The gig I played yesterday will likely pay me $175 to $200.

I arrived on site at 4:45pm to unload my gear. I sound checked at 5:15pm/5:30pm. I left the site at 11:00pm. in total, I spent ~6 hours on site and about an hour to do some work while I waited for the show to start.

Let’s say I get $200. If I divide that $200 by the number of hours I had to be on site, 6, plus the 30 minute rehearsal earlier in the week, we’re looking at $30.00/hour.

Musicians and non-musicians may believe that’s good money. I am thankful and privileged to earn that money doing something I enjoy.

I hold that last belief to be true and at the same time I have a contrary belief. I don’t know that value is worth the time I invested.

I’m at a point in my life where I enjoy being in my home, reading, listening to music/podcasts, or watching a movie. If I’m going to load and unload gear for something, I want it to be something that I’m “fuck yeah” about. Why invest my time in anything less?

As conflicted as my thoughts can be; I am thankful for last night’s gig. I am thankful for the people I shared the stage with, and the enjoyment we brought to a whole bunch of fun loving nerds last night — the crowd was awesome.

Thanks for wading through my inner conflict with me. Perhaps you’ve had similar thoughts yourself.