>>Your competitors aren't responsible for your demise<<I agree, and add: this is a sign of their professionalism (and conversly, JD's juvenile, manipulative jerk-hood)
In show-biz, you can't live your life viewing everyone all the time as hard-core competition -- you would have NO friends. (I can only speak for the theater world, but I imagine it's much the same with music.)
Yes, every time you have an audition, you HAVE to pour out everything you have, don't be afraid to sell yourself, and don't be afraid to negotiate for what you want.
BUT, every job you take, you're going to be very close to people that - at an audition - may be competition. You might be staying in the same hotel - even in the same house...at the very least you'll be spending almost all day every day together in rehearsal. I have been very specifically told by directors & producers that they will take a more-pleasant/less-talented person because it's just too hard to put up with crap for 3 months or more.
If you spend your every moment scheming to undermine people, or finding ways to raise yourself up by bringing them down...you will be miserable, and you will make everyone around you miserable. Besides which, if you get a job by scheming & conniving, you damn well better be able to back it up in a big way, or it will be your LAST job.
When you work in an office, you can go out for a beer with the people in the next cubicle without animosity (ok, not always). You have to be able to do that in show-biz too. So eventually you learn to get along with, care about, support & encourage your performer-friends...and still do your best to make sure you get the job. But get the job by being the BEST, not by being an arse.
That's why I love it that these people are getting along so well, it shows that they get it, they're mature people that are there to sing for a job. They do their best, head back home and raise a toast. Awesome.
Thanks Tamarama, So eventually you learn to get along with, care about, support & encourage your performer-friends...and still do your best to make sure you get the job. But get the job by being the BEST, not by being an arse.
Great insights, for those of us ( me) who have never been on that kind of audition.
I would imagine that for a Band, you really need to love and support your fellow performers.