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