As a musician, I get asked on a daily basis to play somewhere for “exposure” or “promotion.” Whether it is for a charity event, showcase, or grand opening of a location, I have to communicate to the person asking that this is MY CAREER. This is how I pay my bills (mortgage, electricity, insurance, etc.). This is how the musicians that work with me pay their bills. We have studied our entire lives to get to this level, with many years of college, training and experience. We don’t have other “day jobs” as people like to call it. We are not hobby musicians. We are PROFESSIONAL musicians and this is our career. We know that our service and performance is an actual commodity because people do pay for us to do it. It is an actual product. Just like with any “job,” one is trading their time and talent for a paycheck. A musician’s performance is his/her time and their talent, and s/he should receive a paycheck. Our performance IS our product, and just because there is usually no tangible “take away” for the guests at the end of our service does NOT mean that we do it for free. The reason for our service is to provide much more than background music. We are there to create a mood, a feeling, and an engagement of your audience. Live musicians add so much more to any occasion as there is a physical and emotional exchange.
However, with more and more people feeling entitled to getting the best product or service for the cheapest price, I was alarmed when I saw a fellow wedding vendor posted about an inquiry she received for a wedding cake fewer than thirty days in advance, and some of the comments and replies: