Each year I provide my ADs, and some special private party clients, with a token of my appreciation. They provide me with a job every month, so I figured it would be a nice gesture. I've been doing this for a decade, and each year I try to find something special that they all would like.

This year I discovered a new wine called Coco Vino, which comes in at least three different flavors. Additionally, I was able to procure some miniature, sample bottles of the product that I used as gifts for some of the assistant ADs. The liquor store provides me with colorful gift bags and ribbons at no charge, and because I purchase a couple cases, they give me a generous discount as well.

With each of the large bottles I also attach a nice card, a 2012 calendar, and a new CD. Though it sounds expensive to do this, in reality, two jobs pays for everything. And, I'm able write everything off as an advertising expense.

Food for thought,

Gary

Gary ... That's a nice gesture for those who hire you on a regular basis ... I don't go quite as far, but there are a few people in town who hire me on a regular basis, and I get them a nice box of chocolates from a store in town that makes their own EXCELLENT candy ...
It's the THOUGHT that counts ... Yes, No, ?!?!?

With 99 percent of the ADs being ladies, you can't go wrong with chocolate.

Gary

I have a little lady who makes 500 butter rum cakes each season. People have an allotment. Mine is 25. You can't get any more. She decorates them with holly, berries, etc. When people ask if they can buy one, I say, "no, you have to hire me to play"! (LOL)!

Each big client gets one of them. I send a big Christmas flower arrangement to the owner at my House job. It traditionally is the first thing you see when you go to the establishment during the holidays.

I also don't forget the help at my house job. They can make or break you. This year, each waitress/waiter, bookkeeper, etc. gets a black and gold Cross pen.


I don't play nursing homes or assisted living places, but if I did, Gary's approach looks great!


HO, HO, HO, everyone!


Russ

(4 more jobs and counting)

Question Gary on the new CD's you include...Are you purchasing the mechanical rights for the songs recorded on these CD's? I understand there's more than one way to secure these rights. How do you suggest?

Nice gesture, by the way...

Hey Bill,
If Gary were violating copyrights and royalties would you expect him to admit it to the whole world on this forum? He's not nearly as dumb as his wife thinks he is. Merry Christmas Bill and Gary.

Tom

Bill,

The CD contains a dozen, traditional, Christmas songs, all of which were purchased from an advertising company that paid the copyrights. The CD has a personal Christmas greeting on the label from me. There are several companies that sell these, including National Pen Company, whom I deal with regularly.

Merry Christmas everyone,

Gary

of course not, lol...

Over the last few months I've begun to hear about alternate, yet legal ways to secure the mechanical rights to record copy-written music. Gary mentions purchasing his songs from an advertising company who paid the copyrights. This sounds different from the way I've done it with the Harry Fox Agency in NYC.

I'm hoping to do a CD project in the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2012 and would like to know if there's other ways to handle that part of a recording project.

Gary, would you elaborate on this advertising agency, contact info, etc? Sounds like they might be worth checking out.

Thanks...

Bill,

It's the National Pen Company. I've been dealing with them for a decade now, and the Christmas CD promo package included a Greeting Card and Christmas CD with about a dozen, traditional Christmas songs. I purchase calendars, pens and pocket planners from them as well.

As for doing your own CD, it can get fairly expensive, particularly when you consider the minimum requirements for the royalties. If I recall, the figure was about 2,500 copies, but I could be wrong about that.

Good Luck,

Gary

Thanks for the clarification, Gary. I misunderstood that YOU recorded these songs. My bad...