December 2010
Monthly Archive
Too Much Fran
Posted by admin on 11 Dec 2010 | Tagged as: General
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it would take to get a few talented, motivated, lovely people involved with CIYH and our expanding community of listening rooms and talented artists.
I have a compelling vision of what I want this work to accomplish, and I’ve spent much of the last year building a technological foundation for it. I’ve tried to keep an eye out for people who want to be a part of it, but I realize now I just haven’t been communicating the vision enough.
You’re going to see some interesting developments over the next 6 months. If any of it stokes a passion for which you have talent, don’t be shy. I’m looking for contributors with a voice, a willingness to create, and an insatiable appetite for difficult, emotional labor.
I need more brains. More hearts. More hands.
Right now there’s too much Fran.
CIYH - The House Concert News, December 2010
Posted by admin on 09 Dec 2010 | Tagged as: CIYH Newsletter
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The Importance of Video - an email sent to Orrin Star
I watched your video and it was beautifully done, gave me a real sense of what you were about. While, at the conference, I said I probably wouldn’t book from a video alone, you have proved me wrong.
With that said, we are already booked for February but I would love to consider you for another date farther down the road. I’m also sharing your link with a few other presenters that I know. Hope that’s OK. — B. Friedrichsen
Message from Fran:
Greetings December, we’ve missed you. The video contest is over, and now Jeff is hard at work trying to connect the dots to create some great trips for our winners. We had some very generous hosts, and we’d like to give them all a big hand for judging many hours of video and making wonderful comments about the participants.
The top three winners were Suzie Vinnick, Barnaby Bright, and Big Wide Grin.
With the addition of Jeff Robertson last May, and the House Concert Guide, our new hosts get personal attention and lasting instruction to help them get the most from the experience of hosting, and to avoid preventable mishaps.
It’s been a great year, but I can’t begin to describe how excited we are about the stuff we plan for 2011.
Video Contest Results:
… did you miss them? Would you like to host one of the winning artists?
Once we get their tours scheduled we’ll start sharing some of the great videos from the contest. Here’s Suzie again. Please contact Jeff ASAP if you’d like to host her in May. (May is House Concert Month, more about that soon!)
Big, EXTENDED Deal on the Personal Light Show:
Big, Big Deal on the Personal Light Show: Extended until December 15th!
We’ve sold a bunch of these to hosts and artists and the feedback has been terrific.
They retail for $350, we normally sell them for $295, but for a few more days, you can order them directly from Q-Lighting for only $245 plus shipping. That’s $105 discount on a $350 item that is thrilling everybody. Wow. Use code “CIYH” by phone or email. http://q-lighting.com (877-741-4612) http://q-lighting.com (877-741-4612)
DinnerAndSong:
And Oh My! We now have 50 hosts listed at DinnerAndSong.com - this new program is resonating with a lot of people, and we’ve created a second profile for all of our artists. please check and share it!. We’re eager to start seeing pictures of these events! We are so delighted to see so many of our hosts show interest in this easy, mid-week program. If you are at all intimidated by the effort of house concerts, this is your ticket. If you love your house concerts and want to get your favorite acts to visit more often - it’s a great opportunity too. Please check with Jeff about starting up a DinnerAndSong club in your area.
ListeningRoomNetwork:
What are the best 5 listening rooms you’ve experienced, either as an audience, or as a performer? So close to sharing this new site with you… snoop around a bit if you like… and please answer the survey on the front page… we want to show off the best listening rooms in America, then beyond.
New CIYH Hosts: (artist members can search “member since 2010-11″ using the advanced search.)
17 New Hosts in CA (3), CO, FL, GA, IA, IN, LA, MO, NE, NJ, NY, OH, ON, SC, VT
CIYH hosts can elect to do DinnerAndSong events instead of, or in addition to house concerts.
New CIYH Artists:
(Welcome Aboard!)
Brett Ryan Stewart, Chris Trapper, Dave Borins, Dave Morrison, Deborah Blake, Halie Loren, Havilah, Jake Ballentine, Joel Zoss, Mark Pearson, Megan Burtt, Melissa Kay McCarthy, Mick Reed, Neely, One Man Show, Sally and Doug, Three at Last
Our Audio 6-Packs (free downloads) are back! This month, download 2 tracks from each of our featured artists. Lovely music!
Look for these new artists here!
Renewed
Artists:
(Signed on for another great year!) Alex Whitmore, Amilia K Spicer, Andina and Rich, Carrie Clark, Christine Havrilla, Connie Kis Anderson, Del Rey, Evan J. Marshall ~ Mr. Solo Mandolin, Fiddlin’ Pete Watercott, Freedy Johnston, Greg Trooper, janne henshaw, Larry Murante, Rupert Wates, Sonya Heller, The Folk Connection, The Stellanovas.
We’re now putting some additional spotlight on artists who renew for 3 years - you make us feel good and we think you’re smart.
Schwag of the Month:
So your long sleeve shirts from last year just aren’t as cool as you are this year. We’re here to help keep you warm and stylish, and ever the spokesperson for the greatness of house concerts. Let people know that “Folk Happens” and you’re willing to talk about it: even to make it happen. An extra nice touch is when you’re holding your ConcertsInYourHome Cup Runneth Over coffee mug as you overflow with glee, hall-decking, mistletoe searches, and traffic stories all the while conveniently containing a tasty seasonal beverage.
Choose your style and size shirt here!
Host Reward Winners!
Congratulations to Cheryl Tulkoff and Fred Munroe. Each host wins a $50 gear voucher from D’Addario and Planet Waves. We’ll look at the CIYH calendars each month and randomly pick two winners from our active hosts. Login and post your events! (It takes about 90 seconds.)
Tips for Artists and Hosts:
- Artists: Want to showcase in our PGS room at Folk Alliance?
- Hosts! Co-host our Showcase Room at Folk Alliance this February!
- New Search Feature to find House Concert Hosts
- Will Your Fans be a part of the NEW Audience?
- DinnerAndSong residencies
- The Reasons for Hosts Not Keeping a Percentage at House Concerts
- Recent top 10 posts for artists - a great primer for new CIYH members.
- The Joy of Conferencing
- Dear Singer-Songwriter #10: Books
- Tell us where you are going with this artistic thing.
- Unacceptable Behavior
- Crossing the Border with Instruments:
- Dear Singer-Songwriter #9: The Meek.
- Artists - How to use the DinnerAndSong Postcards
FAI (Folk Alliance International) takes place in Memphis, TN February 16-20. Visit folk.org
Please share this newsletter with people you like. — fran
Thanks to D’Addario and Planet Waves for their kind support of this community.
Here’s our third winner, Big Wide Grin, performing a song by another amazing CIYH artist, Eric Schwartz. Check him out too!
Artists: Want to showcase in our PGS room at Folk Alliance?
Posted by admin on 07 Dec 2010 | Tagged as: Tips for Artists
UPDATE: We’ll be selecting our showcase artists during the first week of January.
Would you like to showcase in our PGS room at Folk Alliance? This year, we’re getting our hosts involved to help us pick the acts, and here’s what you have to do to be considered.
If you definitely plan to attend, login at CIYH and add this at the end of your bio, with no spaces:
fai2011
[We've added 10 characters to the bio limit so everyone has room for the extra text.]
Adding this text to your bio will add you to the list of talent we’ll consider for showcases in our room. You can see the list here. Please don’t add yourself unless you are committed to attend.
What is a guerilla showcase? The conference sets aside late night hours and a block of hotel rooms that can be used for showcasing. The people (hosts/artists/organizations) who rent those rooms schedule artists to perform unplugged in a casual format, and they allow conference attendees to come in and out to check out the performances. Fun, hectic, challenging, and sometimes very productive!
