The guy who works on my old cars works for free.

Don there is no comparison. A doctor is a specialist a person who plays music as a part of their lifeway is an ordinary person going about their life. There are professionals and there are most other people. The professional is a distortion of the ordinary person who plays just to play. Professionals have a role but it should not be a major one and in public settings they should not be specialists. Lots of special events they can be specialists at. A worthy tradition- weddings wakes birthdays.....

I dont want to spend exposure I use exposure to broaden the audience. We do not need professional musicians to intrude into the public space. They just cause the costs to go way up and that limits participation.

Sort of like me and santa. I get paid for special events but santa stops at most houses each christmas and does not get paid at all he just does it because it is part of the lifeway of ordinary people.

I would not insist that everyone who helps santa be paid just because I get paid for private events. Same with pro musicians there is a role an ancient one. They played at the courts of the nobility however and not in the homes of the ordinary folk.

Again paying pro musicians even though they are not getting paid enough (really selfish argument as no one ever thinks they are getting paid enough) simply puts specialists and their fees ahead of the tradition.

Conrad