I live in a small town in a rural area near the centre of the UK. I was recently told by a guitar shop owner that he sold more PAs than anything. Why, I asked

I live in a small town in a rural area near the centre of the UK. I was recently told by a guitar shop owner that he sold more PAs than anything. Why, I asked, is hard to get gigs now? "I'm playing 3 nights a week", he said, "1 with my Beatles cover band, 2 general covers". His band was a twosome with backing tracks. £350 a night, split 2 ways. I was suprised you could do that well in such a remote area, but it would be a good start towards a living.