House Concerts - What They Are, Why You Should Do Them, & How to Book Myself For One

Hey everyone!

So I found myself thinking the other day what the best way was for independent singer/songwriters, especially those just starting out in their career endeavors, to make a living off their music.  I pondered through the list in my mind: street performing, booking local clubs/gigs/coffeehouses, trying to get signed to a label, online promotion, ect, ect... The list went on and on and my brain started to really hurt, ha ha. =)  That's when I remembered something I read in a book once about house concerts.

Now, for those of you who don't know what house concerts are, house concerts are basically what they sound like: concerts in people's homes.  They typically involve a smaller gathering of people (20-30, though possibly up to 100 or more depending on the size conditions), and the guests are invited through contacts of the person who is hosting the concert.  So someone decides to host a concert in their own home and invites their friends and family to come and see a performance. 

The artist is paid usually through $10-$20 donations per attendee and also through all earnings of CD's/merch sales.  The artist can also be paid through a guarantee of a few hundred dollars that the host pays the artist and then the host is later reimbursed from ticket sales that they sell to their attendees.  So basically, the guarantee helps ensure that the artist gets paid enough money to live off of the awesome music they're making.

Because the performances are in people's homes they usually contain no amplification or very small amps.  The performer usually does 1-2 sets of 45 minutes each with a small break in between to chat amongst the audience or sell merchandise/albums.

So now that you know what these awesome and really music industry re-inventing concerts are, you should know why you should participate (host, attend) in them.  Basically, these are some of the only sustainable income sources for left-of-center artists and one of the only ways for new independent artists to make money in today's world of band-driven and under-payed club gigs.  So by participating in house concerts you would be supporting great local/regional artists and give them the chance to grow and develop over time and blossom into fantastic musicians.  Also, you would be enjoying great music in the comfort of your own home and would have something awesome to brag to your friends about! ;)

So basically house concerts rock, literally, ha ha! =) A good way to find musicians to book in your own home would be to contact the musician directly, most indie musicians have an email contact on their website, and ask them if they'd like to play at your house and when.  For more information about house concerts and how to book artists, check out the following websites:

www.houseconcerts.com/about

www.concertsinyourhome.com

If you would like to book myself, Patrick Sporrer, for a house concert, please shoot me an email at: patmusic77@gmail.com. 

Please include any dates you would like me to play and the time that you would like the performance to begin.

I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Look at how awesome that is!!!

Thanks for reading this post and go forth and foster creativity with the awesomeness of house concerts!!

Patrick Sporrer =)