house concerts and 21st century touring

I regularly get emails from hosts regarding whether or not they should sign contracts. These things tend to show up when you book an artist that is represented by an agent. Agents rarely take the time to write a different contract for house concerts. Therefore, there are some ridiculously inappropriate expectations in artist contracts that often throw house concert hosts for a loop.

Most often, the host winds up crossing out half the things in the contract, and the artist is completely agreeable to it. Keep these in mind when you get your first (or your next) contract.

Hosts:

• should never sign anything that makes them uncomfortable
• should never agree to something they “hope” can make happen
• should only agree to a “guarantee” they can cover without missing a car payment

Are contracts evil? Are they even enforceable? Will I get sued? (no.maybe. probably not.)

For all the reasons to avoid contracts when possible, they do serve a very important purpose: they help clarify the expectations of each side, and they can help avoid unpleasant surprises.

Picture this: you are an artist, counting on the free guest room after the house concert, and terribly allergic to cats. The host forgets to mention he has two Himalayans, and that your bed is where they like to nest on sunny afternoons.

House concerts are a personal experience, and these events can cross a lot of territory that wouldn’t ordinarily happen with a traditional venue. If you have 5 roosters in the backyard that start crowing at 4:30am - you’ll want to bring that up, and it wouldn’t hurt to have a reliable tool to remind you.

In this spirit, I think it would actually be very helpful for every host to have a sample agreement of their own, one especially geared to their expectations and needs. It’s not necessary to require signatures, but why not have a simple email like this ready to go when you book an artist for a house concert

The house concert contract… does not exist.
However, if it did, it might look something like this:

Artist Name: ______
Artist’s Representative (if any)_____________
Host Name:______

Both parties, artist and host, make this agreement in order to create a fantastic, fun time, and to make sure they are aware of their responsibilities to make that happen.

________ is the date the house concert will take place
________ is the time the show will start
between ______ and _______ is the time the artist should arrive
the artist will perform ____ minutes, take a break, and then play ____ minutes more - give or take a few.

Artist (initial all that apply)
__ will show up on time, sober, friendly, and ready to entertain.
__ will remain at least as sober as the host.
__ is comfortable with house hold pets, except _______ and tarantulas.
__ will be friendly to the audience/hosts/guests, but may require some alone time and space before the start of the show.
__ will respect the home, and not leave wet towels on hardwood floors.
__ will honor the smoking policy, and does/does not need a convenient place to smoke.
__ is comfortable with the host’s requirement of a show that would not be rated more than G/PG/R in content.

Host (initial all that apply)
__ will pay a small deposit of _______ to hold the date
__ have food for the artist, most likely _______
__ have a bed or room for the artist’s to stay the night
__ provide an obvious place for the guests to place the suggested donation (i.e. suggested donation: $15)
__ will/will not allow children to attend. Teenagers capable of acting like adults may attend.

Both parties are aware that brown stuff can hit the fan. That said, both artist and host will do their utmost to uphold this agreement. If the event must be cancelled, both parties will be as accommodating as possible, by doing things like re-scheduling, refunding or forfeiting the deposit, buying a few CDs, sending chocolates or whatever it is that a kind person would do. Artist will be aware that the host may have put a lot of time and effort into promoting the show, and the host will remember that an artist may have significant travel expenses as a result of the booking.

This agreement should not be entered into lightly. Therefore, we put on our serious faces and sign below.

______________
artist

______________
host

Feel free to use this as a starting point to create your own, and please offer your feedback below if you have suggestions. — fran

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CIYH Podcast #4, Folk Alliance Preview

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Here are a few more of the incredible acts available for house concerts. These acts are also showcasing at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference, and this will be our last podcast preview leading up to this years event.

In this sampling, we are introducing a few celtic and old-time acts as well as a few more of our great singer-songwriters.

Enjoy!

1. Kenny Edwards - No Tears
2. wilmaring.com - Keeper of the Farm
3. Annie and Rod Capps - The Ring
4. The Gordons - Thank You for Reminding Me
5. Molly’s Revenge - Mary and the Gallant Soldier
6. The Old 78’s - Horse Shoe Bend

Intro/Outro music by Fran Snyder, from the CD “stir.”

With kind support from D’Addario
and Airplay Direct

Listen to more podcasts…

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CIYH Podcast #3, Folk Alliance Preview

Click the banner to play the podcast.

Welcome to our third podcast! Later this week, concertsinyourhome will be hosting private showcases at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, TN. We’ve put this podcast together to introduce you to some of the fine artists who will be showcasing with us at the conference.

Enjoy!

1. Anne McCue - Bright Light of Day
2. Freebo - Before the Separation
3. Jenn Franklin - Innocence to Lose
4. Hans York - Lifeline
5. Joe Hand - Typical Male
6. Tom Pacheco - There Was a Time

Intro/Outro music by Fran Snyder, from the CD “stir.”

With kind support from D’Addario
and Airplay Direct

Listen to more podcasts…

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