As far as the customers are concerned, at least for the market that I chose, I'm easy.
When I was 40, I chose the retirement market. At that time it was mostly American Songbook era jazz, Frank Sinatra, Louis Prima, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Count Basie, and so on.
As time went on the older folks moved into nursing homes and we started playing Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly era songs. After that Beatles era, and now Seger, Motown, Sting, etc.
I've always been able to mix C&W of the same era, Caribbean and Latin American music (it is Florida), and some blues, as long as any of these genres is not too hard core. It's easy to turn everybody's music into nobody's music if you veer too deep and one direction. For example, we might do Maxie Priest's "Close To You" with a rap section in the middle, and the people like it, but if we did hard core rap, it would turn them off.
I chose a good market for South Florida, as I have never been out of work until COVID, and now that COVID has settled down, I'm doing up to 20 gigs a month again.
But like I said, I'm easy. I like music from every genre, and I like performing. I even enjoy playing songs I would never choose to put in my personal listening playlist. It's just fun to play music, and if they want to hear Mustang Sally, or Brown Eyed Girl again, I'm into it.
I give them what they want, songs they know by heart. They give me what I want, applause, love, and the ability to make a living by doing music and nothing but music.
Life is good today.
Insights and incites by Notes ♫