James Lee Stanley

As house concerts have become a bigger and bigger part of the acoustic musician experience, I have talked with several presenters and gotten their feedback on what they expect, and I have already written a piece on what they performer expects of the presenter, but here is what one house concert presenter sent to me:

“After 7-1/2 years of hosting house concerts in our home, we’ve had some fabulous experiences... and some that were not ideal. One singer-songwriter (now our best friend!) showed up at our house with high-end chocolate truffles! You don’t need to go that far to win our undying affection, but there are things you can do that make a difference for us. Below are some tips that might be useful for performers as they decide to play at a house concert.”

Top 10 TO do:

1. DO make a commitment to perform and keep it. Cancelling on us may damage both your credibility and the relationship.

2. DO post the gig on your web site with accurate information... but no more information than we want advertised (like our home address, which we want to keep private until reservations are confirmed).

3. DO tell us in advance if you have dietary needs/restrictions so we can plan to accommodate them.

4. DO tell us if you need extra space (including for dinner!) for other musicians you’ll be bringing with you.

5. DO say “thank you.” Maybe more than once. We’ve worked really hard to make the show a success. Regardless of how it came out, please acknowledge our efforts.

6. DO offer to play a favorite song of ours. We picked you to play in our home because we like your work. See if there’s something especially meaningful to us.

7. DO offer to help with the dishes or other pre-concert tasks as we scurry around. We’re not likely to accept your assistance, but it sure is thoughtful to ask.

8. DO give us a choice of your CDs among those you have with you.

9. DO offer us feedback as to how we can do it better next time. Just do it gently.

10. DO make yourself available to vouch for the credibility of our series with a fellow performer if we’re having trouble reaching/booking him or her.

11. And a way-cool bonus? DO email or call the day or two after the show.

Top 10 Things NOT to do:

1. DON’T book another gig close by in geography or date without talking to us about it. There may be no problem... but there may be!

2. DON’T have your agent force us to do all the work... including finding you other gigs in the area!

3. DON’T send an email to your list without letting us know in advance. It’s probably helpful, but we might already be sold out and won’t want to disappoint your local fans.

4. DON’T forget to tell us about folks you’d like to comp for the show... far in advance! If we’ve already sold out, it’s awkward for us to squeeze them in.

5. DON’T be late to our house! It throws off our schedule... and our nerves... when you’re late. (And please don’t sneak out early! We may want to hang out for a few minutes, totaling up the $$$, drinking a beer with you, chatting, etc.)

6. DON’T tell us who we must book next. We definitely appreciate suggestions, but we probably have a long list of folks we’d like to present and don’t want to feel obligated to you.

7. After doing all of these, DON’T query about being booked again next year

8. DON’T spend all the pre-show time talking to the other performers, leaving us out of the conversation.

9. DON’T express disappointment in CD sales or the ultimate financial outcome for the night. It’s probably too late to do anything about it, and it just makes us feel badly.

10. DON’T forget to bring lots of product. It’s awful to create enthusiastic new fans who aren’t able to take some of your music home!