Things are slow here so I've decided to go a different direction. Assisted Living places. There are some very upscale ones here and I've already played at a few. I want to have something to mail out or hand to the ADs. Gary being the expert in this area has given me a great outline for booking, just need to put the package together.
I've never had good luck with demos before. We all know that no one is going to listen to the whole thing so you have to hit them with that perfect first few songs.
Now again this is aimed at the AL crowd so any song suggestions from you guys who do this on a regular basis would be great.
And if you want to add to your suggestions how about demo songs for a regular demo?
Thanks in advance

Bill CD demos are fruitless IMO for NH...your just another entertainer that these inexperienced ADs will just throw that CD on a pile with the others, .....what ADs want is for the entertainer to "WOW" the residents in whatever way you can and a Demo CD isn't gonna cut it as they can be doctored up in so many ways to sound good vs a live show vs a live interactive exciting show.....that can only be achieved LIVE IN PERSON and you only get ONE CHANCE to kick it up a notch 100% better then the next guy...there's no way around it the homework, footwork, and diligent repetitive phone calls and personal visits, is the only way to approach them,.....after that you better have the "GOODS" or your one time gig will be all there is without call backs it's that simple the competition is fierce,....good luck.

I noticed that out of all the types of venues I've hit with my demo CD, the senior places actually seem to listen to the demos the most. Maybe because they still actually have CD players? I've been told that they like to listen to my demos during other activities like dance lessons or exercise class.

As far as what to put on it, give them what you do best! I would suggest just try to change up the styles for each song, you know like a Latin, then a swing, then some rock n rock, country...

You'll probably want to focus on the mega hits from the 30's to 70's with maybe the 50's as the sweet spot. In my experience you can't go wrong with Elvis or Sinatra.

I've been considering making a video of a performance at a senior center and maybe having it edited to small snippets of each song, put it on youtube and send the link to the activities directors. Maybe make DVD for the residents too?

In contrast to Donny's statement that the CDs will be tossed in a pile, my experiences were just the opposite. The ADs said they would listen to them in their car while driving home and often called me the following day or two later to book jobs.

If I were still onstage and looking for work, the only thing I would change now is I would add an inexpensive USB thumb drive to the package, one that not only contained the songs on the CD, but additionally, a quality, well edited, video of me performing at one of the upscale assisted living centers and retirement communities. This, of course, would require someone that REALLY KNOWS how to shoot quality video, add the audio and edit it into an acceptable format to sell the job. That same video can also be uploaded to You Tube and you can provide links to the video on your printed, promotional material.

All of the rest of the stuff is still valid, follow-up phone calls, appointments to set up bookings, promotional gifts such as calendars and pens, thank you post cards, etc... When you provide a professional presentation, you can command professional pay rates, even in areas where the senior circuit is notoriously low paying. These days, word of mouth advertising just doesn't cut it, especially if you intend to do this full time for a living. There are way too many folks out there that will play for chump change and still believe they are making the big bucks.

Good luck, Bill, I know you can do this,

Gary

Gary don't forget all the FREE competition regardless of the talent as this keeps the ADs budget in order and as always money is the bottom line, nothing can compare to seeing an act "live" to watch crowd reaction,....that cant be done with any dupped up video or studio cd just my opinion, nothing worse then someone hearing a CD/video or whtever and then in a live situation say to themselves..."what the heck is this crap" when they see you perform............I have had many ADs use many free acts just so they can periodically hire the quality A-list performers during the big holiday events which makes sense, and this goes for any gig not just NH's....carry on

Guys
Thanks for the responses and I somewhat agree with you all. I thinking if I can't get to see or speak to the AD directly ( they're always in a meeting ) as least I could drop something off. A business card doens't seem to be enough to get their attention. Gary was kind enough to share his sucessful businees outline and it has a lot of great points including a CD. My approach in the past has been to give me a tryout date and we'll see how it goes from there. Donny is right there's nothing like a "live" demo. So i guess the answer is both and be a persistant PITA.
Never had to work very hard for gigs but I'm in a new world.
As for songs, yea SInatra and Elvis were on my tentative list. Do some of these AD even know Sinatra?
While teaching a teenage piano student the other night and talking about phrasing I said that one of the things that made SInatra great was his vocal control and phrasing to bring out the lyrics. I was meet with a blank look. "Oh well lets move on and work on some scales." LOL !

Bill, when I performed in the Florida Keys, I had the opportunity to perform for a bunch of spring breakers along with the regular crowds. Those spring breakers requested Sinatra songs - not hip-hop and rap. I was amazed, and they were the ones dancing to NY NY. Of course, they also loved everything Jimmy Buffett as well.

Donny, I agree that a live performance is the best, but you have to get your foot in the door first, or have the AD come and visit you while you are performing somewhere else, which is not likely. Therefore, the promo package, a full, complete and professional promo package can be very, very effective. It was for me, and for many of the other folks I've made them for during the past two decades. My effective rate for them was about 75 percent, which is extremely high. But, you had to do all the follow-up stages in order to be successful. If you did not do those additional steps, you didn't have nearly the success rate.

AS for the ADs knowing who Sinatra is, in this part of the world if they did not know, they would not have a job in the first place - it's that simple. Most of the independent living and assisted living facilities have resident committees, folks that live there and have a huge input on who is selected to entertain them. They get to see those promo packages, get to hear your CD and if you have a video, I can guarantee you they will see it.

Now, some guys will go out and play for free, hoping that they will be hired for pay after they do that freebee. In reality, you do that freebee and you quickly acquire the reputation of the guy that will perform for free. I know lots of people the tried it and it always backfired on them.

Good luck, Bill,

Gary

Also versus live a CD or Video could easily totally ruin your chances altogether if it's not really done professionally,....it's could have a Big reverse effect instead of playing live in from of the residents so the AD can see the reaction of a POWER SINGLE act, applause, stage presence, sound etc, etc, etc, ..have fun and good luck. always remember your only as good as the next guy who's better then you....just sayin'

Well the conversation took a turn from song suggestions to Demo or no Demo. I do think Gary hit it by saying "You have to get your foot in the door" and then follow up as Donny said give them a great performance.
Also Gary's statement about guys who play for free bring back a memory of my private music teacher telling me "once you play cheap you'll always play cheap"
I did have one AD tell me they got music for free. I told her "when you can get a Plumber or Electrician come here for free I'll do it too "
Sooooo ----- any songs you think will hit it out of the park ?

The AD has a activity budget that is given to them in the beginning of the year to work with for entertainment/activity expenses for the entire year they have to spread it out,.....either you play for what they can afford or move on to the next one with a bigger budget, etc,..and they are always receptive to FREE entertainment to fill in the gaps.