Members nat whilk II Posted June 20, 2012 Members Share Posted June 20, 2012 Offshooting somewhat from Lee Flier's thread re the Lowery article: The last two live music events I attended were both private events hosted by people who had no financial interest in the event, but simply offered their own homes as a venue, contacted the artist(s), shouldered the logistics and communications burdens, and took the risk of having a bunch of strangers tramping all over their private domains. Last night I drove to Dallas to hear Robert Rich - one of the very top in the elite of ambient artists - play for about 30 people at "just some guy's" loft in Dallas. $25 per, potluck, and Robert and (spouse) Dixie just there to stand around and chat for an hour or so before and after, cocktail-party style. Dixie sold probably 15 or so CDs and a half-dozen t-shirts at her little table. So he grossed maybe $1,200 tops. Maybe there was some other sponsor money going on, too - but I wasn't about to ask him about that...(wonderful concert, BTW.) And the other was an event put on by a local family in Austin who live on 5 acres - huge back yard with lots of Pecan and Oak trees - these guys host, once a month during their season, a venue for mostly local singer-songwriters, and actually get somewhere between 300-400 people in their big back yard. $10 "donation 100% to the artists". They've got a nice raised deck in the shade for performers, a run of the mill PA setup that does a passable job, and they've been doing these for seven years. You bring your fold-up chairs and your own cooler - about 3/4 of the crowd is in the 35-55 range. Even on a hot day, if there's a breeze (which there usually is), this place is music venue heaven - the artists really love the gig. And the folks in the crowd don't pass crack pipes around or vomit on each other or pass out and need EMT, etc. Artists have always had to rely on patronage of some sort - and I don't mean "patronage" in the sense of "I buy stuff as Walmart so I'm their patron" - I mean patrons who help support them and are not trying to make a buck off of them - a species of philanthropy. More of this kind of thing is, I sincerely hope, coming in the future as music lovers who have the means and the will, knowing the difficulties involved with being a musician, discover that they can sponsor artists this way. Totally win-win seems to me. Since fame is increasingly being separated from fortune in the music business, local music hosted by non-mercenary patrons in private venues is something I hope catches on in a big way. nat whilk ii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted June 21, 2012 Members Share Posted June 21, 2012 I love the idea of low key events, house parties, the whole, Hey, kids let's put on a show! thing. It's the musical equivalent of the local growing movement -- cutting big commercial interlopers, wheeler-dealers, and brokers out of the equation and making the relationships, musical and commercial, as direct and personal as possible. Obviously, though, certain artists find they can sustain larger economies of scale -- and make more money doing it, even as they become necessarily separated from their fans and their fans from them. But... did I mention the money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bookumdano2 Posted June 21, 2012 Members Share Posted June 21, 2012 How long until Tickemaster finds a way to wiggle in there? Or worse, the local ascap guy drives up with Lt. Friday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author MikeRivers Posted June 21, 2012 CMS Author Share Posted June 21, 2012 There's a huge network of house concerts in the folk music and singer/songwriter genre. These are usually not big bands, but one or two people. The $15 per head times 30 or 40 plus a dozen or so CD sales means that the artist can take away $600-$700, maybe upwards of a grand - not bad for a night's work. But to cover travel expenses and expenses at home, you'd need to do a couple of those concerts a week. That's real work, but there's nothing wrong with real work to make real money. I know the practice is that the host takes nothing for his hospitality, but there are some expenses. I guess "patrons" can afford that donation to the artist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scarecrowbob Posted June 21, 2012 Members Share Posted June 21, 2012 I was gonna post what Mike wrote, but he already did, so.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members philbo Posted June 21, 2012 Members Share Posted June 21, 2012 This is actually one of the few bright spots on the horizon for musicians. I'm encouraged to hear of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author MikeRivers Posted June 21, 2012 CMS Author Share Posted June 21, 2012 This is actually one of the few bright spots on the horizon for musicians. I'm encouraged to hear of it. True, but it only works for an artist who can play to an audience of maybe 50 or less. Bigger than that and unless you own a farm and the road to it, you coudl get into trouble with the neighbors, and then the zoning board's gonna step on yo' yas yas yas. 30 years ago I saw The Rolling Stones in a 500 seat theater here in DC, but it was one of those deals where nobody but those in the know knew about the event. I got my ticket through a DJ friend. You probably wouldn't want to schedule a Bruce Springsteen concert in your living room even though he does sometimes sound like a folk singer. (I saw him in a small club once, too, before I (nor anyone else) had any idea how big a star he'd be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nat whilk II Posted June 21, 2012 Author Members Share Posted June 21, 2012 Yeah, there are potential issues. In addition to the zoning and neighbor issues Mike mentioned, there's a dreary list of possible problems such as - sales tax, income tax - permits - fire codes - liability for on-site accidents - attendees bringing in illegal substances or dealing - contributory negligence - cover songs, performance rights, playing some tunes over the PA before/intermission on and on and on, all the (mostly) well-meaning but all too often freedom strangling tangle of rules and regulations "all for your protection, sir" blah blah blah:cop: Keeping it really private - we all know The Man doesn't like "private" anything... nat whilk ii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LiveMusic Posted June 21, 2012 Members Share Posted June 21, 2012 The house concert thing is something I have pursued. My latest... I have played at one friend's house for several years, just pickin and grinnin on the porch to anyone who would listen. I have asked him for years to let me do an 'official' house concert. Finally got a yes and did one a month ago there. Best ever and I knew it would be. A 400 acre cotton farm, a 90 year old small white frame plantation house and me and sidekick played my original songs under the live oak trees under the moon and stars. Southern breeze made it nice. Guests sat on the cotton trailer and in lawn chairs. I have written several songs about this place and played my newest as the last song and slayed them! Much I love about it. First, I just love to play, but also, no smoke, and people are there to listen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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