Sir, – A recent article in your Business section by John Holden (August 24th) points out that the "main tool needed to work in the gig economy" is a smartphone.
Having worked in the gig economy myself for over 35 years, I would have thought the ideal tools required were a musical instrument or a reasonably good voice, some amplification equipment (when necessary) and, occasionally, a music stand.
However, as a band-leader in the modern era, it has come to my attention that nowadays most sidemen will arrive on the bandstand equipped with your writer’s suggested tool of choice and then spend most of the gig seemingly hypnotised by this product of the “entrenched oligopoly”, often only completing a consultation of undoubted importance to their personal “gig economy” on beat four of the count-in. – Yours, etc,
NIGEL MOONEY,
Inch,
Gorey,
Co Wexford.