Let me add one final thought:

I have a Friday night gig I currently do where the restaurant has a grand piano in the center of the dining room. I use my MP3 accompaniment and they have a dance floor at one end of the room. Generally the owners and the diners love me but there is quite often one customer or couple who are seated too close to the piano and want the music to be "turned down". The piano is not mic'd, the lid is closed and I don't pound on it, so I already play as low volume as I can within reason and my accompaniment is a comfortable matching volume. We had several debates about this and finally a confrontation - I told them to stop coming to me with "turn-down" requests altogether and start moving the clients to other seating or fire me. Negotiation was over. The owners backed off and now move the customers if they complain. They could have moved the piano or hired another pianist but the option they chose was to relocate complainers.

This created some tension at first but the fact is that I do draw people who want to enjoy my music and the compromise had to come from the client if they wanted me to play. If people don't like live music then they should come during the hours I don't play, and if you don't want to be wallpaper (or a door mat) then you don't have to be.

[This message has been edited by Esh (edited 11-13-2006).]