The Ins And Outs Of House Concerts

House concerts are gaining popularity as a legitimate way to tour, but there's a lot more to it than just singing some songs in a friends home. Although I've been to a number of house concerts, I wasn't aware of just how sophisticated this whole scene has become. Fran Snyder, the founder of ConcertsInYourHome.com, DinnerAndSong.com, and ListeningRoomNetwork.com, recently wrote a great post that includes just about everything you'd want to know about playing or hosting a house concert. Here are a couple of excerpts.

"Different Formats

There are different formats available for house concerts, and each can be tailored not only to the needs of the artist, but to the tastes and comfort level of the host. Using the different options like DinnerAndSong is a great way to introduce new people to hosting, and to create opportunities during the week.

• Traditional Format - two, 40-minute sets, preceded by meet and greet and/or potluck. 20-50 guests or more.
• Dinner And Song - 8-10 guests, 35-minute, simple dinner with artist, 35-minute unplugged performance.
• Dessert And Song - 10-20 guests, 15-minute dessert and meet and greet, followed by 40-minute concert.
• Breakfast And Song - 10-30 guests, 30-minute buffet-style breakfast/brunch, 35-minute concert."

"How To Find House Concert Hosts

• #1 Resource? Your Fans - Even the most experienced and in-demand artists will tell you that a growing fanbase is the best resource to book house concerts. Consistently provide your fans with the inspiration and tools they need to help you fill the gaps in your tour.
• Search engines - The challenge with search engine results for house concerts, is that those who show up in the results are typically hosts with a long reputation for hosting great shows. This gives you a list of hosts who are least likely to have available dates in the next 12 months, and are unlikely to book an artist they don't know.
• Facebook/Myspace - Cumbersome to connect to house concerts this way, but people do it all the time.
• Other sites include: http://houseconcerthub.ning.com (europe), http://houseconcertsaustralia.ning.com, http://www.houseconcerts.us"

Check out Fran's post as it has the most comprehensive info on house concerts I've ever seen.

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