house concerts and 21st century touring

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Message from Fran:

February was a hectic and productive month. First, we received the new CIYH Compilation CD. It’s here, it’s free, and ready to ship to you if you didn’t already pick one up at the…

20th Annual Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis. An amazing time, and a celebration of the fine music made by artists on our site and beyond. The house concerts panel and breakfast were packed, and it was great to meet so many of our member hosts.

Thanks to all of you who attended and went out of your way to tell me how much you value the site. Thanks also to the fine artists who participated, especially those who had the opportunity to showcase in our room. Many fine moments, forever etched in my memory. If you had to miss it, I hope you’ll make plans to attend next year.

What else? We started our podcast series with 4 episodes, to promote our artists. Please check them out if you haven’t already, and let me know how often I should publish new episodes.

CIYH stats and developments:

CIYH Stats as of February 29:
315 hosts
447 artists.
19,600 monthly visitors!

In February, we added 17 new hosts and 21 new artists. We also deleted 7 inactive hosts listings from the site.

New CIYH Hosts: (active artist members receive these by email)

New Hosts: Willow Pond, Salem, Blue Rock, Ask Me House Presents, Barrie Folk, Sky Island, Jazzway 6004, Sundilla, Dave and Cindy’s, Murillo, Nina Coquina’s, Pleasure Hill, Major Swing, Backyard Studio, Southern Song, Gavioli, Eureka

New CIYH Artists: (A big thank you for your support.)

Some great talent here: Anna Coogan, Back to Zero, Banshee in the Kitchen, Bing Futch, Darren Nelsen, darylectones, David Stoddard, George Wirth, James Curley, Jean Mann, Jeff Senour and CTS, Kate Moody, Kelly McGrath, Marie McGilvray, Mark Wayne Glasmire, Ric Sandler, Tammerlin, The Grams, Tim Young, uMana, Wild Blue Yonder

Renewed Artists: (A HUGE thank you for your continued support!)

Jay Einhorn, John Tracy, Five Little Monkeys, James Michael Taylor, Hans York

Schwag of the Month:

“Saw the show, got the CD, woke the artist up in the morning.”

Another fun item from our collection: Go ahead, there’s still a “good” bit of chilly weather left.

Artist of the Month: Jennifer Batten

Hmm… the strangest pick yet? You bet! Although folk, roots, and traditional music generally rule the house concert scene, I think it’s important to know some of the incredibly diverse, world-class talent that is out there. And this one is out there… has anyone seen a house concert like this?

See her video…

Host of the Month:

Memphis House Concerts (Tennessee)

For being relative newcomers to the house concert scene, Jim Lattimore and his partner Susan have made a big splash in the “music enthusiasts” pool. Jim recently served on the house concert panel at the Folk Alliance Conference, and also hosted a showcase room to give extra opportunities to the acts he loves.

Read what happened at their recent Jeff Black show….

Tip for Artists: 9 Tips to Make a Great House Concert Video

I get pretty opinionated here, so please let me know if you have suggestions using the “comment” link at the bottom of this post. I think it’s sound advice, though.

Get your camcorder out and read this…

Tip for Hosts: How to Build an Audience for Your House Concert Series… Cheat!

Here’s my 7 or 8 point riff on stuff that works. Try one of these next month, and let me know if I’m full of it. 8^)

Build it and they will R.S.V.P.

This website is sponsored by: Artists, D’addario, and AirPlay Direct.

Your feedback is always appreciated.

Anyone ready for spring!? — fran