Ben,

John Heinrich, one of the best session pedal steel players in Nashvile...and sax, dobro, flute, clarinet, etc...is a good friend of mine. He is on a lot of the songs you here on country radio. We played in a band together some years ago. John does get paid more for his work on songs intended for commercial release than he does for demos. He and I discussed that last year in Nashville.

It is vaguely similar to using loops for recording your songs with your computer. you can download loops from dozens of sites on the Internet. If you sign an agreement to use them for non-commercial purposes, ie, your own demo, they cost less than if you are going to use them on music that you intend to sell or play publicly. You must digitally sign an agreement for the intended use of the loops before you download. If you use a demo/personal loop purchased at the private use price and then use it for a commercial release, they can sue the pants off of you and the law is on their side. The loops for private and commercial use are identically the same...just like the session musicians' work...but you pay more for the very same loop if it is going to be used commercially rather than for private or demo use. It is pretty much an industry standard.

Yes, you might find/know someone who does not use that same set of procedures/rules...but he/she is in the great minority.

Alan