house concerts and 21st century touring

Of course, music in homes (castles, courtyards) is nothing new. But house concerts (in their present form) have been around since the early 70’s. They may have evolved out of “rent parties”, where jazz or blues musicians would need to scrape together money at the end of the month. Either way, thanks to folk festivals, savvy artists, and generous music fans, there’s been a constant ebb and flow of house concerts in several regions of the U.S. - principally in the northeast, California, and Texas. Now, by using websites like concertsinyourhome.com, you can find house concerts in almost every state and province in the U.S. and Canada.

I began performing house concerts about 4 years ago, by pitching the idea to my fanbase, which I’d acquired over 10 years of touring. I was instantly charmed by the way people reacted to my songs in this intimate atmosphere - the way the hung on every word, laughed at every joke, and I could really sense their emotions as they followed the stories and songs.

Like many other talented artists, I realized I’d spent most of my music career playing in places where my “value” was judged by how much alcohol was sold. That’s a pretty shallow way to measure art. More importantly, I realized it didn’t have to be that way. By reaching out to music fans who are “more into the music than the scene,” I could perform in non-traditional venues (like living rooms) and make better money in addition to seeing my music really connect. Unless you are consistently playing concert halls, the clubs and coffeehouses often provide too many distractions for you to connect with an audience in a meaningful way.

I soon discovered that there were hundreds of homeowners around the country that regularly hosted house concerts. However, finding accurate information about them was often very difficult. So I set out to create this website, concertsinyourhome.com, to help others like myself tap into a growing network of music fans who make an effort to keep art and music in their lives.

As this network of house concert opportunities grows, it’s ironic that a house concert series can actually help the coffeehouses and clubs in its area. Many artists use house concerts as an effective way to build a (fan)base, before approaching the clubs that have nothing to gain from an unknown artist. I consistently hear from artists that they simply could not tour without the returns that house concerts often provide.

One of my friends, Hans York, puts it another way - “house concerts are the emotional anchors of every tour.”

Fran Snyder
founder of concertsinyourhome.com
hear some music at fransnyder.com.

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