with practice and experience he'll probably end up being a much more accomplished performer who doesn't even need autotune anymore.

Likewise, products like BIAB help flesh out the sound in ways the guitar player alone could never do. Audiences are accustomed to hearing music that's in tune. In fact, an audience of non musicians is likely to respond positively to a live performance that sounds like the same autotuned song they hear on the radio every day.

We've had this discussion many times: do we perform for ourselves or for the audience? Each person gets to decide that for him/herself. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ey71h8ep047758h/AAC12jNM0Hz9Q8zsh5iDeqNHa?dl=0