Yeah I wonder too. I can understand big touring acts not needing them because they can afford a complete band.... I think some closed minded musicians just kind of cringe when they think of those supper cheesy auto accompaniment from the past. At least that's the way I thought before I discovered the modern day arranger.

But I do see arranger keyboards in all sorts venues and events when I visit Mexico. I've been told arrangers are found on stages in Europe too. Not sure about Asia and other parts of the world.

A really great keyboardist here in Dallas who was hip to arrangers told me that he thought the reason why they haven't caught on in the States is that Americans musicians love to create. Look at all the US styles that have caught on world wide (Jazz, Rock, County, Blues, Big Band, R&B, rap....) What he meant was if your going to create a groove/style or even a song from scratch. a workstation or other type of platform would probably be the way to go. As great as arranger keyboards are they do of course have their limitations.