Many good points above; clearly you've paid your dues. The question that rises in my mind - and no disrespect intended, believe me - is "and then what?" I guess it's another way of asking "what club" we expect "membership" in for our dues. What do we expect to come to us as a result of paying our dues? The phrase & concept of course aren't limited to music; they more or less apply to life in general, I think. But still - we pay our dues, and in return we expect: what? Fortune & glory? Respect of our peers? (perhaps, perhaps). Ain't no guarantees anywhere; sadly, it's not even a given that no talent shlubs who don't pay their dues won't wind up on Sunday Street. Maybe paying one's dues is a virtue, an thus its own reward.