Yeah, Rick, that rule IS a good GENERAL rule. I've been know to drive from Portland to Salem (OR) and back for a one-hour gig that paid $30 (i.e., over 3 hours plus mileage expense for over 100 miles) for $30, to honor a booking I had committed to even though the others I had booked in Salem that day cancelled.


Still, many "nursing home" (and foster home) gigs are not your typical "commercial gig." They often pay less than half of union scale, sometimes a LOT less. The smaller facilities sometimes operate on a very flexible schedule and often expect the musician to be flexible in THEIR schedule, etc. They often think nothing of cancelling performers at the last minute even after a time slot has been booked for over a year--because the census is down, the administrator cut the activities budget, there's a new AD, "Marketing" decided to have an open house that day, or whatever. There are usually no written contracts.

Strolling room to room music is a good example of where it very often doesn't matter to the AD whether you do it at 2:30 or 3:30 or on Tuesday or Thursday. A lot of ADs would be delighted to reschedule if you knocked 10% off the fee or gave them an extra freebie at a later time. But usually when I offer that, they don't take me up on it, because when they do flex, it's usually because it was easy to do.

Let me revise that rule: Developing a reputation as "LOW MAINTENANCE" is important. Developing a reputation for RELIABILITY is CRUCIAL.
It's fine to ask an AD to reshedule you if they are willing and can do it without much hassle. You become a "high maintenance" provider if you do this OFTEN or if you persist in the quest after the AD has indidated that it would not be easy to reschedule.

Bottom line: is the client satisfied with the end product?

Genie