June 2011
Monthly Archive
Pizzazz in the House Concert
Posted by admin on 09 Jun 2011 | Tagged as: Tips for House Concert Hosts
House Concert Signs
Here’s some tips and designs on making signs for various situations your concert guests may encounter.
There’s some “Suggested Donation” signs, and another which reads “Come In Quietly” which can be placed outside in case there are a few late-comers.
Of course you can create designs of your own; “Rest Room” with an arrow, “Outside smoking this way,” etc.
Print the signs on thicker paper, and fold them in half to use as a table tent shown to the right.
Instructions
Just give us a sign!
CIYH - The House Concert News, June 2011
Posted by admin on 08 Jun 2011 | Tagged as: CIYH Newsletter
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“Five out of 10 shows on my last tour out East were the result of an email I sent to my mailing list about the ‘Dinner and Song’ concept. Some shows were held in churches, some in homes, and most were like full-blown house concerts, however all were fan-created and came about in direct response to the DNS pitch. It helped me put together a great tour at short notice!” -Teresa Storch
Message from Fran:
Thrilled to celebrate 5 years with you. I’ll be on the road again in July, and looking to meetup with southeasterners, specifically around Atlanta, Charlotte, and Tampa. Please get in touch if you’d like to meet up, or host me for a DinnerAndSong.
In the video:
5 Years, Thank You
Jeff’s long awaited repeat cameo appearance
DinnerAndSong Meetups
Craig dreams up Breakfast and Song
PeachGigs and ListeningRoomNetwork update
PrivateRecitals.com - Classical House Concerts
Fran as a Pirate
Hi Fran,
Things are going great. I just came back from a five day mini-tour to New Jersey, Pa and Ohio. Of the five shows, two were obtained through Concerts In Your Home. I’m a believer. -
Bob Marshall
House Concert Radio?
Check out JohnnyBoyRadio.com
It’s been a lot of fun seeing our hosts and artists tune in and comment live on JohnnyBoyRadio.com - a fun way to listen to a great mix of our house concert artists and well-known folk-americana acts. Thanks Johnny!
(Artists… want to get played?) JohnnyBoy Radio now featuring CIYH artists.
I do get quite a few requests through my site, SonicBids and ReverbNation, but the overall caliber and savvy of CIYH artists is superior. CIYH artists are almost always more personally accessible, more roadworthy and more understanding of the needs and capabilities of HC hosts. They are easy to work with and easy to love. — Wayne S.L.
Here’s the updated U.S. and Canada
MAPS of DNS hosts!
New CIYH Hosts: (artist members can search “member since 2011-05″ using the advanced search.)
20 New Hosts! We welcome
Bridges and Mason from AL
Rebecca from AUS
Jon from CA
Robin from CO
Chris from IA
Amy from IN
Beth from MA
Carol from MO
Doug, Lynne, and Rufus from NC
Cindy and Harold from NE
Rich from NJ
David from PA
Leah and Sam from TX
Shanie from WA
Mark from WY
CIYH hosts can elect to do DinnerAndSong events instead of, or in addition to house concerts.
New CIYH Artists:
(Welcome Aboard!)
Diane Dandeneau, Harry Bolick, Jefferson Fox, Matt Simons, Mike Gibbons, Prester John, The Better Halves
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!
Hey guys! Just booked my first Dinner and Song! I didn’t think i’d be into it but i’m really excited! We had a HC booked for the end of june and an artist i really wanted to host became available in early july…too close for us to stage 2 events so we’re doing a DNS in july!! - Brian M. - host
Renewed Artists:
(Signed on for another great year!) Ben Carroll, Bev Barnett & Greg Newlon, Bob Marshall, Darren Raleigh, Doug MacLeod, Fred Gillen Jr., Lisa Bianco, Liz Longley, Richard Berman, Teresa Storch, Yampa Valley Boys
Schwag of the Month:
Everybody’s been so busy lately, we think it’s a good time for a reminder how cool our classic black logo t-shirt is. Your old one is probably worn out anyway and you want a fresh look for the summer. .
Here’s another chance to get your DinnerAndSong mug - this is an excellent place for your favorite starbuck beverage but with far more substantial conversational capability. Get people thinking while you’re drinking.
Host Reward Winners!
Congratulations to Don Tait and Dan Bober. 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:
- Conference Invitation for Midwestern HC Hosts
- Writer/photographer looking for HCs this summer.
- Bianca Garza: Research Paper on House Concerts
- DinnerAndSong - Getting Carried Away
- Better than House Concerts… DinnerAndSong
Our new blog, for hosts only.
- Pizzazz in the House Concert
- Adding BreakfastAndSong to the mini concert menu!!
- Skyrocketing gas prices – hosts respond
- Artist guarantee – debunking the myths
- Top Ten Reasons Why DinnerAndSong is Better than House Concerts
Please share this newsletter with people you like. — fran
Thanks to D’Addario and Planet Waves for their kind support of this community.
Better than House Concerts… DinnerAndSong
Posted by admin on 07 Jun 2011 | Tagged as: General
Over the past 10 years, house concerts have become an increasingly vital part of touring plans. For singer-songwriters, duos, and small ensembles, there’s little that can rival the intimacy, format, merch sales, and sometimes even the accommodations of a concert in someone’s home.
However, artists have also discovered that it can be difficult to inspire fans to host a show. The two most common reasons are “my house isn’t big enough” and “I don’t know enough people.” By design, a rewarding and enjoyable DinnerAndSong can happen in small homes with as few as 6-10 people.
These events are designed to fill the most critical gaps in your touring schedule… nights where you might otherwise lose money or play a soul-draining gig.
The DinnerAndSong host gathers 6-10 friends to join a professional touring artist for a casual dinner and a memorable unplugged concert. Guests donate $10 each for the artist and they enjoy the opportunity to purchase CDs after the performance. It starts promptly, ends promptly – all tucked neatly between the artist’s daytime travel and their normal evening of booking or songwriting, or just a great book.
Dinner = 35 minutes
Stretch = 5 minutes
Concert = 35 minutes
Wrap up = 15 minutes
Benefits
for artists
on a weeknight, you find:
• a free place to stay
• free food
• a few friendly faces
• a short, easy show
• $50-125 in donations and
CDs
• a potential house concert
in the future
for hosts
• a great reason to have
friends over
• easy way to build an
audience for future shows
• simple program that
takes minimal time
• strengthen local
friendships
• fun way to stretch your
musical experiences
and for performers who host!
• DNS won’t tie up your
valuable weekends
• introduce the concept to
your friends (who might
host you afterwards)
• allow you to build
relationships with other
artists
Top X reasons DinnerAndSong is better than House Concerts.
- can be used as teaser show (secret show) to promote upcoming public concert.
- much easier to inspire fans to host.
- much easier to schedule on weeknights to plug gaps in a tour.
- variety of easy formats are very adaptable - DessertAndSong, BreakfastAndSong, etc.
- easier to set up - no sound system, no extra chairs, no need to move furniture.
- super-intimate and memorable - guests really get to know the artist during dinner and the show.
- easier to promote - the host only needs 4 or 5 couples to attend.
