I, too, am a musician and a singer. In order to make a living doing this, I've had to do all sorts of things - some of which, I didn't really love. Like singing at a restaurant.

Luckily, I teach and can play piano as well, so doing all of those things helps, but it's not the thing I want to do, it's just close.

I think the difference is that singing at bars, etc. is "entertainment" not "art". No one really cares if you move them or bring them to tears with your voice in those places, they just want you to be good background noise.

While I mostly sing classical, I recently decided to quit singing in the opera chorus because even there they had us doing and wearing things that really want not making art, but entertainment. It debased the art form, IMO.

I'm hoping that posting my music online will help get me heard, and since I don't need to make money singing, I am free to do what I enjoy. So perhaps that's the best way you can look at it: do what you love, and since you make money already doing something else, you don't have to compromise and take jobs that don't interest you.

I'd rather sing for free doing something I love than get paid for something I don't love.