Profession  vs.  Hobby

by Frank Amoss

President of AFM Local 7
Orange County, CA

Reprinted with permission from the 1st Quarter 2000 issue of The Score, the official publication of the Orange County Musicians’ Association, Local 7, AFM

How often those of us who are union officials hear, from members as well as non-members, that musicians choose not to join the American Federation of Musicians because they see nothing in it for themselves. Can there be any doubt that those who offer this reason for remaining outside our ranks are only concerned with instant gratification and have no understanding of what it means to invest in their profession and thereby, in themselves? The concept of preserving the profession from which we draw so much pride and satisfaction and protecting it from the onslaught of technology is the responsibility of professional musicians. It cannot be expected of the other guy. The other guy is in the music business as a hobbyist or as a dabbler in the arts. He or she has no vested interest in the health of the profession and is strictly a taker.

It is to us, the professionals, that the stewardship of the music business devolves. The profession of creating live music is under attack from so many directions that its chances of surviving are severely limited. When we add the erosion from within, caused by musicians’ willingness to embrace exploitation and to perform under any circumstances, the attack is complete. Where is there to turn? Who will stand up for the music profession?

The person that requires the services of musicians has as his/her first interest, the cost of the product, as does any purchaser. The lower the cost, the higher the profit. You are the product and the lower the value you place on your ability, the better it is for the purchaser. Presently, many musicians are keeping their cost (value) low in order to cope with the law of supply and demand. The fear dominates the musical market place that there are good players who will take any job that is declined by a conscientious musician. This fear plays right into the hands of those who are the greatest threat to our future. The amateurs who are happy to work for peanuts call on professional musicians and offer to share their peanuts with them. The terms are accepted and the cheap band sounds better due to the infusion of professional ability.

The situation will not change until professional musicians are content to allow the amateur bands to have the cheap jobs. Without the boost of skilled players these bands will sound like the dabblers that they are and the line will be drawn. It is the musician who does not understand the advantage of belonging to a union and who cannot see anything in it for himself who will cross the line to play with the hobbyists. This musician is unable to understand that he or she owns any responsibility to the health and welfare of the music profession. The joy and satisfaction taken from a musical performance is fulfilling and can be intoxicating. However, care must be taken that the euphoria of a satisfying performance does not become the end that justifies the act of disregarding professional standards. Some concession must be given to the business of live music and to the fact that it can not remain a viable profession without the support of its practitioners. It is the AFM that supplies the tools for developing that support.

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