house concerts and 21st century touring

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Message from Fran:

We are just days away from re-launching the host information on the site. From now on, each host will have their own dedicated, full page, which they can update any time they like. A host page will look like this.

It’s been an incredible amount of work, and I’d like to thank the hosts for their willingness to participate in these nice improvements. If you’re a host and haven’t “re-joined” yet, please take a moment to do that now.

These improvements will be a huge leap forward in making artist-host communications much more effective. For example, do artists contact you to do shows on Thursday nights when you can only do Saturdays? The new layout will save everybody time and attention, and allow our hosts much more control over how their information is displayed.

Artists will love this too.

CIYH stats and developments:

CiYH stats as of April 30, 2008:
300 Hosts
420 Artists
22,000 Monthly Visitors

In April we added 18 new hosts, and 25 new artists. We also deleted 11 inactive hosts from our listings.

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

Desert Song, Starry Night Gatherings, Stonecliffe Summer Concert Series, Blue Moon House Concert Series, In The Mood for Food, Tara’s House Concerts, Red Bear House Concerts, NB House Concert Series, Room With A View Concerts, Big Pink House Concerts, Terra Cotta House Concerts, Equinox, Wairarapa Folk Club, Canedy’s Cape House Concerts, Kerrville House Concerts, Vanna’s House Concerts, SMS Backyard Concert, Varney’s Cabana, Francis and Camille’s Home Grooves

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

Adam Payne, Beki Hemingway, Brad Reynolds, Chris Valenti, Christina Martin, Dan Montgomery, DC Sills, Deanna Dove, Dennis Caraher, Doug Alan Wilcox, Gabriella, Jason Heath & The Greedy Souls, Jeanne T. Arrigo, Jim Wilson , Julie Sutton , kyle knapp , Laura Marie, Lisa Graciano, Nathen Aswell, Phil Putnam, Ruth and Max Bloomquist, Stella & Jane, Steve Pinnock Mood Indigo, The Translators, Tom Smith

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

Andy Hill & Renee Safier, Colin Spring, Big Hands Colvin, Jennifer Leonhardt, Perpetual Motion, VK Lynne, Michael Gulezian, Marianne Kesler, Andrea Wittgens

Merch of the Month:

We kept hearing how much people like American Apparel shirts and we discovered a great site which now features our designs on many brands including AA. Please have a look, and buy something you love.

Artist of the Month:

Craig Bickhardt

We have a bunch of hit songwriters on this site… I won’t name names because I’m sure to forget a few. However, Craig Bickhardt is one of our most successful songwriters, and he’s totally embraced doing house concerts. Check out his credits, and see about knocking out some of your friends with a few of their favorite songs - straight from the source. Read all about it.

Host of the Month:

Carrick House Concerts

They’ve really built a nice community of volunteers, and now have started broadcasting their shows on local radio. That kind of exposure (and effort!) is not something we recommend for everybody, but kudos to them for pulling it off, and grabbing some great talent on a regular basis. Read all about it.

Tip for Artists:

Upgrade Your Artist Listing

We’ve reduced the price of the full page upgrade to only $18 (was $25) for limited time (May). This allows you to upload 3 times the audio, visual, and bio, as well as including a link to a youtube video if you have one. Upgrade here.

Have you seen this fun survey yet?

It compares what artists, duos, and bands make in different types of venues (coffeehouses, bars, house concerts, colleges, festivals) Check it out, participate, and rate it!
Tip for Hosts:

Have you seen the house concert survey lately? Fascinating stuff (for me at least)
This post is an intro to it…

Or you can skip the intro and dive right in.
http://www.squidoo.com/houseconcertfastfacts

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

Your feedback is always appreciated.

Tell your friends about house concerts. It’s too important to keep it our little secret. — fran
.

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Message from Fran:

We’ve done a lot this month to make the site easier to navigate and read. Almost everything you need you’ll find on the “Host Resources” page or the “Artist Log In” page. We’ve also created several nice membership options for talent agencies and booking agents.

We’ve had great feedback and a nice number of requests for the Compilation CD. It’s free to any presenter who’s interested, we just ask $3 to cover the mailing. Click the CD to order your copy. We’ve even had a few folk radio DJ’s pick up a copy as well.

On Tuesday, April 8th, I’ll be doing a tele-seminar/interview with PerformingBiz.com - the discussion will focus on tips for artists, but anyone is welcome to phone in and listen for free. Read for details.

CIYH stats and developments:

CiYH stats as of March 31, 2008:
329 Hosts
452 Artists
22,000 Monthly Visitors

In March we added 19 new hosts, and 21 new artists. We also deleted 5 inactive hosts from our listings.

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

New Hosts: Grubbs’, Amy & Cindy’s, Any House, Triad Acoustic Stage, Americana Unplugged, Select Real Estate, Sharon, Cobblestone Creek, Feed My Soul Series, Dancing Beagle, Rose Arbor, Harmony, ArtMusic Coffeehouse, Un-Named, Mama Bird, Music in the Sandbox, 313 Presents, Global Spirit

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

New Artists: Aaron Jacobson,Chris Carder, Compass Rose, D.C. Anderson, Dan Ennis, Darren Raleigh, Davis Jones, Electric Diamond, Eve Goldberg, Gates & Goodell, Jenn Adams, Jeremy Weinglass, John Young, Juni Fisher, Mars or the Moon, Peter Cooper, Reggie Miles, Stacey Knights, Stephanie Smith, Tamara Hey

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

Annie and Rod Capps, Dan Vaillancourt, Montgomery Spafford, Kenny Edwards, Rachel Sedacca, Del Rey, Rod MacDonald, Flip Peters & Larry Maltz, Drew Womack, David Milam, Rachel McGoye, Brett Ryan Stewart, Cole Mitchell, Swift Years

Merch of the Month:

The “Ask Me About My Next House Concert” shirt makes a comeback. Each shirt or item sold buys Bryan (web-guy) a cappucino, so thanks for keeping him awake for all the improvements we’re making to the site.

Legal Developments:

The Ching’s
have finally resolved their legal battle to continue their house concerts, and were 99% victorious. Here’s an article that sums up their recent results.

Also, for those of you concerned about ASCAP and BMI, an agreement is being finalized with them to make house concerts (with some restrictions) exempt from licensing fees in the United States. We’ll have more details soon…

Artist of the Month:

Freebo

If you see some old photos of Bonnie Raitt on stage, you’re likely to see Freebo holding down a 4-stringed hunk-a-wood. In recent years, he’s been doing his own thing, and doing it well. Very well indeed. Read More…

Host of the Month:

Americana Unplugged

Larry Lyon made quite a splash online recently when he wrote in his advice for making the words “benefit” and “house concert” work together. It’s trickier than you might think… but his approach is genius. Continue to his story…

Tip for Artists: Can a Simple Banner on Your Site Lead to Gigs?

Can it? Just ask Wayne Gratz! Not even a few weeks after joining CIYH, a fan saw the banner on Wayne’s site and emailed. Wayne picked up a house concert booking, a story in the paper… I can’t wait to find out what else happens…

Oh, and Wayne plays instrumental piano.

Tip for Hosts: Reaching out to nearby hosts - you are not alone!

Get out of the house! There’s nothing like meeting other people with similar interests and learning from each other…read on.

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

Your feedback is always appreciated.

Thanks for all the kind comments this month! I appreciate the encouragement. — fran
.

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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

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