First of all, I did not say that MY participation in this business is DEAD, just that it will come to an end, like EVERYTHING else in life, whether that is tomorrow, next week or 10 years from now ...
And I am not minimizing the marketing expertise and talent of people like Donny and Gary AT ALL ...
Donny and Gary enjoy a client base and reputation that has been established over DECADES of hard work ...

HOWEVER, if we are going "to be blunt here" then let's be honest and admit that attempting to ENTER this business NOW, at ages of 65 and above, would be TOTALLY different than when people entered it many years ago ... the competition is different, and as stated in Steve's post above, they are not just sitting behind a keyboard, playing and singing - no matter HOW GOOD THAT MIGHT BE ...

Gary, if you say there are no 20 year olds performing the NH circuit in your area, then good for you - they may not be 20 year olds, but the rest of the competition here in RI is 30 to 40+ years younger than I am ... AND THEY ARE TALENTED ...

And how many of US knew how to run a business, at 20? ... we learned along the way and so will they ...

I will continue to 'market' myself as much as I need to try to have the amount of gigs I WANT ... fortunately, music is FAR from what I NEED to do to put food on the table ... 40 years of good work in a different industry has provided for that ... music just keeps me playing better golf courses while smoking better cigars ... AND keeps my ego happy!!!