Tapping into the House Concert Scene–Robonzo

I’ve been fascinated with house concerts for years, but my interest went up recently following my interview with Ezra Vancil for The Unstarving Musician’s Podcast. Then Ray Prim made an appearance on the podcast, and shared his experience with house concerts in the Austin area. And then self-proclaimed ambassador of house concerts Tom Meny came on to the podcast. He clued me in to tidbits and resources that got elevated my interest even more.

Since these interviews, I’ve spoken with Amy Killingsworth who founded and co-produces Amy & Gary’s House Concerts. Amy gave me the host perspective, so I’m privy to all kinds of firsthand information lately.   Soon I hope to have indie artist Shannon Curtis on the podcast. She does most of her performing at house concerts, and has written a popular book on the subject matter.

No Booker, No Bouncer, No Bartender: How I Made $25K On A 2-Month House Concert Tour (And How You Can Too), by Shannon Curtis

 

No Booker, No Bouncer, No Bartender: How I Made $25K On A 2-Month House Concert Tour (And How You Can Too), by Shannon Curtis

 

FYI: The book title listed above contains an affiliate link. If you purchase using that link, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I appreciate your support!

 

Tapping into the House Concert Scene

As Ray Prim told me, it’s not necessarily easy learning about and becoming part of the house concert scene. (Here my conversation with Ray in this episode.) In fact, Ray compares it to the Luminati. Here are some helpful tips I’ve recently gathered.

House Concert Hosts Want to be Found

House concert hosts are invested in growing their own networks. This is because they must draw consistent attendance in order to have successful events. A successful event for hosts is a good experience for guests and the artists that perform them. While many hosts are well established, it will never hurt for them to grow their attendee list and their artist database. In many or most cases, hosts are sharing their events on Facebook and sites like Meetup.com and Eventbrite. Note that in spite of the sharing on social sites, these are private events, by invitation and/or RSVP only. House concerts are not public events, and are not promoted as such (nor should they be, for legal reasons).

Attend a House Concert

Attending house concerts is a great way to meet one or more hosts. I say one or more, because there may be hosts in attendance. There may also be aspiring house concert hosts in attendance. The performing artist is undoubtedly going to know something about they house concerts community. Even if you happen to meet a performing artist at their first house concert ever, they are probably on the cusp of learning more about the community at large. This is all schmoozing and networking 101, but you get the idea. Meet some hosts, fans and artists. Ask questions and be helpful to others when the opportunities arise.

Regularly Send Notes of Inquiry to Hosts

I’ll lead this tip with something Amy Killingsworth of Gary & Amy’s House Concerts says, which is that it’s all about being nice. Thoughtful communication is key here. Amy also shares a story about an artist who contacts her regularly. You want to hear this story, and you can hear it in this episode. The moral of Amy’s story is that nice, thoughtful, persistent communication to the right host can get you plugged into the scene.

You Can Build Your Own House Concert Network

Shannon Curtis has built her own house concert network by sharing her interest with her own community (i.e. h