Songs for Demos

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.

Donny
Yea I realize the yearly budget thing but the places I'm aiming for take in big bucks from their residents so if they can't afford to pay me something reasonable I'm out. 4K a month and up is not unusual here for a small efficency apartment.
I also just did another wine tasting event for a Charity here and donated my services. If its a worthy cause for a Charity, Vets, Etc, I'm all in but as my Italian friend used to say "Don't tell me your hungry with a loaf of bread under your arm "
Besides I have to save up for that new Roland Arranger Fran leaked !!!
My neighbor works as a Chaffuer for one place and no mini van for him. He drives the residents around in a new Caddy, where ever they want to go day or night. I did a wine tasting there and the place was amazing, a first class resort atmosphere. Changed AD's so I'm back to square one.

Bill why not get into the Wedding DJ/ keyboard player/singer area that's where the money is, & you have the experience .....
people have to get married everywhere paying big bucks these days ....if you dont someone else is doing it....

Four points. I am now in my 10th year at playing only Independent Living and Assisted Living facilities and this is my experience.

1. The large corps who own these places don't like to spend a lot of
money on entertainers. The activity director's budgets are very low
compared to what they charge the residents. In my area I often go from
"how can I keep up" to "hope I get to work next month" due to budgets
being on a month to month basis for many of the places.

2. I NEVER do "auditions" for any of the places. Learned that lesson a few
years ago when several places offered non-paying "audition" times and
never hired people they had to pay. I also stopped providing CD's when I
learned of two places who would play my CD's for their events but did not
hire me to play. And yes, the CDs were only short versions of songs.

3. CD's and other materials, including direct mail and hand delivered, I have
used to present myself to new places have had very little to do with my
status in the local area today. What seems to be the trick now is email,
text, and phone calls.

4. No One here can give you the best advice on how to fill up your calendar
unless they come from your city and area. Hourly rates are different
everywhere you go and frankly, I would not work in some of the areas
because the pay is to low. It is a business and you have to have a strong
business component to your operation or you will fail.

Fortunately, my weeks are pretty full and I'm booking now into 2018 so i think for the time I have found the best approach. But what I do might now work for you in your city.

Deane

Bill, I almost forgot about the song recommendations. Anything upbeat by Sinatra, Jimmy Buffett, and other artists of the same era, late 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and up to mid 1980s will suffice. You want songs that are toe tappers, songs that some can dance to, a sprinkling of ballads and jazz numbers, a few show tunes, etc..., songs that were popular when the audiences were 15 to 35 years of age, which is the time in their lives when then tended to enjoy music and dancing the most. These will be the songs that they will likely remember, even in memory impairment facilities.

As to what DNJ suggested about weddings, DJ, etc..., do you really want to do that? I stopped doing that stuff 20 years ago because I no longer wanted to put up with drunk teenagers at weddings, grouchy brides, and 35-year-old drunken adolescents. Same goes for the DJ Jobs. Additionally, the numbers just don't seem to add up. With the senior circuit you can work every day of the week if you wish, up to 3 jobs a day, not have to put up with drunks, have very appreciative audiences and take weekends off to be with your family at the nearby beaches. Weddings are usually on weekends, four hour or more jobs, often involve traveling longer distances. Now, someone will likely jump in here and say that you only have to do one or two weddings a month to make the same amount, but the wedding DJs that command those prices are indeed rare, have huge sums of money tied up in light shows, sound systems, etc..., and in my part of the world, they also work another job during the week, mainly because they cannot make it on the wedding job income. Sure, you get paid more per job, but not usually per hour, at least here in the sunny south.

Good luck and I sincerely hope it all works out for you. If there is any way that I can help, I'll be more than happy to do what I can for you. I'm just a phone call away.

Gary

Gary it's nothing new for Bill hes been DJ'ing for years and is very experienced..
it's a whole new ball game out there and big $$$$ depending on the package offered can be made in the wedding business.
Someone has to do it and someone has to make all that money,..there is a huge market outside of OMB arranger Kb jobs, and a piece of pie for all if you want it,.....carry on

Donny, I know lots of DJs in this area that do weddings, they have enormous setups, light shows, water fall fountains, all kinds of neat stuff. They ALL have other jobs in order to make a living. The only exception I know to this is one guy who's wife is a CEO of a major corporation, which allows him to play around DJing. And, DJs seem to be everywhere. They're coming out of the woodwork like termites, but good OMB entertainers using an arranger keyboard are a rare commodity and those, that as you always say, "have the goods" are doing very, very well down here and locations farther south, in the mid-west and on the west coast. I think they are smart enough to know that if there were a lot of DJ opportunities, they would be the first ones out there doing it - they already have most of the gear. But this is not the case. How many weddings a week do YOU do in NJ? I would suspect that you fared a lot better than most DJs doing weddings at your Dance Club, worked less hours to put it together, and other than a few MP3s you played, most was DNJ live on the arranger keyboard.

I give up,

Gary

Hi - since this topic has somewhat diverted to "how to promote and market", I thought that i'd mention that in my area (capital / central NC), about ALL the places I play (over a dozen), were started with one "Free" show for them. I often got call backs, and when I didn't, I'd make a call to them, and most of those times too, they'd say " Oh yeah, I remember you, the residents really liked you" etc., and hire me. I've been playing for those ~dozen places now for over 15 years. Since this is not my full-time thing, I have to turn away some gigs, since I get plenty of calls. I do still have to send an occasional "reminder" email to some ADs, and an occasional visit in person, which often results in another gig or two.

Songs? There are lots of topics on that - I used to (say 10-20 years ago) concentrate on music from first half of the 1900s, now I add in plenty of music from 50s, 60s and 70s, and that goes over well too: the ones that were VERY popular in those years. They like the "Energy" and beat of rock and roll too. And a bit of "Beach/R&B" (what in NC is called "Shag music", shag being a dance lots of people know and do), a few ballads, a few show tunes (mostly shows from 1970s and older, plus a few from Les Mis. and Phantom), and I always do a sing-along (I bring a lyric sheet to hand out, with 5-6 songs on it). . .

Hope this helps,
Jim

Hey guys Thanks
Donny-the big Wedding DJ scene is a young mans game and to delve into that and all thats involved as Gary said at this point is just not for me. And again the "contacts" to get these lucrative gigs are hard to come by. I will and have done some smaller private affairs with the keyboard and DJ mix and will happily accept those.
I'm looking to just do some casual gigs with no stress.
As a side note the young musician (26) who runs the music store I teach at is a fantastic Classical Guitarist and he speaks Spanish. I keep bugging him to get out there and do some classy solo work, playing acoustic guitar and singing in two languages. He would do great here with that. At first he said "but I don't sing" I volunteered to get him started , then he finally said " besides running the store I play bass ( which bores him to death ) in two bands and a weekly Jam session. I don't have to do any booking, just show up, play the simple songs and get paid. No stress.
I can appreciate his thinking and I would like to work once or twice a week in an upscale place with just me, my FP90, a tip jar and a good Bourbon --- just dreaming.
Good point when it was stated that even though these AL resorts take in big bucks they tie the hands of their AD.s . Didn't look at it that way.
I'm thinking from what I've read the emaii,l phone call, and then personal visit is the way to go. I would agree to a reduced fee one time date and go from there.
Thanks again for the great input

I agree on the good Burbon...



And don't forget there's always especially in warm weather places STREET BUSKING performers......just get a battery powered amp and kb and start playing on a crowded tourist corner with your case open for tips..put your CDs out and jam..

There was a guy in Baltimore's Inner Harbor doing exactly that, Donny. Then some guy from the city came up to him and asked for his license to perform outdoors, slapped him with a citation, and he ended up in court paying a pretty hefty fine. Then, when he went to get the license for the City Of Baltimore, they told him it would take 90 days to be approved, IF he were approved, then he could go out and perform as a Busker.

Additionally, I ran into a guy in Key West that tried performing on Malory Square Dock with the Sunset People, they told him to get the Hell off the dock and if he came back, they would toss him and his gear off the dock and into the ocean - and they were dead serious about it.

I don't know how things are like this in Jersey, but I would bet there are some license requirements, and also special permits required to perform outdoors. Just sayin...

One more thing, I just watched that entire performance you posted by Kevin, no one stopped, no one put a dime in the tip basket, but he plays a mean keyboard. Guess he'll have to find another way of putting the kids through college.

Gary

Well Gary I would assume every city has it laws,.... as in New York city they are all over the place on the streets and in the subways,
I've seen them all over New Orleans too, etc, "freedom of expression" etc, etc, ... go figure?

Gary
In Cape May NJ all the crowds go to wal the Washington Street Mall. No big deal, just a blocked off street with shop and restaurants. When I was leaveing the town was just talking about issuing licences for "busking? on the mall.
In Asheville NC there are musicians all over the place, so who knows. And here there's a guy who plays for tips at the farmers market every Thutsday. Beats a conga drum and sings to CD's , yes he's terrible and loud but no one complains.
I'll tell yo one thing I ain't playing outside in this SC sun, even with a roof over me. Maybe after dark but never like that guy out in the open.

I plan to set all my stuff up in the driveway and turn it as high as it will go and hope the neighbors will pay me to stop singing!

That ain't ​gonna happen, Mason ... just be happy with the money !!!

I don't even know if my keyboard still works. I've played twice this month; other than that has stayed in the bag!