house concerts and 21st century touring

1. Be great

It’s not said enough. All the “tricks and tips of the trade” can only do so much if your recordings and performances don’t affect or connect with people when they listen. If you are not satisfied with the public’s (or house concert host’s, or booking agent’s) response to your music, this is the first place to look. ALL of us can improve - and maybe the lack-luster emotional response to your material will tick you off enough to write your best song. Or maybe you’ll give up.

But don’t be too hard on yourself. No matter how great you are, most people will not connect with your music enough to reach out to you. So maybe a 20-30% response rate is what you shoot for. But if fewer than 1 in 10 are inspired enough to let you know, it’s time to look seriously at two things.

 

• a. Are you contacting the right people? If you do bluegrass only, and you are reaching out to hosts who only like contemporary singer-songwriters, or simply pitching everybody, then you can expect poor results. Refine your approach, go after the right people.
• b. Look at your presentation. Does you site/page/lead track paint you as an amateur? Compare your wares with successful artists that you know. What are they doing differently? Can you learn something from their approach? Are you leading with your best songs, and tunes that would appeal to the people you are pitching?

2. Be concise

Don’t overwhelm people with 10 links and 10 paragraphs of bio. Hit the highlights.

3. Show interest in them

Show you’ve done your homework, that you understand their needs/wants, and that you appreciate their effort/approach/favorite artists, etc.

 4. Arouse interest

Ask a relevant question they’ll be compelled to answer, even if they aren’t knocked out by your music on the first listen. “I see you’ve hosted, John M., Victoria V., and Hans Y., which show was your favorite?”

Find something in their profile that is genuinely interesting to you, and ask about it. If they respond, this allows you to create a dialogue to pitch your act again when you have new material. A great mp3 is rarely reason enough to invite someone to perform in your home. Give them another reason.

If this sounds manipulative - it is. It just might manipulate you into becoming a nicer, friendlier human being. In the long run, it’s just too much effort to fake it well. Eventually, you’ll mean it. I used to be very shy - I faked being an extrovert (out of necessity) and now very few people would describe me as a shy person.

 5. Follow up in a reasonable way

There is a fine line between being persistent and annoying. There’s an art to it, though, and it can be learned through trial and error. The trick?

Be consistent. People are busy, and sometimes messages don’t get returned. If that hurts your feelings, you are doomed. Every host is different, but it is wise to follow up (no more than once or twice a month) until you get at least a “we received your package/email/etc..”

After that, back off. An occasional polite reminder (”I’m touring in your area in November…”) no more than once a quarter should keep you from wearing out your welcome. If you get a “no, thank you” or no response for a year - be respectful and move on.

 

More booking tips
Why won’t people take a chance on me?
Get focused with your fans

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Visit Roy Schneider’s Music and Previous Cartoons

 

Quote of the Week:
Thanks again for what you’ve put together for a great bunch of talented people, who traditionally aren’t as talented at self-promotion…but with your vehicle, now have the means to match their talent with a suitable audience for their efforts!    -Ned

 Message from Fran

A wonderful trip.
This was my third year attending the Folk Alliance conference in Memphis. Never in my life have I had so much praise heaped upon my efforts. It came in two main forms: artists letting me know of their recent bookings through the site, and hosts telling me how useful the new calendars and flyers are to them. I was on cloud nine the entire weekend, and I should thank Beth Wood for the sleepy drive home.

The kind of stuff that happens constantly at Folk Alliance….

As we approach our third birthday at CIYH, it’s important to also thank Bryan Tilford and Jody Whitesides (the webdudes) and Jeff Robertson - a kindred spirit and fantastic guy who is taking a proactive role in developing “weekend circuits” out of our growing community of presenters. Hosts who would like to collaborate with other presenters in their region should contact jeff@concertsinyourhome.com.

 

Important message for hosts and artists: The booking lights.

Each host listing has a green, yellow, or red light next to it, which indicates how receptive and responsive they are to booking emails at this time. I strongly urge hosts to take advantage of this time-saving tool, and to make sure they understand which color is appropriate. Many of you should make a change to your booking light, and I guarantee you’ll be glad you did.

Continue…

 

 CIYH Improvements

We’re still doing the facelift to the website, and you’ll see new options and a new look to the artist listings next month. I’d also like to thank the artists who’ve let us know about bouncing host emails this month. This really helps us keep the site up to date. We’re rapidly approaching 400 hosts, and it’s a challenge to keep up with everyone’s changing info.

 

 New CIYH Hosts

(artist members: search “member since 2009-02″ using the advanced search. )

30 New House Concert Presenters in British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois (2), Indiana (2), Massachusetts, Montana (2), North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania (2), Texas (3), Virginia, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

 

 New CIYH Artists

(Look for these new artists here!)

Act of Congress, Anne Roos, Bill Dempsey, C. Daniel Boling, Chris and Thomas, Colin Clyne & Friends, Craig Burdette, Daniel and Ramsey Walcher, Dann Russo, Elemental Harmony, Emma Cook, Ernie Southern, Gail Ann Dorsey, Greg Allen, Greg Humphreys, Hunter Moss, Jake Jacobson, Jazzical® with Joel A. Martin, Jes and Jakob, Joe Jencks, John Bergstrom, John Troy, John Voorhees, Kate Graves, Liz Longley, Maggie Council, Marian Call, Martha’s Trouble, Melanie Devaney, Mike Felten, Nathan Welden, Nora Jane and the Lost Boys, Patrick Fitzsimmons, Patti Ecker and Louise Brodie, Perry Desmond-Davies, Phoenix Rising, Plum Run, Rich Reich, Roy Holdren, Russ Franzen, Scott D. Davis, Steff Mahan, Terence Martin, The Eben Brooks Band, The Guggenheim Grotto, The Landfall Ensemble, tres womack

Featured this month: Drew Nelson, Brian Ashley Jones, and Liz Longley.

 

 Renewed Artists:

(Thank you for your continued support!)

John Tracy, Tim Young, Peter Cooper, Jeff Holmes, Dan Vaillancourt, Annie & Rod Capps, Jean Mann, Jess Klein, Stacey Knights, Stephanie Smith 

 

 New Agencies

We’d like to welcome our new agency members: Barbara Roehrer of Acoustic Music Agency, Aimee Batson of Chrysalis Productions. Also, agencies should be mindful about artist riders… many hosts are not aware that these terms are negotiable, and may choose not to book if the terms are inappropriate. If house concerts are important to your artists, and they should be if you joined us, then it would be very helpful to develop an extremely simplified rider for house concerts. 

 

 Schwag of the Month:

We have so many new presenters, I think it’s time to mention our great compilation CD again. Grab a copy for (almost) free!

 

 Tips for Artists and Hosts:

• My Top 5 CDs from Folk Alliance - what are yours?
• Bringing Merch into Canada - by C. Brodsky
• The Booking Lights (if you missed it above)
• How to Search for Hosts - A video demo from fran
• Artists: Are you doing the basics?
• Getting the Gig: After the Conference - by Jeri Goldstein

 Letters from Ned:

Another great story from Ned Treanor, our resident historian and lover of all things acoustic. This one is about a surreal folk festival.

Artists log in here | Hosts Log in here

National TV Alert

Watch CIYH artist K.C. Clifford on “The Biggest Loser” Tuesday March 10th! Special segment featuring her music and her 100 pound weight loss. Go KC!

Please share this information with people you like. – fran

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