Ive not got much of a problem with players being paid (to be honest, good luck to them!!) but when the begging bowl comes out because the band will fold unless it gets some more money sticks ever so slightly in my craw,
Those commited players would surely do it for the love of it wouldnt they, or would they move on to the next band that pays ?
I guess it’s different strokes for different folks… Some do it for the love, and the money is just a nice extra (they’d stay without it – or with a reduction). Others do it for the love, but also subsidise their income while they’re at it. While ever someone’s willing to pay them for doing what they love, then they’ll take up the offer (Some of these may stay, some may move to where the money is). For others the money is crucial. They may bring in all their income (or the substantial part) through music – teaching, adjudicating, arranging, solo work etc – and they have to go to where the money is. There is also the extreme end that can’t find the money or commercial future in banding and have already moved on to other things (It would be lovely one day to maybe offer similar options within banding for these – dream on.. yes I know, but we shouldn’t automatically discount this possibility just because we’re so determined to remain a fully ‘amateur movement’)
The intensity of the concert schedule that Grimethorpe has is enough to make many professional outfits shudder. These players are giving up a huge amount of their time for the band. Yes we all give certain commitment, but not to that level. Added to this is that surely we want Grimethorpe to be out performing to the public as much as humanly possible? don't we? They are in a prime position to attract audiences from outside of the normal brass band set (and regularly do). Expecting them to just make do and become ‘just like the rest of us’ would only potentially be hurting all of us in the long run.
Hence why I personally would love to see them try to go that final step and raise much more revenue to start paying their players enough to warrant the schedule and profile of concerts (and potentially become fully professional).