Book Your Own Gig: Have a House Concert

Performing often is important to keep your stage chops in good form, but some artists are unable to do shows as often as they would like. In some cases, there might not be enough venues in town that showcase your style of music, such as hip-hop or bluegrass. Or perhaps you’re under 21, and are too young to perform in places that serve alcohol. Or perhaps you need to build a larger audience before you can get a club gig. If you fall into any of these categories, there are still ways to get yourself out there: have a house concert.

What’s a house concert? Basically, it’s a performance that you give in someone’s home. I’ve done a couple of house concerts myself, and I’ve found them to be a lot of fun. The host (you or another music lover) chooses a date, and invites friends over to hear you play. The friends pay for entry (or at least donate to a tip jar if you feel weird about that), and they have the option to buy your CDs and join your mailing list. Great, huh?

House concert audiences are fantastic because they’re there to actually listen to your music. An intimate listening room vibe is created, and there’s often a lot of love in the room, which we performers need 😉 People sitting on couches, the floor, or at a picnic are relaxed and receptive. They also have the opportunity to really hear your lyrics, as well as experience your personality. Afterwards, the event becomes a party where you can connect with your listeners for as long as you want. That’s my kind of gig!

I was reminded about house concerts when I came across an awesome article about house concerts by Madalyn Sklar. Madalyn is the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians (“cuz chicks rock!”). Among other things, Madalyn is a music business coach & consultant and blogs at Madalyn’s Music Biz Blog, which is where I found inspiration for today’s blog post.

Additional inspiration came from a video from a teenage singer named Sara Niemietz, who started a “Living Room” series of performances on YouTube. She sounds great in a living room, and I’m sure that her voice will sound awesome in a club. But for now, she’s winning worldwide fans from her home. Below is a clip from one of her house concerts (notice audience members sitting on the staircase!).

One of my favorite parts of this video is at the end when a family member says to the camera: “The Living Room Series is getting bigger! Now there are people in the living room!”

Sara Niemietz – People Get Ready – LIVE @ The Living Room

For even more info on House Concerts, you can also check out
The Complete Guide to House Concerts by Nyree Belleville