Warning RANT : Lots of coffee and phone calls this AM

I've gotten a few calls from senior groups here for Holiday ( They're still not over the Merry Christmas / Hanukan battle yet )
Do you have this date open ? "Yes'
What do you play ? " Anything you want but I know what works from experience"
Are you loud ? " No"
Do yuou sing ? 'Yes'
Do you take lots of breaks ? 'No"
Do you do line dances ? "Yes"
Do you dance or teach the steps ? 'Sometimes"
Do you have lights ? "Yes'
Do you have insurance ? "Yes"
Here's the only question that matters after all this BS.
What do you charge ? " OK my wheels start turning trying to guage a fair price.
I give them what I think is a fair price and add I can work on it a little if that matters. "
OK, I have to talk to the committe ( they all use this line and I hate it ) and we'll get back to you.
Two weeks goes by, I swallow my pride and call saying I'd like to firm up the date.
Oh I'm sorry but we got someone less expensive.
Why the H*** didn't you just say we only have x amount of dollars in the first place and I would of said yes or no ? And how about the courtesy of a call back ?
This is not one incident but the same sceniero a number of times. These people are not charity cases. They live in upscale communities.

And for Gary, the NHs here pay $75 -- no thanks. Yet charge 4K a month to live there.

I told you all it was a rant. Just wanted to share with someone who understands the business. Thanks for your patience.

BILL
We must be talking to the same people who read the how not to hire a band manual. It happens all the time. Next time it happens to me I'm going to ask, Well, how much did you pay. I'm always tempted.
MEL

Very familiar. If its not a client I have previously played for or a type of (social) club I have basic prices for, I ask what date they are looking for and the budget they are working within in the same sentence. Then I can let them down by saying I'm booked rather than the truth, that what they are offering is not going to get most live musicians out the door.
The non callback/response thing is irritating. I would rather get 20 negative answers from incoming requests or promos I send out than no reply. Especially when it can be done via email that takes away possible awkwardness. I can remember one client that does a big annual event I solicited them for, who responded they were booked but would consider my band for next year. They actually did so and contacted me..but I was booked this time. But their follow up is the exception not the rule.

NURSING HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Good one donny. didn't look at the YT vids yet but I really don't care what others do. I can do a god jab and have in the past but not for crumbs.
My wife says why bother anymore, its not worth the stress. I'm beginning to think she is right.

Bill listen to your wife sometimes enough is enough,...when you have to battle against FREE now matter how good people think they are it really doesn't matter anymore, AD's have a certain budget to stretch out thru the year and have to do what is necessary to make it last....a saving grace is hopefully when your out there playing for peanuts someone visiting may see you ask for a card for a future Private event where you can cash in at your regular rates and something may come of it. Think of these cheap NH gigs as a practice session to try out material. there is much more avenues to take as a musician if you have the passion and talent. The LIVE music world is a very different place then when we grew up...good luck buddy.

After watching my father deteriorate over several months and pass a couple years ago, I can't go back to a place like that even for full rate. And he was in a better one as they go. I can't pretend not to see the discarded souls there..

I feel the same and saw the same thing with my mother-in-law (at a rate of @ $4800.00/mo). I understand the need for elder care but find it thoroughly depressing. It's not that she was treated badly (she wasn't), it's just the "discarded souls" atmosphere that Sparky described above. It's like a preview of what life is going to be for YOU in just a short time...no future, no hope, nothing to look foward to, no family or even old life-long friends around to talk to; just bland meals and a medicine tray. It's the closest thing I can think of to being on death row. Just thinking about it makes me hope I go to sleep in my own bed one night and just not wake up.

I applaud those who try to bring some joy to this population through music and entertainment and maybe alleviate some of the pain of this sad existence, but I could never personally do it, even on an occasional basis, much less every day. I would rather be in combat; at least you have the camaraderie of your buddies and the hope that you MAY come out of it alive.

FWIW, I don't feel quite as bad about retirement communities, especially the 'active adult' ones, as they are probably a good and practical transition to 'the next phase'. But jeez, this is such a depressing topic (not the OP), for me anyway.

chas

Bill, when I first began performing the NH circuit, the pay was the same - $75 max! After about a year, I began jacking up the price, the first jump was to $100 per hour, and none of my regular clients balked about the increase.

After about 5 years at $100 an hour, when gas prices shot through the roof, I informed my clients that I had to increase to $125 an hour and again, no one balked at the increase. Though gas prices eventually fell a bit, I kept my rate at the same price, and I charged everyone, private parties, nite clubs, restaurants, etc... the same fee, which is important. No one could say they were charged more or less than the $125 per hour fee, thus no conflicts.

Now, the nite clubs all said "absolutely not!" to which I said, that's my price - take it or leave it! The top nite clubs and restaurants in the Baltimore Metropolitan area pay $125 to $150 for a 4 hour job. This is the same rate they paid 50 years ago when I was relatively young and playing a 12-string guitar and performing lots of country songs while sitting on a bar stool and singing through a SM58 and a pawn shop amp I bought for about $50. I would much rather be performing at $75 an hour at a retirement community, assisted living center or nursing home, to an appreciative audience that enjoyed every minute of my performance, then a bunch of half drunk patrons at a nite club or restaurant that could care less if there was musical entertainment or a jukebox playing loud rock music. Even at $75 an hour the rate is far better, the hours are far better and the audiences are usually very appreciative.

Wanna make some big bucks, set up a deal like Donny Pesce had in NJ, a Thursday Night Dance Club at one of the halls of the local VFW or American Legion. Charge a nominal fee, say $7 bucks per person, provide soft drinks, ice, pretzels and chips at each table, play good dance music for three hours, and if you draw 150 people every Thursday, you'll rake in just over a $1,000 bucks a night before expenses.

Now, most of those halls are never rented on Thursday nights, therefore you have some bargaining room to get the hall rental price down to something reasonable, especially when you consider that you will be renting it 52 weeks a year. You can probably get that hall for a fraction of the normal asking price, probably under $200 a night.

The snacks can be purchased at Costco or BJ's Warehouse Club, which will save you a bundle. If they want something stronger, most VFWs and American Legions have their own bars, which will be more than happy to sell your patrons beer or something stronger. In fact, this will improve their bottom line, maybe to the point where they would be willing to negotiate a better deal with the hall rent.

Then, when it comes to NYE, you can really rake it in, making a deal with the hall rental folks where they provide the booze and food, you can charge premium prices and more than double your nightly take.

The secret to making this successful is advertising in the right places. It's a matter of getting the word out by printing and hanging attractive fliers and hanging them anyplace you can. Also, you can utilize things such as Craigs List, Facebook, and a host of other Internet sources that cost you nothing other than a bit of time putting something attractive together and posting it in the right places.

There are a huge number of over 55 communities in your part of the world, and there are a lot of people living there that would love to listen to you perform, dance, meet new people, and more. Donny had several of his people at his dance party that ended up getting married, meeting their spouses at his Thursday Night Dance Party. He also provided a birthday cake for those having birthdays on the same night as the dance party. Birthday cakes are cheap at BJ's! But, this gesture sure goes a long way in retaining the audiences week after week.

I'm sure Donny and others can provide more insight on this than I can, but I clearly recall seeing more than 250 people at Donny's Thursday Night Dance Party, whirling around the floor and enjoying themselves while Donny played his keyboard and sang to them.

Who really needs the nite club circuit, anyway?

Gary