Kae'Yoss said:
I'd never think about demanding money from my friends, either, even if I DM.
I don't think peopla are looking to get cash from their friends. I think it's more of a "if you offered DM:ing as a service that anyone could buy, much as any other service provided, and it was a job (full or part time), then what should it pay?".
I personally would have no problem charging for DM:ing, but a lot of other stuff would have to be in place for that to be feasible; a proper place to play, a consistent quality of performance from me as a DM, high quality handouts and proper rules mastery. Also, it would not be done with friends, but with people who woud hire me as a service provider.
For a DM that would accept money in exchange for DM:ing, the demands to consistently deliver at least a good experience could become a difficut hurdle. But if a DM feels he can provide this, and people would feel ok paying for it, I don't see why it shouldn't happen.
Now, don't get me wrong here. The above criteria apply when I DM for my friends as well, but I don't have a contractual obligation to live up to. If I stink one night, that's that. If I would charge for it and be bad, they would be in their right to demand money back if I did a bad job.
Making it into a "job" is not only charging for it. There are many other things that go with putting yourself forward and saying "this is so good you'll want to pay for it".
/M