photo by Gary Martin
How to Host a House Concert
Part I: Booking the Concert
photo by Gary Martin
Ever dream that Vance Gilbert or Annie Gallup would play in your living room? Why not invite them? Hosting music in your own house can be a magical experience and a good way to actively participate in the folk scene. This two-part series will tell you what you need to know to book and put on a successful house concert. If you want other ideas, Alan Rowoth has also collected several articles on House Concerts on his website. The most in-depth treatment, though more than most beginning concert hosts need, is by home impressario Tom Neff.
Just about anyone can host a house concert. If you can guarantee an audience of a dozen enthusiastic listeners and a living room to squeeze them in, go for it. Of course, it's better if you can get 20-30 people and have a spacious room with good acoustics.
Where you live can make a difference. Ideally, you live an hour or more from any established venues on the folk circuit, but more or less en route. If you're near a club, most musicians would rather have you and your friends come to see them there where you'll be supporting the scene and your "votes" will be counted. However, even if you live in a place like Greater Boston where there are scores of venues, you can book excellent up-and-coming artists who might otherwise find it hard to get a gig. In fact, playing a house concert or two in an area can help an artist land other bookings.
Alternatively, you can use your concert to bring in people who don't know the artist or the coffeehouse scene. This way you don't compete with the musician's other gigs and might generate new fans. It sometimes helps if you can draw on a club or community group to bring together people who share interests other than music. Making the concert a fundraiser for a social action group is one way of getting likely fans to come out to see an unknown artist.
Invite an artist only if you love their work and you think your guests will too. You're going to have to ask friends and family to pay money to come to your house - this is not the time to impose your musical taste on them. If you do one or two good concerts and the word gets out, you might find yourself getting unsolicited calls from other musicians. Don't be bashful about turning down everyone you don't absolutely love. If you do more concerts, your audience will want to know that they can count on your personal judgment every time.
What artists will be willing to come? You'd be surprised. Even artists who play for 100-200 people a night on weekends may be thrilled to have a gig in between where they can play for 20-30 people and get a night's food and lodging to boot. Most touring folk musicians fall into the 40-75 category and would be happy with an attentive 12. Until quite recently, even Pete Seeger played house concerts. The musician's chief considerations will be a) the chance to play b) building an audience without competing with nearby venues c) scheduling and routing, and d) the prospect of making some extra money versus having a day off. Most folksingers love to play house concerts, and for many, the chance to substitute an intimate evening of music, new friends, a meal, and a bed for a down day at a motel is a no-brainer: even with a small turnout, the difference usually covers two weeks' car rental or airfare.
You could simply invite an artist to do a house concert "whenever they're in town," but you'll have a much better chance of booking one if you can offer specific dates that fit nicely into their tour schedule. The best nights to book a house concert are Monday through Thursday nights and Sundays. Most artists can't afford to give you a weekend night if there's still a chance of booking a "real" concert. However, the closer the date approaches, the happier they'll be to fill it.
Once you've chosen a potential artist, find out when they'll be in your area. If they live within a two hour drive, the possibilities are wide open. If not, look up their tour schedule. Musi-Cal, is a universal on-line concert database where many artists, agents and venues post their dates. Musi-Cal can also help you find the artist's home page, if they have one. A homepage will almost always include a current tour schedule or point to where you can find it. If an artist has an agent (find out from their homepage), that's who you should call. Otherwise, just call the artist directly - most will be glad to hear from you - or e-mail. Websites of talent agencies like Fleming-Tamulevich are also useful for looking up the tour schedules of their artists; Flem-Tam keeps a complete, long-term tour schedule for each of their artists, including many
When you contact the artist or his/her representative, have the following information: a) where you live and where it lies relative to the nearest cities where the artist will be playing, b) one or more likely dates that might fit into their schedule c) a realistic estimate of the potential audience d) what you can charge at the door and how much, if anything, you'll need to keep for your expenses, e) what you can offer in terms of room and board.
Don't be shy - the worst that can happen is that they'll say
no thanks. If you're talking to the artist, they will probably
be flattered by an offer, though perhaps cautious. You should
be ready to offer at least some proof of your sanity and your
ability to pull off a successful show. Having done your homework
is a good start. Other things that help: having hosted other concerts
or events, belonging to some kind of organization from which to
draw an audience, knowledge of the artist's work, and some familiarity
with the music scene and the demands of touring. Bob
Bossin gives a good sense of the artist's perspective.
For commercial gigs, artists normally seek a minimum fee that they'll get no matter what (the "guarantee") versus a percentage of the total tickets sold (the "door"), whichever is greater. Assuming you're not taking any money yourself, artists may not press you for a hard minimum dollar amount; it's usually enough to give honor-bound assurances that at least X people and probably Y will attend. However, it's good form to promise something between $100 and $200, especially if the artist has to travel out of the way to come.
Don't exaggerate the number of people you can bring; being realistic can avoid disappointment down the line.
Agree on a ticket price (usually an $8-$12 "donation") and be up front about any money you'll want to take out for direct expenses like mailing or food. Remember that most hosts don't take anything, as hosting a wandering minstrel is a time-honored tradition that has always been its own reward. Many folks host concerts as a hobby, and even if they occasionally shell out $100 or more it's cheaper than collecting Pokemon cards or a weekend of downhill skiing.
Remember, a house concert is different from a party - guests pay their own admission fee so they're there to listen. Few touring troubadours like being background music at a party where the host pays and guests may or may not be interested. But if your code of hospitality makes it awkward to collect money from friends and family, it's still possible to make arrangements so that your guests know what to expect if they come.
Check the sites of some folks who have created successful concert series. A great place to start is Tim and Lori Blixt's Log Cabin Concert Series in New Jersey. Another is Gary Martin's Music By The Bay, in southern Massachusetts.
Next week, look for tips on hosting the concert itself.
Hugh Blumenfeld, Editor
hugh@balladtree.com
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