No, I did not pay for my ticket to get in
But I paid for my transport to get all the way here

No, I do not get paid for taking photos
But I have to pay for all my equipment

Yes, I go to many concerts and festivals
Yes, I use up all my leave and my annual vacation to go see music

Yes, I meet a lot of famous musicians
But I would rather be with my friends and family, like you are

Yes, I do hang out back stage at events
Yes, I’ll be working on my notes, typing stuff and backing up my files

Yes, I sometimes get free food and drinks
But I do not have time to drink the water, and the ‘food’ is mainly crisps

Yes,  occasionally I receive free merchandise
Yes, like this t-shirt that they told me I must wear. I have worn it for 3 days in a row

Yes, sometimes they give me a free CD
Yes, then I spend hours reviewing the music and writing up a piece

No, just because I’m a journalist, it does not mean that I know “every band out there”
No, I do not know your friend’s band, even if they are  as good as you say they are

Yes, you can give me one of their demos, if you really want to
No, I probably won’t get around to listening to it