Hi Deane,

I relate to everything I quoted here by you.

Actually your posts from the last few months are what planted the seed in my head. It was a great ride, a great journey....but all things, good or bad, come to an end. My only regret is that my music career came to an end before I did!

Mark

Diki.......I disagree with this statement.

The "body of your enemy" will take many different forms....all assisted and made workable by technology. You will be waiting a long time just to define the enemy....forget about waiting for it to "float by!"

As for DJ's vs live bands vs Karaoke artists, garage bands, etc

I've lived through it all. The way I see it was...

....it started with 80's music becoming rather difficult to reproduce live. Couple that with the price difference between a DJ and a live band....it was a no-brainer for club owners and general events. The more the DJ's proliferated, the more lazy the bands got about "keeping up." That was the status quo until literally no one wanted to hire a band anymore.

Now, because of the economy, the DJ's are being taken over by garage band enthusiasts, Karaoke wannabe's, and technophobia geeks.

That will soon be replaced by streaming music via the Internet into your club or wedding.

And soon THAT will be replaced probably by a Home Entertainment Center that will play DVD's and MP3's, Karaoke files, a Home arranger application programmed by a nerd, and a projector that will project music video's onto the wall!

We asked for the benefits of technology, but it's not a one-way street. You pay a price for everything. The price we're paying is loss of jobs that will never again return to the workplace and loss of craftsmen and professionals in many, many fields including music.

The toothpaste can not be put back into the tube. With the advent of technology, everything moves in one direction now...forward!

Waiting for "the enemy to float by was possible before all this." Now it will just keep "morphing" into different forms fueled by the "bottom line."

Mark

Thank you to all of you who posted here on this thread about my “plight.” I’ve read all messages closely and each of you have said something for me to ponder over.

As I’ve written to Deane, it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while now. I’ve come to the conclusion you have to know “when to hold them, and when to fold them” in that big poker game in the sky.

I’ve decided to give up the whole thing, the practicing, the acquisition and storage of equipment, the never-ending study, learning new songs, new styles, a new language (Spanish), my PA3x, etc. Not to mention the current lack of respect for professional musicians, the obnoxious people you come into contact with now, and the predictable bickering over pay and who will do it for 1/10th of what you’re charging!

I will probably still dabble in music (mostly piano), but I will play for myself only now. And the music I want to play....and for relaxation with no obligation to anyone else but me.

I’m sure I will do the occasional senior jobs and work for the few clients I have left....I DO have bills to pay. But, I’m going to look in another direction and maybe see what life is like as a non-musician for the first time.

I’m a little un-easy at this age making this decision, but sometimes “the handwriting is clearly on the wall.”

I’m also aware that maybe the “rest” will open up a new perspective for me that I need to stay in music but go in a completely different direction.

But....for now....I quit! So take this thread in any direction you want now, but I’m glad I posted it to get this input from you guys.

Mark

Diki
I always enjoy reading what's going on in your head....You have the gift of putting your thoughts on paper!!!!

my relationship with music (50 years) was like a marriage gone bad. at the end of my professional career i was losing my "passion" of music. i was no longer thrilled by a new music,new places to play, even a new keyboard(and i had them all). my health has forced my to quit playing 7 years ago. i wasn't happy, i wanted to make just alitle bit more money before i packed it in. now i go to concerts, music stores etc. , and just smile. after all the glitz and glitter of showbiz, when my 8 year old grandaughter ask me to let her hold a violin .she was thrilled with the first note she played. i realized that the music will continue. life after music is not so scary.

My small 3 1/2 year old Great-Grand-Daughter visited over the weekend and when she walked into my studio and saw the keyboard setting there, it naturally caught her attention. She played a note - softly - and then another - no random banging as you might expect - I left her alone with it and set down across the room from her and just watched - she was picking out tunes and repeated her melody - she was actually composing - I was mesmerized and so was she - this went on for at least a good half hour before her mom interrupted and ushered her out of the room - much protesting from the child.

A star is born.

Bill G

Bill,
I too have grand children, 4.5 year old twin granddaughters. Every time they visit they ask to play one of my keyboards. Right now they just plink away but seem to have fun doing it. Nothing special yet, but who knows as time goes on.

Deane

Interesting posts. I agree with most lines of thought completely.

Each time I hear what passes today for music, I think about the newcomers out there who are as good as it gets.

Leanne La Havas has Prince and Stevie Wonder flying around the world to her concerts. She is 24 years old and may be as good (making adjustments for time related changes) as my all-time favorite (and the person who taught me to appreciate sensitive, complex ballads and structures) Ella.

Listen to our own Rory Hoffman. Granted the brilliant ones are harder to find, but they're out there.

I was at Summer NAMM and there were kids at the Opreyland hotel with holes in there shoes who could blow me away on guitar.

Granted, the "gems" are harder to find. But they are there and will survive, I believe.

In real life, it's harder, these days, to make a living playing live for people.

But, there are many options...sound scores...commercials...re-focusing to specialize in organizational events...corporate gigs...government AFFILIATED JOBS. THERE'S lots more!

Just got back this morning for two days in Louisville working on a video annual report score for an American car manufacturer...the first job for this client. Got this work because of work I have been doing for a Japanese auto manufacturer for about 10 years. Got the Japanese company because the president of the firm heard me perform at a local restaurant; then with the Philharmonic as gusts soloist (my FAUX Didley act...HA HA)!

Adaptability is the key. I'm not playing what I want to play. But I'm playing, and that's the GREATEST THING, EVER!

Hang in there, friends. Great, well reasoned, and POLITE exchange of articulate observations!


Thanks,


Russ

Captain Russ; “Adaptability is the key. I'm not playing what I want to play. But I'm playing, and that's the GREATEST THING, EVER!”

… What I was trying to say … expressed most eloquently and succinctly by the Captain.
Ciao,
Jerry

You are disagreeing with Sun Tzu, and his 'The Art of War', a world renowned military (and now political and business) strategy guide used the world over. Not me!

In this context, your enemy is canned music, karaoke and the widespread acceptance of lesser ability. But everything is cyclical. Rather than fret yourself out of the business, merely bide your time, keep doing what you do, and the world will turn. Sooner or later, there will be a shift. And the things you worry about now will be a distant memory.

And you will still be playing.