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And I had 7 months of gigs, my main source of income cancelled. And who knows what will happen after Mid-October when our next scheduled gig is.
While I feel sorry for Pearl Jam, the Stones and Ms.Eilish, I feel worse for all the local musicians who depend on gigs to put food on the table and pay the rent.
Fortunately I live below my means, my mortgage is paid off and I have only 3 more car payments. Other than the car payments I am debt-free with a savings. But not every musician is fortunate enough to be in this position. I know of some who are really hurting.
My gigs, mostly retirement complexes, are set up a year in advance so I most likely am done for the year. Lost income from approx. 70 performances. Fortunately I have a retirement from 37 years as a band director. I have second thoughts about resuming my performances after the covid19 ban is lifted as I am in my (very) late seventies and maybe it’s time.
And I had 7 months of gigs, my main source of income cancelled. And who knows what will happen after Mid-October when our next scheduled gig is.
While I feel sorry for Pearl Jam, the Stones and Ms.Eilish, I feel worse for all the local musicians who depend on gigs to put food on the table and pay the rent.
Fortunately I live below my means, my mortgage is paid off and I have only 3 more car payments. Other than the car payments I am debt-free with a savings. But not every musician is fortunate enough to be in this position. I know of some who are really hurting.
Insights and incites by Notes
B I N G O! Somehow I feel Pearl Jam, the Stones and Ms. Ellish (who has a story about her in the news everyday, otherwise I would not have a clue who she is) will survive just fine.
My gigs, mostly retirement complexes, are set up a year in advance so I most likely am done for the year. Lost income from approx. 70 performances. Fortunately I have a retirement from 37 years as a band director. I have second thoughts about resuming my performances after the covid19 ban is lifted as I am in my (very) late seventies and maybe it’s time.
We are rowing in the same boat, another reason I will continue doing eConcerts as I still have the urge to perform despite our opportunities to do so are shrinking due to the virus.
"Life as we knew it in January 2020, will NEVER return. There is a new paradigm that will be the "new normal" from this point onward." Guitarhacker
I think this is going to be true across the board. The disruption to the world economy will cause the closure of many businesses. This new paradigm will evolve over the next couple of years.The possibility of famine killing huge numbers of people is real. All the entertainment business will suffer.
South Florida is considering opening the hotels on Miami beach. Who do you think is going to hop on a plane to come stay there?
Social distancing was becoming more common before the virus. "Stay Home Stay Safe" is not a new idea.
I am very fortunate, I like being alone or perhaps with one of my fiends in my boat fishing. The further offshore we go the more comfortable I get. My fuel bill on the boat for a normal day has gone down to around $150 from $600.
I also like driving around in Europe playing music. Because of my age I think I have perhaps made my last trip.I will truly miss going to Europe every year.
We have a farm business here in South Florida. I will most likely dump a million three dollars worth of plants in the trash. The government sent me a check to help out ....$68,000. I thank them for the help. Another year I get to work for nothing.
Lots of change coming.
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
I am going to make a comment that is pretty much indicative of the reason nobody here likes me much.
All you you people in your 70s.... WHAT is this urge to become the richest corpse in the graveyard? Yeah I get the whole romantic "I play because, oh, I love it so...." mentality, but geeze. You going to walk off a stage and directly into a grave? It's called retirement for a reason. And the "I am never going to retire" flex makes no sense to me. I can only speak for me, but i LOVE being able to wake up whenever the hell I want to and do absolutely nothing all day if I choose not to. People get bored by choice.
The Pearl Jam and Billie Eilish example holds water up to the point where you consider one thing. They are mega recording and touring acts. (Though I have NO idea why Billie Eilish is popular.) There are people on this forum far more talented than her but the truth is that you don't do what she does and your window TO do what she does is decades behind you. Point being it is comparing apples to weed trimmers. I have ZERO doubt that, using Notes as the example, if Notes chose to he could audition for and win a spot in a nostalgia band like Tower of Power or Average White Band and make much bigger money. But do you want to travel like that at what, 75 years of age? Are you willing to NOT do a duo with tracks and your wife involved? At some age, priorities and goals change. I would personally hate myself to the point of tears if I played with backing tracks because of how I refuse to see bands who do it.
As far as being corona-tined, much like Plano Billy, I don't even notice it. I rarely leave my house in the best of times and do everything I can to avoid human contact. (It's a PTSD thing.) The band I currently work with pretty much lost our whole year too, as our dates were outdoor festival type and there will be no crowds allowed this summer. It doesn't matter to me all that much because I don't really need the money. I clear enough to live comfortably on for someone who grew up extremely poor and knows no other standard of living.
You spend $150 a DAY on fuel? So if you go out twice a week you spend $1200 a MONTH for fuel?
$150 a day? No bad actually. You haven't seen the boat
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I have a small boat. 28 foot Contender with twin 250 Yamaha. 200 gal fuel tank. Running wide open it burns 50 gal per hour at about 50 miles per hour.
I go to the Bahamas from Miami a lot. My fuel bill runs about $80,000 per year when gas cost $4.50 a gal here in Florida. More or less about $1000 a day to go fishing....if I don't break anything. Sometimes less if we have a lot of windy weather or a bunch of problems go on with the business that I a forced to deal with.
The yacht in the picture cost about $80,000 a day to run. lol The guy I sell my products to has one about half that size. He takes me out whenever I want to go. We run his boat down to Alabama once or twice a year to fish for yellow fin tuna. The engines in his boat cost more than my house!!
BOAT=Break out another thousand....I like fishing and I don't care what it cost.
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
The guy I sell my products to has one about half that size.
I had a friend who used to sell "products". He gets out in maybe a year or so.....
This is another example of "lifestyle to which you are accustomed". I have never even considered what having $80,000 would be like. I would be afraid to have $80,000 a year. And that's what you pay for boat fuel? Would you please adopt me?
Eddie1261 - the idea of never retiring is not to be the richest corpse in the cemetery, it's to postpone the trip to the boneyard and live a fulfilled life on the way.
People need a purpose to stay alive, golf and fishing are not enough. We must have a need, not a hobby. The Japanese call it ikigai.
A large part of my gigging income is playing for retirement communities. I started this end of the business when I was 40. I've gotten to know a lot of audience members and I've seen what happens to the majority when they retire. The same thing that happened to my father.
The first couple of years of retirement are like a vacation. Fishing, golfing, dancing or whatever they didn't have enough time for when they were working. Then slowly things start with "Ah, I don't feel like going fishing (or whatever) today, I think I'll just stay home.' Then more and more the TV becomes their focus in life, and in a year or so they die of boredom.
Me? No I'm not planning on retiring. I turned off the TV in the late 1980s, disconnected the cable and took down the antenna and mast.
I gig because it's my bliss. I gig with the musician who is now my wife because it's her bliss. It's our second favorite thing to do.
It gives us a purpose in our life, we have contracts ahead, people are depending on us to bring them joy, we are depending on them to return the joy to us, and for us it's more fun than fishing, golf, sailing, tennis, or television.
If Tony Bennett, Keith Richards and Willie Nelson can enjoy this until they are ready for the big sleep, so can I.
I see no need to retire and let the TV or the proverbial rocking chair get me. I don't intend to die of boredom.
So when the gigs open up, I plan to be working again. And if the restaurant who hired us once a week for 12 years opens, I plan to volunteer to play for meals for a few weeks until the crowds come back.
People need a purpose to stay alive, golf and fishing are not enough. We must have a need, not a hobby. The Japanese call it ikigai.
Agree 100%. Sitting around and doing nothing all day? No thanks.
Exactly! It took me six weeks to start a new business/company after I retired the 1st time. Doing nothing, heck even playing golf and fishing became a bore within that time. Thought I'd retire the 2nd time and play a few music gigs every month, can't wait to get back into that routine.
People need a purpose to stay alive, golf and fishing are not enough. We must have a need, not a hobby. The Japanese call it ikigai.
Agree 100%. Sitting around and doing nothing all day? No thanks.
Exactly! It took me six weeks to start a new business/company after I retired the 1st time. Doing nothing, heck even playing golf and fishing became a bore within that time. Thought I'd retire the 2nd time and play a few music gigs every month, can't wait to get back into that routine.
Later,
Same here. After I retired I went to part time work as a computer tech. After a couple of years I got tired of that and got a part time job that I really loved, teaching guitar and bass. I had done that on a limited basis since the late 1960's. Unfortunately that store went under so I went to a local teaching academy. That went under a year later. Now I have only one student, a nephew, as the others had to quit. I teach him via the Internet.
PS - I'm to active to get bored!
Dad, how will I know when I've become an adult.
When your day is ruined because they rearranged the grocery store.
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All good points. I am a lazy slob to start with, so.....
Notes, my point of using you as the example was this. You are at a level where you could play big stages, fly to gigs, etc. Play at that level. In my mind, because that was the dream that escaped me, that would be my version of musical bliss. Something along the lines of "Boy, get those keyboards set up and make sure that the keyboard on my left side is exactly 6 inches to the side of the main stack. And make sure those cables are run so neat and clean that they don't even show. Call me in my room when you are done so I can come and sound check." This after flying to the city where the venue is. I don't play more now because I don't want to schlep gear around. Load it all into my car, carry it in, set up, play, tear down, load it into my car again, drive home, and bring it in the house. Nope. I just don't want to do that, If I don't have people to do that roadie work for me, I am not all that interested.
That's just how I feel and don't expect anybody to agree. I had that dream that I would be a star. I wanted to play those 20,000 seat arenas. I would imagine all of us did at some point. I saw The Beatles in 1964 and my world changed dramatically. My grades went down because suddenly all that mattered was playing music. All that was missing for me was talent, training and opportunity.....
It makes me shake my head when people who have "that" level of talent are afraid to go for it. There are a few around here where I live that could play bigger stages but they refuse to risk it and take their shot. One refuses to live her multi-millionaire daddy's business because he would write her out of the will and she would lose millions in inheritance money. And that has been her convenient excuse for not having the guts to try for years. I think it's also her excuse because she is afraid to fail. When you are afraid to fail, you have no chance to succeed.
But that's all for me on this topic. Other than to say that I hope everybody keeps taking whatever measures have been working to keep you all safe. I know that most of us are in that seniors area that is the most easily effected. I also check the diabetic and weakened immune system boxes, so I have been pretty much living with gloves and a mask while wrapped in bubble wrap. I have had pneumonia 5 times in my life and malaria when I was in Vietnam (because I was too stubborn to take my anti-malaria pills. I mean they were the size of jawbeakers!). My temp hit 104 and I actually wished that I would just die and take me out of my misery. Until "they" actually come to an agreement about what this really is and how to deflect it, I will be here, in this home office, in front of this computer, or on the couch reading books. All the reading I should have done in high school. Steinbeck, Hemingway, etc....
Unfortunately that store went under so I went to a local teaching academy. That went under a year later. Now I have only one student, a nephew, as the others had to quit. I teach him via the Internet.
So you worked at 2 places that went under?
You're familiar with the concept of cause and effect, right?
A girl that used to work at my vets office had been there for about 5 years. The rest of the people were always new faces, but that one adorable young woman was there through all the change. And I used to tease her all the time that I finally figured it out. She was there and the people around her came and went so fast that apparently SHE must be really hard to work with! And now she moved to Columbus with her boyfriend and I really miss her smile.
Retirement? What's that? To each his own and it seems like Eddie is perfectly happy and that's great. For me? I would go bat**** crazy lazing around the house watching TV all day. As a tax guy I have enough clients and outside consulting work to keep me busy enough and have plenty of time for music.
On the music side, I'm constantly focused on the next gig, I rarely practice scales and things like that, I practice on things I'm actually going to play on the next gig. I like playing difficult stuff that I have to seriously focus on. Right now no gigs so I did tune up my piano and I'll play some things but not a whole lot. That's just not me. I'm not that interested until the lights go on, the crowd is ready and the bandleader goes OK, 1-2-3 and off we go! That's what I live for musically, I'm a performer and I need to perform.
I like having 2 or 3 people standing next to or behind me watching me play keys and making comments like you're the best man! They push me to perform better. I love that especially if they're young ladies. No, no, no get your mind out of the gutter. I look at them like my daughters. I just like the attention, what can I say? It doesn't matter if I'm doing Misty or Wave on solo piano at a private house party and someone stands next to me saying I love that song or I'm rocking out at a July 4th festival gig. It's the same vibe and I'll keep doing it until I physically can't any more. Music is not a job that I can't wait to retire from.
So no, I'm not retiring from that. This virus will pass and we'll all get back to gigging but unfortunately I agree this year is probably toast. I have the same four gigs booked just before and including New Years. Maybe those will still happen. The next few weeks will tell us a lot about people gradually getting back to work in certain areas especially Boeing. They have 27,000 workers who just want back this week. Don't know how many but it's a fair number of them.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
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