Not A Duster
Well-known member
5 PM yesterday marked the end of my employment in an industry I have been involved in since 1979. I have taken employment in a field that has absolutely nothing to do the music business, show production or any related field.
To paraphrase a corny old saying, music has been my life - probably more important to me than anything else aside from wifey and family. But the long hours (often 100+ in a given week - sometimes with shifts lasting as long as most people`s work weeks) and demanding conditions have taken their toll - and frankly I`m getting too old to keep doing it the way I was. Attempts were made to hire young people to share some of the load, but frankly, weve found it near impossible to find youth willing to put in a full, honest day`s work, much less make any of the sacrifices related to work.
Add all that to the fact that the era of online piracy has contributed to a live concert environment where rates (and wages) are falling to less than where they stood 20 years ago - yet the expectation of killer hours from the clients still stands.
Time to get out. I can no longer live to work - the time has come to work to live.
I`m going to miss it a lot - I cried openly yesterday leaving the building for the last time. When you put your life into something, it`s hard to walk away. Most of my friends have been people I work with - especially my employer. But I`m also looking forward to what I`m going to do. I will be running the service shop for a business that sells mobility equipment to the aged and physically disadvanted. This means repair & install of wheelchairs, scooters, chairlifts and so - on. It kinda feels good to be moving into a field that helps others after spending most of my adult life induging the creative muses of myself and the artists I have worked with...
...The whole 8 to 5, weekends off thing is going to be pretty easy to take as well. Perhaps I can find some more time to spend here.
To paraphrase a corny old saying, music has been my life - probably more important to me than anything else aside from wifey and family. But the long hours (often 100+ in a given week - sometimes with shifts lasting as long as most people`s work weeks) and demanding conditions have taken their toll - and frankly I`m getting too old to keep doing it the way I was. Attempts were made to hire young people to share some of the load, but frankly, weve found it near impossible to find youth willing to put in a full, honest day`s work, much less make any of the sacrifices related to work.
Add all that to the fact that the era of online piracy has contributed to a live concert environment where rates (and wages) are falling to less than where they stood 20 years ago - yet the expectation of killer hours from the clients still stands.
Time to get out. I can no longer live to work - the time has come to work to live.
I`m going to miss it a lot - I cried openly yesterday leaving the building for the last time. When you put your life into something, it`s hard to walk away. Most of my friends have been people I work with - especially my employer. But I`m also looking forward to what I`m going to do. I will be running the service shop for a business that sells mobility equipment to the aged and physically disadvanted. This means repair & install of wheelchairs, scooters, chairlifts and so - on. It kinda feels good to be moving into a field that helps others after spending most of my adult life induging the creative muses of myself and the artists I have worked with...
...The whole 8 to 5, weekends off thing is going to be pretty easy to take as well. Perhaps I can find some more time to spend here.
[smilie=::
