Hello.

What do you consider as partial? How many gigs a week & how much would you expect.  Part of the door, percentage of sales, or a flat fee?  It will take some time to gain a following. There are a few artists who manage to have regular weekly gigs, but it is a slow process to attain such. I'm talking about the Sosua/cabarete area. I know nothing about the Punta Cana area regarding the things you might encounter re: residencia ETC.   Have fun, entertain & perhaps garner some gelt. Good luck & welcome.

What I mean is that I'd need to earn some kind of income while I'm down in the DR. At first I may just rent part of the year until I decide where I would want a home.
Resorts pay better. Local venues are better for that ‘following' you mentioned. I'd play as much as possible.
Thanks for your reply,

Welcome Ian to the forums.  I think the advice is correct that Punta Cana is likely to be more consistent in terms of work. Many of the resort's have musicians several times a week.

You will likely need residency to get those hugs as they are part of the formal set up. Other places may not care if you have it or not.

What kind of music do you play?

Thanks for the reply! I played for 20 years as a ‘saloon' singer meaning I just played covers. Think Billy Joel, Elton John and some mostly pop rock music. Loving the ‘island' type music these days.  I also have a few fellow musicians whose careers will allow them to join me in a band format if and when necessary. I'm in my early ‘50's so it's not like I'm looking for a record deal. Just want to entertain in a relaxed setting AND get to experience the DR as I get older. I have a friend who moved to Roatan years ago and plays drums in a band. They also perform for private events and he's living the life as far as I'm concerned.