Mark, Nursing homes, assisted living centers and retirement communities are no different than any other business when it comes to finances. When the economy goes down the tube, they feel it just as much as any other service business. I had some that asked me to drop my prices per performance, and I told them the best thing to do was just cut the number of performances, thus they could stay within their budget. They agreed this was the best way to go.

Now, there are no 20 year olds performing the Nursing Home circuit - they don't even know it exists. They're all wannabe stars, have guitar will travel types - not quality entertainers that know how to run a business, let alone read an audience. They're the ones in the clubs and from my perspective, they can have them. I have an AD that has a five piece metal band. I went to see them at a local restaurant/club last week. They were way too loud, their PA sucked, their songs all sounded the same. No competition there.

Tony is a quality musician/entertainer. If he aggressively markets himself, he will find more work than he can handle. In my part of the world, there are new care facilities springing up every day. More often then not, one of the ADs I currently deal with will be going to one or more of those locations, as they tend to seek out experienced ADs for the new facilities.

So, if anyone is experiencing a decrease in the number of bookings due to budgetary constraints, this could all change with an improvement in the economy. Some folks feel the economy has improved, but in real terms, this is anything but a booming economy - just ask any business owner. Additionally, many of those new facilities that are under construction were in the planning and investment stages a decade ago, a time when the economy was much better. In some of the current locations, it's just a matter of cutting back on the number of performances, while at the same time expanding your performance base. Like I said on the outset, this just takes a bit of legwork and marketing on the part of the performer. It's a business like any other business, and should be treated as such.

Good luck,

Gary