Corporate gigs

I had a good gig last night for a private corporate event on the Chesapeake Bay in Stevensville, MD. even though no one was listening closely. These "corporate gigs" have a number of pros and cons. On the bad side no one listens very much to the music that you're playing. That's not to say that the people don't listen at all or don't appreciate having music at their event; they do - they're just focused on socializing more. On the plus side these type of gigs frequently offer better working conditions than "club dates" or even wedding gigs. Much better pay (enough to actually support the fortunate musicians who do many of these types of gigs), food is usually included, the venues are frequently nice and the staff that you deal with are usually very professional. I just think it's important to balance these background music gigs with ones where people are actually listening and interested in hearing the type of music that you're playing.