House Concerts now International -- newsletter

I'm pleased to bring you our latest newsletter - the "Reader's
Digest" of the house concert community. 8^)

Here are the July highlights:

11 new hosts (welcome Australia!)
38 new artists,
Featured: Molly's Revenge, Hillbilly Haiku, Letters
from Ned, the new Welcome Pack.
Artist, Host, and Q-Tips

You can see all the fun-scinating details at:

http://www.concertsinyourhome.com/blog/archives/category/ciyh-newsletter

Your fan,

fran

PS - I'm touring TX this weekend. http://fransnyder.com/calendar.html

9:48 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Do your fans understand what a house concert is?

And how much fun it could be?

youtube.com/watch?v=iC-9Xbn5Smo

Send this to them...
my compliments.

11:07 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

How much do original artists get paid for live performances?
Category: Music

http://www.squidoo.com/whatartistsgetpaid

Here’s an interesting survey that breaks down how much artists, duos, and bands earn according to the type of venue they play - coffeehouses, clubs, house concerts, colleges, and festivals.

Have a look, and participate if you play original music professionally.

Best,

Fran

PS - please rate the survey 4 or 5 stars if you find it interesting! Thanks!

8:04 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Is this you?
Current mood: productive

by Fran Snyder
http://concertsinyourhome.com

You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete" -- Buckminster Fuller

So that's what I'm doing.

What's the existing reality? Well, thousands of otherwise very competent artists are trying to become "stars," assuming that the model of the 20th century can still work for them.

Back then, you played bars and tried to gain industry attention until a record company offered you a deal.

But you're an acoustic act (or solo, duo, etc.). Tough to get the good bar gigs because so many full bands are willing to play for the same amount of money. So if you want to get paid, you find yourself playing coffeehouses and restaurants, for the most part. These places can pay you because they sell food and drinks and provide an atmosphere with enough distractions to please everybody. YOU are one of those distractions.

So you play covers to get attention, and sometimes you actually get a little. But these crowds are fickle, and lose interest easily. Furthermore, they see 5 guys/girls like you every week, and to the untrained ear you sound much more like them than you think.

If you're persistent, you can do 4-8 of these shows a week, mixing in as much original stuff as you can. You sell a few CDs, get a few email addys. Go home, take a shower, and repeat. You are making a living.

10 years go by.

It seems email addresses go bad faster than you can add new ones. You've put out 4 CDs, and still have plenty of first pressings around. Your friends are all having babies and staying at home. Your new "fans" seem to have as much depth as a toenail, and no cash for CDs. What's an artist to do? Has the music world passed you by? Or are you ready for a new experience?

To be continued....

11:16 PM - 2 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

the emotional anchors of every tour.
Current mood: bouncy

These are the comments I submitted for an article in Baltimore Style Magazine. Not sure how they'll turn out, but I thought it might make some nice light reading...

---

Of course, music in homes (castles, courtyards) is nothing new. But house concerts (in their present form) have been around since the early 70's. They may have evolved out of "rent parties", where jazz or blues musicians would need to scrape together money at the end of the month. Either way, thanks to folk festivals, savvy artists, and generous music fans, there's been a constant ebb and flow of house concerts in several regions of the U.S. - principally in the northeast, California, and Texas. Now, by using websites like concertsinyourhome.com, you can find house concerts in almost every state and province in the U.S. and Canada.

I began performing house concerts about 4 years ago, by pitching the idea to my fanbase, which I'd acquired over 10 years of touring. I was instantly charmed by the way people reacted to my songs in this intimate atmosphere - the way the hung on every word, laughed at every joke, and I could really sense their emotions as they followed the stories and songs.

Like many other talented artists, I realized I'd spent most of my music career playing in places where my "value" was judged by how much alcohol was sold. That's a pretty shallow way to measure art. More importantly, I realized it didn't have to be that way. By reaching out to music fans who are "more into the music than the scene," I could perform in non-traditional venues (like living rooms) and make better money in addition to seeing my music really connect. Unless you are consistently playing concert halls, the clubs and coffeehouses often provide too many distractions for you to connect with an audience in a meaningful way.

I soon discovered that there were hundreds of homeowners around the country that regularly hosted house concerts. However, finding accurate information about them was often very difficult. So I set out to create this website, concertsinyourhome.com, to help others like myself tap into a growing network of music fans who make an effort to keep art and music in their lives.

As this network of house concert opportunities grows, it's ironic that a house concert series can actually help the coffeehouses and clubs in its area. Many artists use house concerts as an effective way to build a (fan)base, before approaching the clubs that have nothing to gain from an unknown artist. I consistently hear from artists that they simply could not tour without the returns that house concerts often provide.

One of my friends, Hans York, puts it another way - "house concerts are the emotional anchors of every tour."

Fran Snyder
founder of http://concertsinyourhome.com
hear some music at http://fransnyder.com

12:17 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

5 ways (and why) to get more house concert bookings...
Category: Music

There was a great artist who once said,

You joined concertsinyourhome.com because you feel or know that house concerts are a good fit for the music that you do. There's no better resource than CIYH for people who want to be a part of that community. I want to do my best to help you get the most of your membership.

So here are 5 ways (and why) to get more house concert bookings:

1. Make sure your artist profile (at CIYH) is complete, accurate, and that the content you chose emphasizes what's great about you in the intimate house concert environment. Most artists just copy their bio from their website. Boring.
Log in here: http://concertsinyourhome.com/artist_resources.html

Why? Because with 10,000 visitors per month, someone will eventually look at you!

2. Make sure you link to concertsinyourhome from your website using one of the banners or text links we have available at http://concertsinyourhome.com/banners.html
This site is turning new people on to hosting concerts (we get 10-15 new hosts per month).

Why? Because one of your fans could become a host, which might give you
a decent chance at a gig.

3. Email your fans regularly (at least 4-6 times per year). Every act has to find a balance between too much and too little communication with their fanbase. Whatever you choose, always include your house concert pitch with a link to our site, so your fans can get a taste (videos, articles) of what the house concert experience is like.

Why? Because people forget. No matter how much they like you, they forget. Most people need to hear something 3-5 times before they'll take any action.

4. Talk about house concerts often. Whenever you find yourself in conversations about music, performing, or touring, mention house concerts. Talk about how this trend is allowing artists to perform in front of attentive crowds - a situation that is increasingly hard to find in many venues! The fact is, most people don't know that house concerts exist. We call that UPSIDE POTENTIAL. Ask people to host a concert with you. Ask. Ask. Ask. There's beauty in it. Ask.

5. Host a concert! Choose an artist you admire, and schedule yourself as the opening act. There's no better way to show your neighbors and friends how much fun a house concert can be. Your place too small? Host the show in someone else's home.

Why? Next time, YOU can headline.


I'm sure I'll think of more...

Fran Snyder
http://fransnyder.com
http://concertsinyourhome.com

8:49 PM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Concertsinyourhome.com is 1 year old!
Current mood: accomplished
Category: Music

For Immediate Release: June 12, 2007

concertsinyourhome.com reaches a few milestones in May


Concertsinyourhome.com is a one-year old website run by Lawrence, KS resident Fran Snyder. The site promotes house concerts, a growing trend in live music where artists perform concerts in the living rooms of music fans. Using the website, these house concert "hosts" can find artists and small groups who enjoy the format, and artists can seek out prospective hosts to schedule dates in areas they intend to tour. Nearly 10,000 people visit the site each month.

In it's first year, CIYH has signed up more than 200 house concert hosts in 48 states and provinces. (And two more in the U.K.) These free profiles allow hosts to promote their shows, and make their information available to artists, including how often they schedule concerts, what genres of music they like, and the typical crowd size.

The site now also features more than 300 artists from around the country who use the site to promote their act and to create house concert opportunities. The site's "Artist Resources" page features articles and interviews to help artists do things like booking shows, and educating their fans about house concerts. The site is free for artists to use, and the optional artist profiles cost $25 per year.

House concerts have existed in their present form for decades. Generally, a host will schedule a concert and invite 25-50 friends, neighbors, and co-workers to attend. The set up for the show is usually simple: move a little furniture around, bring in some extra chairs, and create a little space for the performer. Hosts can also elect to serve light snacks or have a pot-luck dinner before the show. Guests usually donate $10-15 per person, all of which goes to the performer. Traditionally, the host also offer a meal and a guest room for the night to the artist.

Hosts make no money from these events, but rarely spend more than a modest amount to create a unique concert experience for their friends. Artists can do quite well with these events, which can sometime allow them to break into new markets before they've established enough fans to fill a club venue.

House concerts have been featured in television, print, and radio.

Contact: Fran Snyder
fran@fransnyder.com

helpful links:
http://concertsinyourhome.com
http://concertsinyourhome.com/press.html
http://fransnyder.com

Fran Snyder is a touring singer-songwriter based in Lawrence, KS.

9:11 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

teaching the world to listen
Category: Music

"I'd like to teach the world listen, in perfect harmony"


Can house concerts teach people to listen to music again?

I have a theory. In the seventies and eighties, the "heyday" of live music, people actually listened to music. They would spend an afternoon with a record. The music didn't just play in the background as they surfed the internet, or come through tiny headphones as they lifted weights. Listening to music was an activity. Listening to a new record was an event.

Since then, technology has created so many different forms of entertainment, and most of these new "diversions" have co-opted music as an integral part of their delivery. Yes, movies, television, and even video games co-opted music a long time ago. But two major trends caused a major shift in how we now choose to experience music.

First, with the advent of MTV and music videos, a whole generation was conditioned to listen to music with moving pictures. This visual element often eclipsed the quality of the music, and many would argue that music, in it's pure form, was forever subverted.

Second, the increasing portability of music (first the "Walkman" and eventually the mp3 player) further conditions us to think of music listening as something we do while we do something else (drive, exercise, routine work, etc.)

In fact, music has become so pervasive that we hardly notice it anymore. It used to be in the elevator, but now it's in the lobby, the grocery store, the post office, and even as the ring-tone of a passerby's cellphone.

While the portability and pervasiveness of music certainly has benefits, it has come to the detriment of live music. Today, even the most talented performer is at risk of blending into the background. Without a light show, a stage, smoke machines and dancers, today's casual listener will fail to recognize musical talent for what it is, instead of how it is presented.

To make matters worse, traditional venues for "unfamous" acts - nightclubs, coffeeshops, restaurants, increasingly present concerts in a half, no, quarter-hearted way. Often the only light on the "stage" is the reflected glow of a dozen nearby televisions, all showing an endless array of sporting events or news-carnage.

How is an artist to connect with an audience, when they have to battle for attention with the other distractions designed to please every taste and whim of a venues patrons? Do they dare ask the venue to turn the televisions off? What, no TV??? The world might end!

A guy with a voice and guitar playing his heart out in a coffee-shop is hardly an event anymore. In fact, it's rarely loud enough to eclipse the espresso machine.

But necessity is the mother of invention. Art, much like life, will find a way.

There's a growing in trend in the United States that is revitalizing the careers of hundreds of talented artists. These acts, who have the talent, but not the promotion to fill a concert hall, are taking their shows into the living rooms of music fans.

House concerts are nothing new. No one could claim to be the first musician to perform in someone's home. However, for the past few decades, the popularity of these events has grown, even if limited to the tightly-knit folk music community. (It should also be noted that "punk" bands have been doing a similar thing in people's garages for years.)

Now, thanks to the internet, and the growing need for meaningful performance opportunities, the secret is getting out. Artists well outside the folk music community are discovering that the intimacy and audience rapport of these living room shows far outweighs the "cache" of performing at the local club.

Through house concerts, music fans are discovering that "a great performance is enough" - that you don't need a light show, a big stage, and a big bar tab to have a great time. These fans are learning that the novelty of house concerts really sparks the interest and imagination of their friends, neighbors, and co-workers who attend these shows.

And many of these fans are getting hooked. Hooked on meeting and hanging out with artists they admire, turning their friends on to new and fantastic music, and becoming "tastemakers" of their community. Some dedicated house concert presenters put a lot of time and energy into selecting the best and "most likely to be appreciated" artists they can find.

What does this mean for artists? Well, more opportunity for one. As traditional venues are learning that you can only serve so many masters (food, music, pool tables, television, poker tournaments, drink specials, trivia, etc.) musicians are learning that they can be the main event again, even if it's in someone's living room.

Musicians are also learning that house concerts (and other non-traditional venues) yield much better merchandise sales, even compared with club shows twice their size. The artist-audience connection is stronger, and more personal, in a living room setting. It's easier to find the merchandise table, and it's easier to get your CD autographed or dedicated. Furthermore, it's nice to know that the artist - not a music conglomerate, is getting most, if not all, the money paid for the merchandise.

Finally, musicians are re-discovering the power of their words. Many talented acts who've grown too accustomed to audiences who barely pay attention, are shocked when even the most subtle lines and meanings get picked up by undistracted listeners. The easy rapport really draws listeners in, and stories begin to flow. It can be like talking to that rare person that seems to effortlessly make you tell your story. "Your so easy to talk to," becomes "your so easy to play for."

How to get started?

While the number of published listings of house concert presenters continues to grow (see sites like http://concertsinyourhome.com), the best place for an artist to start is with their own mailing list of fans. Even though it's likely to take time to educate your fans about the appeal of hosting a house concert, it can be much quicker than convincing a complete stranger to gather all their friends to hear you play.

For music fans, you might start by attending a house concert in your area. Many hosts will welcome a few "outsiders", especially fans of the artist, after exchanging emails, or a few words over the phone. It's very gratifying for a host to present an artist they respect with a full living room of appreciative folks. The artists' success is their success.

For fans ready to take the plunge, there are many helpful articles to guide you step by step through the process of booking and presenting house concerts. Here are two of the best, which are quite funny and enjoyable to read:

.. How to Put on the Perfect House Concert by Martha Stewart and Me -- Bob Bassin -- http://www3.telus.net/oldfolk/housecon.htm
.. House Concert -- TR Ritchie -- http://www.trritchie.com/hctext.htm

You can even find a few books on the subject, but actually, you can write your own. Because, in the end, all the details are up to you and the performer. Who, what, when, where, and why are the blanks you get to fill in. Pot-luck dinner or a bag of chips? Alcohol or coffee and tea? Backyard patio or living room? These events are as unique and creative as you care to be.

Where's all this heading?

In addition to providing a new world of opportunity for artists, the house concert movement will enrich the lives of music fans in a way many could have never expected.

Throughout America and beyond there are many hundreds, maybe thousands, of amazing acts, waiting or working to be discovered. These artists can now be much more than a distant figure on a far-off stage, they can be living, breathing artist in your living room.

And maybe, just maybe, we can teach the world to listen again, in perfect harmony.

----
send comments to fran@fransnyder.com

Fran Snyder is a performing songwriter, and the founder of concertsinyourhome.com, a site dedicated to promoting house concerts nationwide.

10:06 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

even James Taylor would be ignored...

It seems that we've been systematically trained to ignore acoustic music over the past 20 years. Walk into any coffeeshop or pub on a "live music" night and you are bound to see the majority of the audience chatting away while some "artist" tries to connect in a meaningful way. There's probably a TV (or 20) over the performers head, or a noisy espresso machine, or maybe even a bottle crusher behind the bar.

I'm convinced that if James Taylor was playing at your local Starbucks, there would be several people not listening. And if for some reason, no one knew who he was, you can bet he'd be ignored. That's the way it is.

However, if you can get a music fan to host a show in their home, things can be much different. That fan invites 20-30 people to gather in the living room, share some food, and LISTEN to music in a setting they've probably never experienced. The intimacy of these shows makes it very uncomfortable when someone talks and starts distracting people.

Our site is dedicated to helping artists find and create these kinds of opportunities. Please take a moment to visit, and consider joining as an artist if you'd like to support what we are doing.

Best,

Fran Snyder
http://concertsinyourhome.com

4:12 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Concertsinyourhome.com relaunched!
Current mood: creative
Category: Music

Here is the latest on our main projects.

1. Site re-design complete. We've spent 4 months putting lots of new features into the site. You can now log in and edit your profile anytime you like, and adjust your preferred states to raise awareness in the regions you plan to tour.

1b. Host Section expanded and simplified. Hosts can now promote their events by sending us their upcoming house concert schedules. It's a free service we are happy to provide, for any host who helps us give accurate information. Just "sign up as a host" - it's free!

All this is worth nothing without a....

2. Publicity Campaign: The Press House in New York has teamed with us for a national PR/Publicity Campaign. Our goal is to make everyone in America aware of house concerts, so that they can attend them, fall in love with the concept, and start hosting shows themselves. This will create many new opportunities for artists to connect with friendly, respectful audiences. Watch our press page as we add more "house concert stories" there.

3. Host Listings: We are rapidly approaching 100 hosts, in over 25 states - more than any other house concert site we have found. Some of these hosts have incomplete or hard-to-find information on their own sites, so we "cut to the chase" and make the relevant information easily available to you. However, please respect the wishes of the hosts who prefer not to be contacted directly by artists. They bring artists into their home as a hobby, and we want to keep them happy. Besides, that's why we put artist listings on the site - so they can find you!

4. Link Exchange: Please help us spread the word by placing a banner/link on your site. We've created some nice banners you can choose from, and add by simply copying and pasting into your website's front or concert pages. This lets your fans know that you do house concerts, and allows your fans to get all the information they need to host one. Go to www.concertsinyourhome.com/banners.htm

Be sure to check out the artist resources, and let us know what you think!

Best,

Fran Snyder

PS - all the information is free, but you can support our efforts and get extra exposure to this growing market by joining as an artist. It's only $25 per year for an artist listing, a fraction of what you'd make from a single show.

7:11 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment