“Vai and Satriani get called for more gigs because they’re more proficient.” Good comment. Let’s take a closer look. Most people confuse gigs with value. Session players trade time for money. Artists build leverage. So yes—high proficiency can get you hired work: tours, clinics, sessions. But “more gigs” doesn’t automatically mean “higher value.” Frusciante doesn’t need volume. His value lives in the catalog: songs, royalties, band equity, long-term leverage. A session player gets paid when they show up. An artist gets paid because the catalog exists. Different games. Different scoreboards. If you need more gigs to make money, your value per unit is lower.