I've always been of the opinion that music is supposed to be mutually enjoyed by musicians playing together.

Also, I don't have much respect for the ability of most club managers and booking agents to differentiate between good and bad players/musicians.

Who's opinion maters most to you? Is it the public? The management of venues? With me, it's the opinion of peers....musicians I respect.

What about you? Please remember, there are no right answers. It's all about what "floats your boat". I suspect that entertainers will value the opinions of the public much more than other musicians. The reverse is probably true of most musicians.

We all must get satisfaction/approval somewhere. Where do you get yours?


Russ

Audiences....without a doubt.

Opinions about what, though, Russ?

Often times, I'll take the agent's opinions or audience reaction over peer approval when it comes to whether an act is commercially popular or not. Whether it is any good 'musically', yep, peer musicians are our best bet. Mind you, as this forum shows, you can expect just about any answer to any question here! Little consensus about anything, IMO...

mine, mostly!...
but then again, i am not so much after any real-life advantages, like paid gigs or selling cds and so on. still, i apreciate an honest oppinion of any qualified person, as long as it is constructive (not necesarily positive, but helpful) and it was meant to really help for future improvement, not otherwise.
this is how i feel, what i do and also what i recommend to everyone.

I guess after decades of playing it really no longer makes much difference to me what anyone else thinks about what I play or how i play it except for the audience I perform for now. I no longer play clubs or dances and my only clients these days are folks in retirement homes or assisted living centers. It matters a lot to me what these folks think as I perform for them. They are always gracious and appreciative and I work probably harder to please them than I did when playing all the best spots in our area. I could write a book about all the really neat things I have experienced since taking on these clients. Anyway, that is what "floats my boat" these days.

Hammer

It really depends...

If its a song selection thing for my band, I trust myself...

When it comes to ballroom dance-ability, I trust myself a lot but will ask my sax player his thoughts often...

Our PA sound in the front of the house, I trust my bass player to tell me how it sounds out front...

Other than that, I trust my own judgement on most things...

I can't remember the last time the dance floor wasn't filled when we were playing...


Technically, I find Gary D and Don M to be terrific resources of info. (Also dirty jokes!)



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Bill in Dayton

People who buy the tickets and sign the checks.......Period.

Peer acceptance means little to nothing regarding ticket sales, venue owners, show producers, clients, CD sales and ultimately the bank account....unless one is at thwe Grammy or Oscar level, In that case peer aceptance matters to the bottomline.

And Bill in Dayton....the reason you rely on your sax player, bass player and your own judgment is because you are assessing what the audience hears and you can judge how you are doing by seeing their response.

So ... it all boils down to AUDIENCE.

I have gotten and lost jobs because of pleasing or displeasing a club owner who places his/her opinion above that of his/her patrons. But it has been rare. And, in most of those cases the patrons move on if they are not pleased.

Eddie

Sorry Eddie, I disagree...

My band gets hired to play at dances, usually ballroom, for the 50 and up crowd.

Like I said, we play...they dance...

I used to ask them how did it sound? Are we too loud? Etc...They always said it sounded great-don't change a thing, so...IMO, they're not really objective.

My bass player can tell me my keys are a tad too loud, or the highs on the sax need to be cut...My audience never gives me that kind of info.

My sax player gives me good count-offs on some ballroom I'm not real familiar with and it works...I trust him...

What's also not been mentioned is the trust level the audience has in me/the band. The musicianship of the 4 of us is good enough that even if we try a new tune that the audience has never heard from us before, they're out there dancing...



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Bill in Dayton

I always listen to the person that is writing the check.

Tom