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Message from Fran:

Topics and Resources from the video above:

• The new (booklet) CIYH House Concert Guide
• House Concert Month
• Folk Alliance International Feb 17-21
• Cayamo join us next year. Next year will also feature John Prine.

Please help me thank Jeff Robertson, who was a tremendous help and kind host during our Folk Alliance showcases. Jeff’s role at CIYH is expanding and he is providing some much needed extra support for our hosts.

I’d also like to thank Ira Planer for the use of the personal light system at Folk Alliance, you’ll see the nice results in the video below. Find out more about the personal light system at q-lighting.com. CIYH members get a substantial discount and free shipping for a limited time.

I’ll be on the road this summer and looking to connect with as many of you as possible. Get in touch!

Cartoon Artwork by Roy Schneider Check out his music too!

New CIYH Hosts: (artist members can search “member since 2010-02″ using the advanced search. )

11 New House Concert Presenters in ON(2), Germany, CA(3), FL, NE, NH, OK, OR

New CIYH Artists: (A big thank you for your support.)

Barb Barton, Bob Marshall, Brendan Hogan, Danielle Gasparro, Danielle Miraglia, Dennis Swilley, Gail Swanson, Harmonious Wail, Helen Keller’s Ukulele, Jarrod Dickenson, Jeff Litman, Jeremy Serwer, Joel Rafael, Kim Lamothe, Larry Allen Brown, LAURENCE “LUCKYMAN” BEALL, Lisa Richards, Nancy Beaudette, Old Town Road, Rhythm Angels, River Wheel, Robert Earl Longley, The Callen Sisters, Tony Denikos

Look for these new artists here!

New Agencies: Please help us welcome Tracey Delfino at Trespass Music.

Renewed Artists: (A HUGE thank you for your continued support!)

Elemental Harmony, Sarah Donner, Frances Drost, Vanessa Peters, Greg Allen, Greg Humphreys

Schwag of the Month:

The New CIYH House Concert Guide!
Free Download, and for a limited time, FREE hard copy of the booklet!

Tips for Artists and Hosts:

• Inspiring video about copyright and piracy.

Artists log in here | Hosts Log in here

Please share this information with people you like. — fran

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Bruce Hayden points us to an interesting article.

“By the way, read this from Slate. I has a passage in it regarding the
contract you sign with ASCAP: http://www.slate.com/id/2244164/”

The subject of ASCAP/BMI comes up often enough in this business that it’s important for “the little guys” to fully understand the issues, and to realize that these organizations exist for a reason, and they shouldn’t be demonized solely for their existence.

The copyright model is certainly out of date, and some of these organizations’ tactics are indeed harmful in many ways.

That said, it’s important to recognize, as the article points out, that these organizations in some ways DO stand up for the little guy. Sometimes they are insuring that a songwriter with one minor hit doesn’t have his material used by a well-to-do club, restaurant, or chain without any compensation.

How would you feel if one of your songs was being played at Bennigan’s nationwide, and you never received a check?

If you choose to give away your music for free (and some might say your stupid if you don’t, these days) that’s a choice you make. But without PROs fighting for the cause of songwriters [and yes, publishers] you wouldn’t have that choice.

I don’t expect the copyright code to ever catch up with technology and culture, but I hope they make some progress soon. In the meantime, let’s not be adversaries about EVERYTHING.

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Artwork by Roy Schneider

Message from Fran:

Topics and Resources from the video:

• The new CIYH House Concert Guide
• House Concert Month
• Folk Alliance International Feb 17-21
• Personal Light Show! discounted for CIYH members!

New CIYH Hosts: (artist members can search “member since 2010-01″ using the advanced search. )

24 New House Concert Presenters in AB, ON(3), CA(5), CO, DC, FL(2), MD, MN(2), MO, NY, OH(2), OK, PA, TX(2), and WA(2)

New CIYH Artists: (A big thank you for your support.)

Abby Ahmad, Adam Michael Rothberg, Albert and Gage, Allison Lickley, Andrea Beaton, Anne Mironchik, Ashley Brooke Tousant, Bob Kendes, calicoDrifters, Colette Cheverie, Corey Webb, Craig Werth, Dagmar, Eric Schwartz, Eric Scott, Erin Muir, Eugene Ruffolo, Glen Roethel, Grace Askew, HalÈLupÈ, Heather Wise, Incendio, Jared and Lauren Hard, Jefferson Ross, Jon Meyer, JP Hoe, Julia - Soul Harp & Friends, Kristi Rose & Fats Kaplin, Layah Jane, Lehto and Wright, Maree McRae, Marie McGilvray, Mary McAdams, Maurenbrecher & Gorman, Merrily James, Mike Agranoff, Opera’s Red Door, Phyllis Sinclair, Scott Warren, Small Potatoes, Stephen Katz, Steve Cheseborough, Suzie Vinnick, Tamara Hey, The Bowmans, The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra, Tim Blane, Trysette

Look for these new artists here!

New Agencies: Please help us welcome Elisa Wright at New Folk Booking.

Renewed Artists: (A HUGE thank you for your continued support!)

C. Daniel Boling, Tripping Lily, Joe Iadanza, Michael Pickett, Bill Dempsey, Lenore, Patti Ecker and Louise Brodie, Butch Morgan, Alyse Black, Rich Reich, Bill Toms, Bing Futch, Jes Raymond, Brooks Williams, Stevie Coyle, David Glaser, Ann and Will Rowland, Rj Cowdery, Ben Hassenger, John Bergstrom, Mark Wayne Glasmire, Laurie McClain, Russ Franzen, Randy Weeks, George Ensle, Mike Breen,

Schwag of the Month:

The New CIYH House Concert Guide!
Free Download, and for a limited time, FREE hard copy of the booklet!

Tip for Artists and Hosts:

• Ron’s Rockin’ House Concert Vacation
• House Concerts and Publicity: Three Golden Rules
• What should I put in my host profile?
• Dream with Me
• Pretty URLs for artists - finally!
• Michael Hedges of the Cello aka Stephen Katz
• I can’t afford to rejoin
• Financial Guarantees - what artists should know before contact hosts.

Ron Sarfaty, a great guy and supporter of house concerts, is doing an amazing tour of the U.S. and Canada, and looking to attend and videotape some house concerts along the way. Please check out his great story and consider reaching out to him to participate.

Artists log in here | Hosts Log in here

Please share this information with people you like. — fran

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“… that guy in the wheelchair” tours the house concerts of north america with high def video and a souped up van.

This is going to be very cool, I hope you can participate in Ron’s voyage. We need house concert hosts and artists to reach out to Ron to make his trip as musical and friend-filled as possible. — fran

Ron Sarfaty

My name is Ron Sarfaty and I’d like to share a little information about myself with you. I’m 49 and will be turning 50 this summer. I’ve spent my entire life living in the Los Angeles area and I was forced to retire about 6 years ago when I suffered a stroke that left me left-hemiplegic. (more on my condition at the bottom)

This March I’m going to embark on a journey. Very likely my ‘finale’ road trip.

My health is not great but it’s the best I’ve felt in a few years yet I’ve slowed down too much to look more than a year ahead at any more long vacations. I feel that if I don’t do this now I may not have another chance and it’s the only thing left on my Bucket List to accomplish. This journey is something I’ve tried to plan many times over the years but something has always backed me down so this time, I’m going for glory.

My plan (crazy as it may seem) is to drive all the way around the United States and thoughout a good portion of Southern Canada in my Wheelchair Van. I’ve recently spent about $10k to ready it with a new engine, transmission and associated mechanical repairs.

Why spend $10k on a 1995 Van? Because I like it : ) It has a full function Ricon hydraulic lift with Power Doors and a remote control and a new van would cost $40-$50K and somebody elses used van would cost about $30k in good condition and I still wouldn’t be as happy as I am in “Astro” (my van). My powerchair weighs 325 pounds empty and the van handles extremely well with that weight locked in behind my driver’s seat.

So here’s my question:

How many of you out there would like a nice visit to your House Concert venue from a guy travelling about 12,000 miles over about 10 weeks? I’d like to offer a trade. I’d like to document your Venue and your Performer using my HD Cameras and add you to my Compilation DVD entitled “House Concerts Across North America” from ‘that guy in the wheelchair’ as I am affectionately called by those who can’t pronounce my name.

In exchange I am asking for space to lay my air matress and a wall outlet to plug in my power strip for my CPAP machine (so I can breathe at night) and to recharge my wheelchair and camera batteries. I’m hoping to save money on my trip by meeting and making new friends. Your Home/Venue does not have to be wheelchair accessible as I can hop a few stairs if need be and I will be travelling with my retractable extension cord so I can leave the chair in the van and still recharge it.

Also, I will be creating a weblog as I go (here’s a link to the one I did while in Asia: http://sarfaty.us/asia ). This time I hope to use the latest technology in conjunction with Google Earth & Facebook to give my family, friends, supporters and the curious a closer eye on where I am and what I’m doing - next. I’m working with Fran to align my travel dates and distances with Concerts.

My basic course of travel will be: East from Los Angeles to Cape Canaveral, North to Boston, West into Canada to see Niagra Falls and then continuing West through Manitoba and other cities along the South Canadian Border all the way to B.C. and finally South down the West Coast with stops in Seattle and the North Bay where I have lots of family and friends.

Add me as a friend if you like on Facebook, just add a personal message with your friend request that says “Road Trip” so I can add you to the right group.

More about my Health and Condition

I had been warned previously that I had Athero-Sclerosis so it wasn’t a big surprise that it happened; it was more of a surprise when it happened. I’ve since regained only a very limited amount of use on my left side. The bad news is that I pretty much lost the use of my left side - but the good news is that I am right side dominant.

Rather than lay around and feel sorry for myself (thanks to my incredibly loving and supportive family) I decided that I would “make do” with what I have and exert my energy doing what I can to help others. I travel in my Jazzy Powered Wheelchair wherever I go and have taken this unusual opportunity to become a staunch advocate for the ADA in the U.S.A. Prior to me spending my first day in the chair I had never even considered what other’s that live this struggle have to put up with. Since my stroke I have travelled more than I had in my first 44 years.

My Travels

About two years after I suffered the stroke I relearned to drive (daylight and fair weather) and then drove halfway across the country to see a dear friend in Nebraska as a “trial” of my stamna. My next trip was to London. About 7 days there visiting another friend and seeing the sights made me realize that even in a Country where they have no regard for wheelchairs I could get around.

I decided to give my moxie a really good challenge when I went to Asia for a month. I stayed with family and travelled to Philippines, China and Malyasia …. you wanna talk about challenging? How about having to go up and down an escalator in my power wheelchair!! Yep, Yikes!

Those that know me well say I’m ambitious. Some tell me I’m an inspiration to them and other’s have said they think I’m just crazy. I see myself as a cross between determined and bored. I love music. I really love music. I’ve been a record collector since my pre-teen years. I’ve amassed over 2000 45’s and 1500 LP’s and my CD collection is still growing.

My oldest friends say I have the most eclectic collection they know of and my long term memory is still holding up so I can remember a myriad of trivia about some of the wax I own. I own every spoken-word record (sans 1) that ever made it to the top 40 from 1955 through late 1985. I listen to just about every genre of music available but I live for more.

Up and Coming Singer/Songwriters are by far my favorite past time. Living in Los Angeles gives me an opportunity to visit a number of venues in the same week. Some of my favorites are Kulak’s Woodshed (North Hollywood), Coffee Gallery Backstage (Altadena), Russ and Julie’s House Concerts (Oak Park) and Duncan’s House Concerts (Ventura). I consider these my “Cheers” because everybody knows my name. I usually show up with my video cameras (2 Sony HD’s) everywhere I go and I’ve only been asked 1 or 2 times not to post my videos online. I keep adding to my YouTube page (http://youtube.com/songwriterperformers) to give these wonderful performers International exposure.

All the best, and I look forward to meeting you!

Ron Sarfaty

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Fran,
Thank you so much for responding.  This is exactly the information I was looking for, and I can see how some house concert hosts would rather avoid the complications and misunderstandings that could come from publicizing their event through traditional channels.  For those who think they could benefit from the occasional targeted publicity effort, I hear you saying to follow these 3 Golden Rules of house concert publicity:

• Rule #1 — For legal (and financial) reasons, house concert are private, not public, events [ed. note: insurance and safety are good reasons as well]
• Rule #2 — Pay strict attention to “suggested donation” language
• Rule #3 — The house concert host must approve anything before it is released to the media, so call them; they may not want media at all

Absolutely feel free to blog about this.
Regards, Rob

On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 5:37 PM, Fran Snyder wrote:

Hi Rob,
Good question, and a very important one.

If house concerts were deemed to be public events, ASCAP/BMI/SESAC would have the responsibility of licensing those public performances. Those fees are so inappropriately high that NO ONE WOULD EVER HOST A HOUSE CONCERT.

Because people who don’t understand house concerts sometimes like to mettle in things, publicity can sometimes result in zoning complaints and accusations that the host is running a business (music venue) in their home. Several have been challenged (somewhat unsuccessfully, but at high cost) in court.

Therefore we strongly recommend that house concerts promote themselves as private, invitation only events, even if they put up a few posters or do a newspaper/radio interview. Those who find out about the event may “ask for an invitation” by contact the host through their website, or ours, but it should be clear that people cannot just walk up to someone’s house uninvited.

Another very important point is that there should be no mention of tickets, admission, or a charge. The ONLY  acceptable language is a “suggested donation.”

One last point: You should never, ever publicize a house concert without the hosts consent. They should have complete control over what information appears (such as email, address, etc.) and where.

I hope you’ll find this helpful. Happy to continue this further if you have questions.

Incidentally, with your permission, I would love to share this exchange on our blog, since it has not been properly addressed before.

Best, Fran Snyder

On Jan 29, 2010, at 5:25 PM, Rob Crissinger wrote:

Hi Fran,

K.C. Clifford gave me your contact info.  I’m helping her publicize her new album, and have noticed that not all of the house concerts she’s booked for are interested in receiving press coverage.  K.C. thought you might be able to explain this strange (to me) phenomenon :

Also, she’ll be in Kansas City for a Brown House Concert next Friday (Feb. 5).  Do you know if this is a “no publicity” house or if they’re OK with attention.  Also, can you think of anything about this particular concert series that the local media might find interesting?
Thank you for your time.

Sincerely, Rob
–
Rob Crissinger
Crissinger PR

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EXAMPLE HOST PROFILE.

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Dream with me.

The past 4 years have been magical. I’m hooked. You’ve allowed me to at least take a shot at making a difference in your lives, in however small or important a way.

The challenges of the modern traveling music act are obvious. House concerts are one solution, one improvement, but they can also be a powerful force to initiate a bigger, more important trend. This trend is the core of the CIYH mission statement.

Creating and nurturing meaningful opportunities that pay artists to perform in a listening environment, while bringing communities together with a renewed passion for live music.

This doesn’t have to happen in a house. Dream with me.

What if house concerts inspired a new generation of people to enjoy and actively absorb live music from our best performers and poets? What if the ethic of house concerts spilled over into once struggling live music venues? We could challenge small venue owners to do more than provide a place to play and drink, and reward them with great music AND AN AUDIENCE.

Dream with me.

What if we used the platform of CIYH -  lovingly developed by Bryan, Jody, Jeff, Junaid, and I, and used that as the basis to create a network of listening rooms?

We’ve already started, but I need your help.

Please tell me three things:

1. frankly, what’s wrong with CIYH - what needs to be improved?
2. what works with CIYH, but would not work with other types of venues?
3. what do you love about CIYH, that you would hope would not be changed?

Certainly, it’s impossible to please everybody in such a diverse group. But I promise every suggestion and comment will be read and considered. Let’s save live music together.

If you received this link in an email… please reply to that email with your suggestions.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for being a part of this.

Fran Snyder

Executive Dreamer, ConcertsInYourHome.com

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http://concertsinyourhome.com/artists/full.html?uid=ddrewnelson
is now
http://concertsinyourhome.com/artist/drewnelson.html

see the difference? It looks better without the “uid?=” code in there,

and

http://concertsinyourhome.com/artists/full.html?uid=jallwoodandsto

is now

http://concertsinyourhome.com/artist/allwoodandstones.html

The bad news is, you may need to adjust your links if you’ve linked to your profile from other sites.

One of the challenges of starting a website on a shoe-string budget is that as things grow, you keep building on top of of a platform that has some weak spots. It’s taken a while, but we’ve made a seemingly little adjustment that should yield exponentially better results.

We’ll be making some more tweaks in the next few weeks, so pardon our dust and stay tuned.

Your fan,

Fran Snyder

PS - this kind of stuff makes my day. Keep the stories coming in - help other artists learn from your success. We can study your profile, your song choice, your video, and maybe even ask you how you email folks. You’ll share, right?

I’ve wanted to let you know….Emily has only been a member about a month, but has had an amazing response from CIYH hosts – really over-the-top!  We’re very happy – CIYH is certainly working well for Emily!

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