Are any of these gigs played "Gratis" or are all of them top scale $125- $150+....if so I have to get into this circuit asap once I get it all together. What about all the phone calls to facilities, invoices, contracts, follow ups for late payments, isn't that time consuming also or do you do this on sight too?

I DO play that much. We've been down the road on this before.

I got busy late last year booking myself, marketing myself and doing whatever it took to fill my schedule. My fee is not that high, even though I do get up to $125 at some jobs. I just starting playing again in 2/06 and my earnings are now slowly increasing.

There are a lot of places that are cutting back too, so I play down to $80 for those who NEED to have quality entertainment. I don't deny anyone.

I don't mind lugging my equipment in. I can set up in 6 minutes if I have to. It takes me 3 minutes to put in my XB!

My health is perfect (knock on wood) and I consider this great exercise (which I do on a regular basis, time permitting). So, not to toot my own horn, but I work hard to put together a 'show' that sells, both musically and interactively. Anyone can do the same........I think this is normal.


[This message has been edited by zuki (edited 04-12-2008).]

First off, I'm not clan. 2nd, if you are such a wonderful player, then communicating it should be normal. And "stretching a bit" is not in my cards. I don't need to make up stories to impress anyone. Good luck.

John,

I can answer some of your questions.

Performing the NH circuit requires organization of everything. Your equipment, in particular, must be easy to set up and tear down, thereby allowing you to be able to get in, perform, schmooze, reload the gear in your car, then drive to the next job and do the same thing again. And, of course, you must carry some essential spares, just in case. One thing that I personally consider as essential is my trusy GPS. Not only will it take you to locations where you have never performed, but additionally, it can route you around traffic jams, which in this part of the world is a constant problem.

Contracts are easily created on your computer using any word processor. I have an old program called "It's Legal" that has sample contracts in it and allows you do copy the contract to your word processor and a document file. Then it's just a matter of filling in the blanks.

QuickBooks is a great tool for getting those invoices out, and keeping track of who has paid and who has not paid. It's an easy programn to use and not that expensive.

Print Shop is among my favorites for printing advertising media. You can design and create flyers, banners, posters, cards and calanders using the program, then mail them to current and perspective clients.

Creating a mailing list is easy. You can find all the Nursing Homes, assisted living centers, retirement communities, alzheimers centers, etc.. just by doing a few Google searches. Then it's just a matter of selecting the ones you want, copy the information into your word processor or data base program and you've just created a comprehensive mail list.

Targeting the audience, however, requires a bit more work--but not much more. Essentially, you have to get your advertisments to the current activities directors. This means you must call each location and merely ask the name of the activities director. Now you have someone to send the advertising media to and not have it end up in the junk mail pile that will get tossed into the dumpster. It's a good idea to update the AD list once every six months. The younger ones tend to change locations regularly, which is good news for you. When they move to a new facility they are often looking for entertainers at the new location. They call the ones they've had good results from in the past.

Rates of pay vary throughout the world, but on average in the U.S. the rate is approximately $100 per hour. The rate is usually double on certain holidays, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc.., holidays that most individuals like to spend with their families. Rates have increased at some facilities over the past two years because of the rising gasoline costs, and some now pay up to $150 per hour.

Hope this helps,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy

Zuki,

Thank you for the info...
I wish you good luck.
You have been an inspiration to me reading your posts on this topic. What do you use to transport your gear?

Wow gary ....


Great info thank you so much.

Where did you ever learn how top do all this? I see I have lots of work ahead of me, but I think it will all be worth it in many ways in the end result. I have only performed in my community & the audience danced sang along & enjoyed themselves. Thats what got me thinking this route.

John,

I picked up a lot of information from some of the long-time members of this and other forums, but the vast majority of this is just a common sense business approach. The computer and Internet are fantastic business tools, and without them it would be very time consuming to do all the necessary tasks and still have time to perform.

Good luck,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy

Thank you Gary....
I also have been in touch with a few members here via email, Dnj & others have given me much help in understanding how this all works.....its an interesting approach that seems to be very successful.

Yes, hats off to Dnj and Gary Diamond for helping me on the right track last year. Despite my sometimes nasty ways, I really appreciate their willingness to help out a fellow member seeking guidance.

zuki

Gary is right on the money here. Good organization is a necessity and the key to making it all work. The one hour of playing is the easy part. All the paperwork, instrument maintenance, and travel time that’s involved is where it gets tricky.

I got my equipment down to a quick 4 minute setup/tear-down and wheel it out on a R&R cart that you can push with one finger and will fold up to save space.

If there is not a piano in the place that I can play if my arranger breaks down, I DO bring a spare arranger (and amp and mike) that I leave in my vehicle.

Travel: A GPS is good. I prefer to use computer maps to draw out my route so I can make up alternate routes in case of unexpected traffic. Always carry maps of the county’s you are going through in case you get lost on the way to the job. Never go on a toll road if you can help it. If there is an accident, you'll be stuck between toll booths with no way to get off and you can kiss your paycheck goodbye.

And always carry the location phone # and the police dept # of the town and if you’re approaching start time and still 5 miles from where you’re playing, call them every 5 minutes to tell them your progress (I live in an extremely high traffic area).

For the paperwork, I found it useful to set up my own database of events (using Works). When someone books always enter the booking date, all pertinent names of peoples involved in the booking, and every iota of info about the job and whatever you might need later to refer back to. I even enter the personalities of the girls who run activities dept’s to remind me how to talk to them. Definitely keep notes of all the times you’re in contact with them, because the girls will think nothing about canceling you out because they “double-booked” or some other irresponsible reason. This way I can tell them “ you booked me on……” “I sent you confirmations on…..” etc.

Once I take a booking and have ALL my info, the procedure goes like this: I set up a “report” program on the database so I FAX a “confirmation” sheet within 24 hours advising them if the date and time are not correct, to advise me immediately. Next step: one week before the event, FAX another confirmation sheet to make sure your date hasn’t been given away. Then...play the event. When you get home, immediately FAX an invoice to them and mark the date. Also mark the “payment schedule” (how long it takes for them to pay so you know when to call them if you don’t get your check). All this is done from ONE database by pressing different tabs. The nursing home circuit now is disorganized relative to what it was a few years ago….massive amounts of paperwork!

For my flyers, I use CorelDraw, but any graphics program is good. Never, never telephone an Activities Director. You can grow a beard in the time it takes to get through to one (if you ever actually do). Unless you live in a LESS dense area where the girls have time to pick up the phone. I happen to live where there are more nursing homes than fast food restaurants even!

A tip here which I’ll eventually start doing. A friend, who does a OMB on the steel drums (of all instruments) did an informal demo of about a dozen songs. He burned it to CD, labeled it, duplicated it and mailed it out to 8 nursing homes. He got 8 bookings back @ $200 a pop.

My own pay ranges from $125 to $175 for the hour. But then again I think it’s more the area I live in. The problem now, and it is getting worse, is that you have an abundance of guys going out for $25 and some even going out for a tuna fish sandwich! They’ve been laid off from their jobs and picking up instruments and undercutting the pro’s. Many do it for nothing just to get out of the house. And then there are the “volunteers” (senior barbershop quartets, high school choir groups, church groups, etc) who also just want to get out of the house.

An overall summnation can be given thusly: It ain’t easy doing nursing homes these days. I said “playing the job” is a piece of cake. It’s everything in-between that drains you. Too much paperwork to keep track of if you’re doing a lot of events and lately the traffic is starting to really infringe on the whole experience.

Still nothing can beat the feeling of happiness you achieve both for yourself and your audience after you’ve finished performing.

Again, everything Gary said here is just the way it is. Not much else to add.

I’m still interested in trading (playing) ideas from some of you who are doing this type of work. I’ve got a ton of thoughts myself, but I’m always interested in hearing something new.

Lucky