Yes. But you won't make that case on this board. You will likely be labeled an arranger-basher and reminded that "this is an arranger board". The fact that this misses the point seems to be irrelevant. The fact that a piece of equipment can be used successfully by a professional doesn't necessarily make IT 'professional'. One could use a hammer from WalMart to build a house but that doesn't make it a professional quality hammer.

Despite the protests of those that will go into great detail to explain how they use it in ways not intended by the manufacturer (full piano on top of SMF's, Bass and drums only, vocals over Mp3's, etc., etc., ad nauseum), the truth is, it's primary function is to provide automatic accompaniment. This has always been the province of high-end home instruments, most notably, home organs. They were never designed for, or seriously marketed to, professional musicians. The proof is that you never, ever see one in a first tier venue. You may also notice that the people who take the most issue with this position are the ones with the least amount of traditional (classical) training. No matter how you slice it or spin it, music produced by arranger keyboards, played as arranger keyboards, is not 'live' music.

Using one (in OMB situations) to maximize one's profits is fine, as far as I'm concerned (although I wouldn't personally go out to hear one), but let's not pretend it's about the music. If you believe that, then you don't understand the concept of music as a creative art form. JMO, of course.

chas