why aren't you playing out?
for me after so many years passed the musical baton
in retirement, now looking for a new direction, but how about you?
So you have all the tools keyboards, speakers,mics,cases,laptops, all kinds of gearetc, etc, but your sitting home looking at it all
just wanted to discuss why many aren't sharing their talents gigging out at different venues, or maybe with others, but prefer to just be a home player?
should be an interesting talk......what say you and why?

You can buy everything to play out except places to play. Fewer and fewer venues and more and more competition. With so so singers with backing tracks and three chord guitar players everyones a Star. Starting from scratch with no contacts is a tough road.

Bill I am sure there are plenty of nursing home gigs available in your area.....have you been playing at those also?

Checked and played at a few but its competition from the free entertainers. Those places are growing here so I may take another shot at it. Doing d duo with a sax player now and we're getting some interest and jobs. Hey we're called "Jersey Guys" so you have to hire us 😊

good luck what type of music in your act?

Still playing and hope to be doing so until I am 80 years old - which isn't too far away ...

what happens at 80

Maybe retirement - MAYBE ... ... but if people are still calling me to play, welll ...

would you hire this guy!?
this is me on a good day. no work here in columbus oh. different culture from florida.
left alot of gigs and a great living there due to health. that was 12 years ago.
so life is what it is. now the good stuff is now i can buy what ever i want. but no desire to buy. go figure.

and you can play at home too correct?...it never stops..

Donny
I guess you could say we're versatile. As you know all too well its important to read your audience so we do that. We're working off of my extensive songlist which has every type of music in it. So if they want a Cha Cha, Waltz we do that. Motown, no problem. I know a bunch. Swing, Country, Disco, R&R we hit all the bases. I worked with this sax player back in Jersey and he's top notch. He was too busy back when I landed here as i wanted to do this project then. Just really starting out so we'll see what happens. We want the CC affairs and private parties, not so much the deckertainment which is all over. It gets HOT out there.

???/there has to be many nursing home, assisted living, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays all over Ohio? and elsewhere ....but it is up to you if you want to play out or just in your room your choice...enjoy your nap......good luck
you just gotta go Grab them.....

That sounds great and that’s my approach too, variety, and read the crowd.

The hard thing is trying to explain to perspective clients, activity directors , and club owners, when they ask what kind of music you play. Nowadays, musicians, cover bands, track singers have become very specialized, often focusing on one artist or band, a certain era or a specific year. I pride myself on being able to play many styles, but it seems some people can’t rap their head around variety. Do variety bands still even exist?

Back to the original post, I do play out but not nearly as much as I’d like too. My excuse is there are hardly any venues with live music and far too many ( often times very talented ) musicians looking for work.

Finding work, collecting payment, and getting people to come to your gigs is no easy task. I’ll be able to retire from my teaching job at age 53 with full benefits, and my dream was to go into music full time but I’m having my doubts .... We’ll see....

During slow times like now, I’m considering busking. It would be better to be out there playing rather than complaining!

Paul Bill others ....
IMO there is just too much going on musically on the music scene and technology on how to create and perform music playing out is super difficult in today's world....everyone likes to listen or dance to something else. to generalize audiences like we did years ago as pretty much the world listened to the same kind of music....
but now it is absolute chaos out there
And it is getting worse if you don't embrace change and be able to find your niche` somehow. In just a few more years when all the WWII generation and Baby boomers are gone it will be even harder.
Nursing homes will be full of hip hop generation people lol....
Computer driven music will be the dominate force and expected.
Weddings, and most private functions are beyond expensive and you are controlled by clients, wedding planners, and every other Hoo Haaa who thinks they know in advance what is going to happen at the affair and wants YOU to play certain music at certain times ignoring you reading the audiences, crazy requests for who know what kind of music they sing in their car, line dances of ever caliber, Grrrrrrr !! In a way I am glad I had my time out there and started young and now at only 67 can sit back and watch the craziness as an audience member not having to go through the trenches in today's gigging environment. Enough venting let's hear more about your thoughts..

Only a major illness or death would stop me from 'playing' ...
When we had the band in NY, we would sometimes talk to people who would say "yeah, I USED TO play", and wonder how can anyone "used to play" ... ...

That's a very bleak picture you're painting Donny, but you really described the reality of the situation.

I have so many stories of event planners telling me exactly what to play and when, and usually it never works as planned. But what do you do? I try my best to please them but as the old saying says " you can't please everyone all the time"

Paul I tried to be honest after seeing the changes happening all around me in the past 50+ years.
I wish I could say it isn't so but it is what it is and getting worse,.....either change with the times or give it up and play at home is pretty much what's left.
And if you don't sing only makes it even harder.
Adding another piece or 2 or 3 just cuts the profits
that much more too. Go out there and watch other acts perform
and look at the audience reaction to what is being played and watch the dance floor is it filled song after song, or not? ask yourself why or what can I do to make it better! ....that alone will give you a sense of what is needed if you are going to compete.
And also you need a tremendous EGO telling yourself I AM THE BEST even though your not but it sure build your confidence....
and always be open to ABSORB from others,...take a little bit from all you see out there and customize it to suit YOUR needs.
I know it is a harsh reality!
Have Fun!

The only reason I'm not playing out is I am no longer physically capable. Too many body parts are shot to Hell, but I still play at home just about ever night. Today, the keyboard goes into the shop for an on/off switch replacement, and if I were still playing out, they would repair it while I wait. Now, they say it will take about a week or two to get the parts and make the repairs.

When I was working, I pretty much was able to work anywhere, nite clubs, bars, restaurants, nursing homes, assisted living centers, retirement communities, animal clubs, American Legions, VFWs, Amvets, corporate parties, private parties, pool parties, grand openings for stores, coffee shops, living room parties, the list is essentially endless.

Now, in order to get all these jobs, you have to promote yourself. You have to hit the bricks, put together an ad package, and become a PR person for your entertainment package. The vast majority of musicians CANNOT do this. Yes, you can be a great musician, maybe the best in your part of the world, but if you cannot sell yourself forget playing out let along making enough money to make a living and support our family.

Next comes diversity. As Paul said, you must be able to read the audience. Again, must musicians CANNOT! Do doubt in my mind. They tend to play the kind and genre of music they enjoy, which more often than not is what the audience wants to hear. Kinda like the DJ that does a wedding reception job and fires up with the latest hip-hop and rap music when 95 percent of the audience is over 65 years of age. I do not agree with Donny about the nursing homes being filled with hip-hop and rap fans during our lifetimes - it ain't gonna happen!

During the final years of my musical career, particularly the final decade, I worked an average of 350 to 450 jobs a year. I was always booked a year in advance, did a fair number of doubles, an occasional triple, yet still found time to take my wife and children fishing, sailing and participate in other activities involving the entire family. This is an important aspect of life, at least from my point of view.

As for why most forum members are not on stage - well, it requires a lot of work to do this full time, which is not something that everyone wants to do, especially when they already have a full time job. Granted, it was always a lot of fun being an entertainer, again, something most musicians are not. They may be great musicians, but there's a big difference between a great entertainer and a great musician.

I spent the last two decades doing the senior circuit pretty much full time. Why? Well, that's where the money was. It provided the highest hourly pay rate, you played in the middle of the day, thus avoiding rush hour traffic, you could pick the number of days you wanted to play, book the jobs up to a year in advance, usually only had to work just an hour a day for the same pay the clubs and restaurants paid for 4 hours, and the audiences were wonderful. I would often play a 1 p.m. job, then pick up the wife and kids and be on the water sailing or fishing at 3 p.m. the same day. What's not to like about a job like this.

Unfortunately, I guess I rode this old horse a bit too hard and put him away wet a few too many times. But, I made it to age 76 before health issues forced me to hang it up, reluctantly. During that 30 plus years I was full time on stage, I did have the forethought to set up 3 retirement programs, did not spend huge sums of money purchasing gear and ran my musical career like a small business. That said, I often look back and wish I could have continued until I dropped dead on the job.

So if you do not play out, even one night a week, enjoy playing at home or wherever you play your arranger keyboard. Playing out is a JOB!

Sorry about the rant, but I'm old and cantankerous,

Gary

I actually have more work than I can handle. The music scene is White HOT here in Florida, there are 100's of thousands of boomers and snowbirds living in HOA's, 55+ Communities, etc. who LOVE to party. There is enough work for everyone! This year I will be playing the parks; Seaworld and Busch Gardens and heaven knows how much more work will come from that.

They want to hear a broad mix of music; 60, 70, 80, 90, 00's from all genres. I play it all and people love it. I have a bidding war going on for all the major holidays; especially New Years Even where I have 4 venue's who want to hire me!

When I first moved here, I spent the first six months ,looking , sending out video demos with web page links for more demos. I got two jobs one was assisted living that I played twice and they stop hire outside entertainers and used freebies only.( budget cuts. The other was a American legion which I had to cancel due to upcoming surgeries. The assisted living paid 50.00 for 1 hr. American legion paid 75.00 for 3 hours. So I decided to not pursue the music up here. To me it's not worth the hassle . I'm ok playing a 40 minute set once a year here in my retirement community when needed. I've been following Gary ( travelin easy) diamond on this forum , I highly respected his knowledge and attitude toward facing not playing anymore. He has made my transition to my next stage ok. Thanks Gary. Hope you're doing better.

1. 'Playing out' was never the 'end all' for me in music, nor did I ever desire to try to make a living through music. For one thing, given the level and quality of talent out there during my 'playing out' years, I never deluded myself into thinking I was good enough to make a living this way.

2. Age and health considerations. There comes a time when the hassle of preparation, set lists of tunes you don't want to play :), setup/teardown of equipment/equip. insurance/chasing bookings/night driving. Without the incentive of having to do it to feed the family, it's hard to dredge up the desire to play out. This is magnified if it involves other people (band members).

chas

Great for you, Al ... enjoy every moment of it while you can ... As the song says "You're gonna miss this", and I greatly miss the days of playing with the band in NY ...

Actually there are more venues where I live hiring single and duos now than there were even a few years ago. Karaoke seems to be finally dying a much-deserved slow death.
There are only a couple of arranger players around here, so most of these jobs are now being done by guitarist/vocalists playing and singing with pre-recorded tracks. The most successful of them make their own background tracks. And these guys are very good, I must add.
In addition there are a few piano players still finding work at some of the high-end dinner clubs.
Also, we have five casinos within a couple of miles of each other. Each of them has entertainment every night, and often two separate bands on the weekends. Most are local, but some famous or used-to-be-famous acts as well.
I disagree with my good friend Gary about the nursing homes paying more. TOP dollar in these parts for a NH is 100. for an hour. Most won't pay that and there are lots of people doing it free "to help the old people". Their hearts are in the right place, but it's the big companies they are helping.
Anyway, that's an hour of playing. It also takes time to drive there, unload, set up, pack up again, drive home. You must allow time after arrival just in case something doesn't work as it is supposed to. Realistically it takes several hours depending on how far it is. Traffic here is MUCH busier during the day than it is at night. And, these days, most of the NHs are owned by huge companies that make you submit an invoice then wait a minimum of 30 days to get paid. You have to spend time very day keeping up with submitting and processing invoices and following up on slow payments. Plus, you must carefully keep up with every imaginable expense because that 100 bucks doesn't go far after taxes. Correct me if I'm wrong Gary.
I know one fairly successful arranger player who makes more in tips than the nursing homes pay. And, I don't mind playing three or four hours; in fact I love to play and sing; that's why I do it!
If you go to all the trouble of transporting gear, setting up, etc., you may as well play a while, right?!
I'm fortunate enough to be able to leave everything set up nearly all the time and not have to move unless I take an outside job, which I rarely do these days.
I have every day free to fish or play golf, all day. I don't care to go out at night much, unless I'm getting paid!
These days, I only choose to work two or three nights a week, so if I want to take a trip or short vacation, I can do that.
There are two sides to every story. Sometimes more, and I must admit it is extremely gratifying to play for the folks at the nursing homes.
There's an entire different story I could tell about when my friend and I worked nursing homes all over this state and parts of two others. Won't go into it here, but I've explained it in the past. It was very lucrative.

Don, it's not the taxes that'll get ya - but instead, piss-poor bookkeeping.

Lets say, you get $125 for a one-hour NH job. Some places paid more, but an average of $125 was what I charged for jobs within 30 minutes drive time from home. I calculated my overhead for this job at about $20, so therefore, I had a gross profit of $105 - not bad for an hour job.

Now, there's a big difference between gross profit and net profit, the later being how much you were able to stick in your wallet. From the gross profit, I had to look at all those other little expenses that most folks don't think about. Things such as computer ink for printing advertising brochures, postage for mail-outs, business card printing, tax preparation programs, liability insurance, and of course, spares that sit idle in their boxes just in case something breaks down. This is just a partial list.

Direct expenses include the cost of transportation including gas, tolls, tires, batteries and auto maintenance. Then,you have the cost of your basic setup, keyboard, stands, amps, PC, mics, etc... Obviously, the longer you keep your basic setup, the more you get to keep. Fran and I agree on this, he kept that G70 until it grew moss on the north side of the board, while I kept that 3000 until it took on an alien life form, When I gave it to my son, there was not a scratch on it, and I sold the spare to Ed-K. The spare had only been used once and both 3000s were purchased on the same day.

Now, if you are a diligent, meticulous bookkeeper, keep track of every expenditure, and follow the tax codes carefully, utilizing each and every legal write-off, you will likely get to keep about $90 of that $125 you made. However, I highly recommend taking at least 10 percent of that $90 and investing it into an IRA or other retirement account. You should do this for one reason and one reason only - You eventually will get old and not be able to generate income from playing music. I should know! Those 3 retirement accounts I created more than 20 years ago sure make life a lot easier.

Gary

Dining room gig-$150-200.00. 15 Minute sound score (Takes three hours to write and record)...$1500.00. Larger productions pay more.

Of course, the engineer in the studio doesn't have the B**BS the bartender in the bar/restaurant has.

But each year those B**BS make less and less difference.


OH Well,

R.

Health and age considerations and very few venues in this small area.

I played two to three good paying, $125 to $250 jobs a week until age 80. Turned to N.H. until I turned 82. Started playing NH free. After three weeks I received $40 for one hour. After three months it was $85, one hour. I started with eight people, when I left there were about 125 people.

At 85 I was down to one job a week, I was getting tired, the excitement in my music was diminishing. I knew it was time.

The ending is a happy one, I play my Sx900 everyday – the love of music is still here. AND, my wifes keeps applauding. (smile)

John C.