> Open source developers tend to have no issues finding paid work, often because they worked for free on open source. The same scenario doesn't exist for artists.
Acknowledging the "paid in exposure" meme, having some free work to point at when potential employers/customers ask for references is still extremely useful for an artist, just like open source contributions are for a programmer.
Imagine you're picking between two bands to play at some event (back when those used to happen). One has 3 references amd that's it, the other has 2 references but a million plays on Spotify. I know which one I'd go for...
Absolutely. That's how it works for the artists in my family.
There are more analogies with Open Source developers. For example, you can't expect that you'll become famous for writing a simple Homebridge plugin. Just like your thirteen-a-dozen blues song doesn't make it to the top of the charts. Thousands or even millions of people may use it, but you're mainly doing it to scratch your own itch. The statistics are just a feel good bonus.
Acknowledging the "paid in exposure" meme, having some free work to point at when potential employers/customers ask for references is still extremely useful for an artist, just like open source contributions are for a programmer.
Imagine you're picking between two bands to play at some event (back when those used to happen). One has 3 references amd that's it, the other has 2 references but a million plays on Spotify. I know which one I'd go for...