Every once in a while, people here comment about how I leverage the performance of music into other, much more profitable business. I have contended that a little effort and thought can yield some pretty good results. In my case, I play places where "big hitters" go, and that gives me a shot at film work, scores, writing jobs, print jobs web work, etc.

One of the guys who has evidently gone out and created a neat niche for his music is our man Donny. As I understand it, he hosts dance nights, promotes the events himself ,and "packs them in" every week. PRETTY COOL!

I know a guy in Lexington who hosts singles clubs in a similar way, and puts over 500 lonely asses in eats twice a week, at $5.00 or more a head.

Unless there's something proprietary about his (Donny's) approach. I'd like to hear about it.

And, anyone else who has approached the music business in a unique, successful way is welcome to chime in.

My old 30 year partner and mentor used to say, "just keep playing, damn it!


Russ

Russ.....here's mine (and I wish I could do it again).

I lived overseas a lot of years and was playing regularly and successfully. When I came back, I had to start all over again getting "known" and re-establishing myself in a whole new environment. One day I sat down and analyzed the whole situation.

My thinking went like this...in this order:

I know I'm good......how do I get other people to know I'm good.....how do I reach the masses of people in one go to present myself to them....where do people congregate.......where do people congregate where I can play amongst them?

I thought......an airport waiting room.....a train station waiting room....play on a street corner? And then, it hit me....the shopping malls! I live in an area they call "shopping mall heaven." I then called up the first one I thought of and I hit it lucky. Told the event director that I'm a one-man-band and I play great music that would give the mall some ambiance and that I'm willing to come down on a Saturday, set it all up, and play for nothing, until you....ask me to stop. Well, I played all afternoon and 10 more years of Saturdays after that smack dab in the middle of the most upscale shopping mall in the area. People were talking my cards by the hundreds. Most every day I would come home and find 2-3 calls on my machine asking can I do their party? And then THOSE parties branched out to other "upscale" persons who attended them and I found myself working regularly for the longest time.

One day, I decided to change locales, so I called up another Mall in another area and used the first mall as a reference. Bam......I fell right into that one too. And I made sure I positioned myself at the foot of the escalator so people could see me and listen to me as they came down from the floor above. Of course, I made sure my cards were right in front of them when they got off. That went another two years of even more work.

I don't remember how it all ended, but it was really a good run I had from one simple idea.

You can't do that anymore.....too many restrictions now, insurance and safety issues, shortage of hallway space, etc.

That's why I like your posts, you always keep me thinking and right now that I'm still in "burn-out" that's what I need the most.....mental stimulation.....before I end up in the "poor house" or on welfare with no money coming in.

Now that I think about it all.....I wonder how I went from being a "king of the hill" to being a "nobody?"

Mark

Russ, Mark

Good posts and i'm going thru the same thing. I've been trying everything to get the ball rolling in my new hometown and its sporatic at best. NH down here don't pay for entertainement. They take what they can get for free. Done a few for free, they loved me and then no follow up. Call and its the same story, "we'd love to have you but we have no funds "
I thought of the Singles Dance thing too. Did it in my old home area for 13 years. Central Jersey Singles and The Nifty Fifties (gotta love the names ) There already is one group here and they meet on a Friday night at a bar/restaurant that has music anyway. Most of the other bar gigs and such are psuedo "bands" doing the Kareoke thing. Anywhere from one to four pieces. Not for me.
Upscale CCs. Did that a lot in my old area. Tried a few down here and they do limited entertainment, mostly just Fri. nights and use the same people every season. Can't break into the circle.
Restaurant Piano gigs, which is what I would love to do. There are four places here that have had them. Two have players with resumes and talent levels I could never touch. I wonder why those guys are even here, LOL. One has stopped it entirely and the other got closed down by BMI.
Another factor to face is we're (me) getting older so when you walk in to a new place and present yourself there's an immediate impression on the 25 year old mgr. who books the entertainment. Give them the young girl with the guitar and computer tracks and they're happy.
I'm getting requested more as an entertaining DJ so that's what I do. The trick comes from my "live" backround of crowd interaction and playing the right thing at the right time.
Got a call to do a Kentucky Derby party from a DJ gig I did so I'm going to bring the keyboard too and see how it works out.
Ideas for a new thread --- good songs for a Derby party.

Donny and I talked at great length about his Dance Parties, I went to see it in operation first hand on several occasions, and I seriously considered setting up a similar operation in my area. The problem I encountered here was booking a facility 52 weeks a year, on the same night of the week. None of the halls, even those that were rarely booked at all, would go along with it at a reduced price.

Here's what Donny did. He found a nearby hall that he could book at a very reduced rate by booking it every week for an entire year. They're not easy to find, and he'll be the first to tell you this. Many will not budge on their rates, while those that will want a clause in a contract that says they can jack up the rate anytime they wish if they feel the need. I went to all the nearby halls, Elks, Moose, American Legion, VFW, Knights of Columbus, and in each location the story was the same - if you want the hall, this is the price and we don't dicker price no matter how often you book. Ironically, most also insisted that they cater the event, then some wanted to charge ME for the having to pay extra waitstaff. Donny is very fortunate in that he was able to work some great deals on the hall rentals.

Donny also spent a lot time and effort advertising the event. He placed posters at every conceivable location, gas stations, senior centers, retirement communities, you name it - had a had a poster there. He also employed direct mail to some of his existing clients form whom he previously provided music for private parties.

One he became established, word got out and it didn't take long before the hall was packed to capacity. Donny's wife Nancy handled a lot of the work as well, taking care of the door, collecting entrance fees, setting up snack tables, decorating the hall tables, and most importantly, gathering information and creating a data base/mailing list of customers.

Donny is good at reading an audience and knows how to keep those dance-floors packed to capacity. He knows what kind of music the crowds will respond to and keeps the music flowing non-stop from beginning to end. He takes time to learn the names of those who attend his dance parties, introduces new comers to the regular crowd and makes everyone feel right at home - so much so that there were at least three marriages that resulted from couples meeting at Donny's Dance Parties.

Nancy took care of birthdays and wedding anniversaries, purchased a big sheet cake for the events, did the liaison work with the data base, and Donny did the announcements, got the birthday folks out on the dance floor and made them the center of attraction.

When he first began, the entrance fee was just $5 a person if I recall correctly, and that included soda pop, coffee and snacks (pretzels, chips, popcorn, peanuts.) That was many years ago, and while he has changed locations a couple times, the event is still very successful and packs hundreds of dancers to his Dance Parties every week. EVERY WEEK! Yes, in order to make this go, you have to be ready to do this every week of the year, sick or well, rain or shine, 52 weeks a year. The only way you don't show up is if you happened to die that week. Then, and only then, will you have a legitimate excuse. You must dedicate yourself to the business, no vacation lasting longer than a few days unless you can find someone who is equally as talented and dedicated to fill in for you. If the van breaks down, you rent or buy another the same day. If your house burns down, you find another place to live, but you still have to go to work that night. The only reason the dance parties stop is for blizzards and floods. As the saying goes, "The Show Must GO On!"

I eventually gave up on the idea for my area, mainly because of the obstacles I encountered with the halls. I then concentrated more on the NH circuit, expanded my advertising base, and eventually raised the rates. This led to working 6 to 7 days a week, often doing 2 and sometimes 3 jobs a day. For a while, I became too successful, I was running myself into the ground, and after having a heart attack, I decided to slow down to 250 jobs a year or less, which is where I am today. Next year, however, I'm gonna edge my way closer to retirement. I'm planning on working just six months, then spending 6 or 7 months sailing to and from the tropics and enjoying what little time I have left on planet Earth.

Cheers,

Gary

Gary that was 20 yrs ago,.. now it's $12.00 each with a free Professional 1/2 Ballroom dance lesson. Also it's on a "off night" Thursdays so not to interfere with my regular gigs..

Yep, it was 20 years ago, but that's probably the last time I was there. So I guess my mind hasn't completely gone to Hell, yet! Did I get the rest of the stuff right?

Gary

Gary........sometimes you're a "humorist" and sometimes you're a "realist"....and.......sometimes you're BOTH!

Mark