Done this month (20140401 Tu - 05 Sa)

[mdlbear]

Lots of puttering. In part because we're getting ready for Heather Dale's house concert this coming Sunday (contact me or Naomi if you're interested in attending), and in part because it's a way of feeling that I'm doing something useful while avoiding the taxes.

I was on tap for jury duty Wednesday and Thursday -- had to go in, but

Comments

[amaebi]

What's hosting a house concert like?

[mdlbear]

We'll find out :)

This is the first time we've done it. Among other things, it's a good excuse to de-clutter the Great Room.

[amaebi]

What preparations did you make aside from clearance if you don't mind saying?

[mdlbear]

Well, we spent an hour or so this afternoon moving furniture to make space for the chairs -- Betsy Tinney is bringing some extra.

We've spent some time finding out what the artists would like to eat before the gig, and generally working out logistics and timing.

And of course getting the word out on FB, LJ, and the local filk mailing list.

[amaebi]

If you don't mind my continuing to pester you-- did you get much overt response through those channels?

And what sort of audience size is needed by the artist, at minimum, and handlable by y'all, at maximum, and how do you wrangle that?

[mdlbear]

I haven't gotten much direct response, but others in the household (who are apparently better connected to the local folk/filk scene) have gotten 20-odd confirmed replies; we're expecting another 20 or so walk-ins. If we get much more than that we'll be out of chairs -- one of the performers is bringing 20. The room will handle 50 people once we accumulate enough folding chairs.

We're suggesting $10-25 as the donation. So with 40 people, that will be somewhere between $400 and $1K. From what I'm reading (as the result of a quick Google search) the typical range is 20-35 people, with as few as 10 not unheard of. House concerts aren't mostly about making money, they're about building a fan base.

If you're thinking of hosting a house concert, I'd suggest just asking an artist you'd like to host. That's how we got Tracy -- Naomi is on her mailing list, asked on a whim, and got a positive response.

[amaebi]

Thank you! I am not thinking about it in a very concerted way, but investing in information for possible futures. I a, also a idly curious person at all times. I thank you for your generous answers!

[mdlbear]

You're most welcome! I'll post more tomorrow after the concert.

[amaebi]

Thank you!