Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes
I would say that's pretty comparative to the world's wealth as well.
Diddy better give me my damn share or there's gonna be revolution.
I think there is a big difference between working a regular day job and being a musician. You can have all the musical skills and talent in the world and still make nothing as a musician. If you have a strong education and work skills, you can pretty much write your own ticket, even in this economy. The opportunities for talented musicians just are not the same.
Music is something that musicians enjoy playing. Hell, they are going to do it if they get paid or not. Bar owners know this and as long as there is a line up of artists willing to perform for next to nothing that pay scale isn't going to change. The only way to get paid more is to have a fan base willing to pony up more $$$ so the artist can have some negotiating power for a gig and hopefully get a bigger share.
What I find amazing is looking at the contestants on shows like The Voice. Several of them each season have already been on tour with big shows like Madonna or Lady Ga Ga or Sting, etc. To many singers that already would be "making it", even though they probably got paid very little.
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A gentleman is defined as someone who knows how to play the accordion, and doesn't.
Well I'll tell you, I have a medicore educational background and not a whole lot of technical skill in anything, yet I make more than double of the poverty line. But a gifted musician with decades of musical experience can still be broke and struggle to get anyone to listen to their music. There just isn't a comparison between the arts and general empoyment. I do know personally many very successful people, and they generally have much more skill and talent in their fields than I do, so I don't begrudge their success any. And all of them work crazy hours, more than I'm willing to. I make what I make, and don't blame anyone for my personal plight, which isn't terrible anyway. But a musician needs a whole lot more luck to have any kind of financial success, even if they "sell out" by playing what's trendy. I just don't think it's a fair comparison.
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