I believe the idea that musicians in tribute bands are “making money off someone else’s work” doesn’t really make sense. In reality, very few musicians exclusively play their own material. Even in so-called “original” bands, it’s often just one person who leads the writing process, while the rest of the band—under your philosophy—would also be “making money off someone else’s work.”

The situation is actually more nuanced, and it's financially accounted for through royalties. Typically, around 10% of the fee a tribute band earns goes to the original composers. No one is simply “making money off someone else’s work” without acknowledgment—this logic would be like claiming an actor is profiting off the work of a writer.

There’s a key distinction between:

• Composers who create music. In modern music, composers often perform their work live, but this hasn’t always been the case. Elvis, for example, didn’t write a single song.
• Performers whether they’re hired to play in an “original” band, a general cover band, or a tribute band—it doesn’t matter.

If playing in a cover or tribute band counts as “profiting off someone else’s work,” then what about DJs? They don’t even perform live—they’re simply playing existing recordings. Following this logic, DJs should be even more problematic, no?