ConcertsInYourHome Brings Artists & Fans Together For House Concerts
A number of sites for artists to book shows were suggested to me after recently discussing DIYgigs.com. I wrote briefly about four of them but decided to save one, ConcertsInYourHome, for a separate post. The concept of intimate concerts in home settings is one that has interested me for awhile and I was glad to find out about Fran Snyder's site as well as related projects now drawn together by the ListeningRoomNetwork, DinnerAndSong and PeachGigs.
The core of the growing ListeningRoomNetwork is ConcertsInYourHome which basically creates a market for artists who want to perform house concerts and hosts of such concerts by bringing them together via a web service. Founder Fran Snyder's own experience as a performer informs this service.
ConcertsInYourHome focuses on the house concert experience which is basically about bringing together a group of people in one's home who care about listening to live music and are as interested as the artist in having a personal experience that is meaningful in ways that are difficult to find at local clubs. This focus led to two related projects that help expand the house concert concept to further benefit both artists and audiences.
DinnerAndSong is a midweek event focused on a smaller group and designed to fill in those empty spaces in a touring schedule. Such events offer hosts who prefer smaller gatherings a chance to participate and give musicians a great opportunity while on tour.
PeachGigs brings the concept of engaged audiences who came to listen back to non-residential settings. And ListeningRoomNetwork appears designed to bring them all together though that still seems to be a work-in-progress and the proliferation of sites feels a bit confusing.
To get involved in this opportunity, artists join and pay $249 annually though that's currently discounted to $199 as a 5 year anniversary special. Obviously it's up to the individual act as to whether this price point works but for a solo artist or small combo into serious touring this could be a real lifesaver.
While the introduction of DinnerAndSong and PeachGigs make a lot of sense, the core concept of facilitating house concerts is a strong one. It offers opportunities to have a great experience on both sides and combines the immediacy of a specific gig with the longterm marketing benefits of building community.
Hypebot contributor Clyde Smith is a freelance writer and blogger. Flux Research is his business writing hub and All World Dance: World Dance News is his primary web project.
This is another great example of how artists and fans can work together to develop new markets for performing and promoting music. We recommend using house concerts as incentives for Kickstarter-type fund-raising campaigns. With our fan network, we raised $2,000 in about 24 hours to pledge to a Kickstarter campaign for guitarist Monte Pittman, in exchange for a private concert. In all, about a dozen individuals and fan groups around the country did the same thing. They exceeded the Kickstarter goal 10-fold and enabled the artist to hire top producers and musicians to collaborate on his album. Everyone is happy!
Here’s a media release about this:
“Street Teams” Powered by Social Media Help Launch Independent Musicians
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/6/prweb8532405.htm
In my opinion this is a great market to tap into. There are so many folks in the outer areas of cities who love music but may not want to go “downtown” or to the entertainment districts.
I guarantee a band has fans who would be interested in doing this. They may need some guidance but it’s not hard. It just involves having a place to share with others.
I think any artist today must see the value in the alternative venue, and house concerts are one of the best indeed! While I know it’s expensive to run a site, especially ones with a community, I have to admit I was turned off by the large fee and additional ads offered on one of these sites for artists to get “featured”.
Feels a bit like a business model I’ve seen somewhere before….
I used to play at house concerts in Brentwood, TN, before this idea was birthed with technology. As an artist, I’m starting over and glad to see this as an option for a solo artist:) Devora Clark