Wow - I didn't expect to see so much interesting, reminiscing on this topic. Lots of you guys have great memories of a time when there was a bigger demand for live bands.

Reading on this topic as I have through the years, what stands out to me is the fact that schools have cut music programs, so far less children (and parents of those children) have been exposed to the pleasures and joys an instrument can bring. I have a nephew whose parents are not 'music' people - in that they do not seek to listen to lots of music, nor have a joy for more harmonic music, and not surprisingly, their child's values are the same.

I'll bet everyone on here has a completely opposite history - either a musician in the family, or inspired in school where you were introduced to an instrument.

I'm personally in both agreement and disagreement on a few points. While the Internet does offer 'unimagined possiblities'...I feel that technology in general has decreased and in some cases filled the need for live music. Granted - the experience of watching music live vs. on a video screen are ENTIRELY different and the video screen can't replace the human connection and excitement of live people. But it can come too damn close in terms of satisfying the audience - especially the audience that hasn't grown up with exposure to the experiences I listed above. It's a little like the 'buggy whip', IMHO. I do think - as Pat has mentioned, that as a live entertainer, if you can find a way to increase the listener's participation and experience of the live event in a way that is not emulated using video in isolation, and combining various technologies to do something new that hasn't been done before (and certainly there are many tech opportunities for this) - that you can come up with something very new - creating a new live experience for audiences that hasn't been done before.

I think unfortunately the the VOLUME demand for live music has indeed gone down to to it's easy capture, availabilty, ease of sharing/distribution, all on the internet.

I'm lucky because I went a different path in life - believing that music was ALWAYS a dog of a career because of the intense competition. More people play music than baseball, I bet - and look how hard it is to become a professional baseball player. Given the low percentage of musicians who make a steady, middle-income wage, I went the 'conservative' route of 'Electrical Engineering" major. Unfortunately - this didn't exactly work out like I expected either - since when I graduated in '88, all the largest local employers for EE's were the Defense companies, and this was a time a gradual decline for them due to decreased government funding.

I did aspire and hope to be a professional 'wedding band' musicican, but my lack of natural talent, a late start in playing (e.g. started guitar at 14 years old), not finding the 'right' teacher, prevented me from reaching the skill level needed for this while wedding bands were still somewhat common.

So now, my only really hope for spreading my musical joy is through teaching younger students and begginer/intermediate players - for which there is still a demand, especially if you have patience and enthusiasm and love to see another little person or motivated teen and up person come to enjoy what music has to offer.

My 26 cents, and 'music life story'...