Big Decisions

About a month ago a band, who will remain nameless, put out feelers for a multi-instrumentalists. My boyfriend was contacted and invited to meet one of the band members for a casual audition in Atlanta. All went well and he was later invited to join the band at a music festival where they would be playing. It was incredibly exciting considering the success of this band and there was already talk of him joining them on tour and making some real money. About a week after he returned from playing with them at the festival he got a phone call from the lead vocalist informing him that they wanted to make him a permant fixture in the band. There was a catch though, if he was to join the band he would have to dedicate himself solely to this one project. There could be no moonlighting of any kind. It seemed a bit harsh to me, especially considering that they had yet to give him any sort of guaruntee concerning money.
Now here is the kicker...the band isn't very good. They get plenty of gigs but it is almost solely on account of the lead vocalist's connections. This fall he was already planning on touring with an environmental folk group. He loves to play with them but they don't really make any money. Now he has to choose between playing with a group that has talent and who he enjoys being with or a group that could possible further his career but that would be unrewarding in any other way. As an artist it seems that he should really stay with the group with talent but in today's world, where the word industry is always tacked on to the word music, is he really an artist? Also, to what extent can anyone stick with their principles while trying to succeed in their field?
I don't know the answer's to these questions but they seem to follow us around. In the end he decided to join the talentless band but was then saved from this decision by being replaced by someone who lived closer to the band's home base. Part of me wanted to criticize him but then he did what most of us do. He decided to save principles for easier times.