Would you like to have Anita come to your town? You can sponsor a show! Email us info@anitamaj.com- it’s easier than you might think!
Would you like to have Anita perform at your event? Or even at your home? You can host a house concert! You can host it at your home, at your friend’s home, at work, or even at a rented facility! You can even make it a fundraiser for your favorite charity. Please read the info below then send us an email. Thank you so much!!
BELOW ARE GUIDELINES contact info@anitamaj.com for specific needs.
ABOUT HOUSE CONCERTS
House Concerts build strong friendships between musicians, presenters, and listeners, as they are the most intimate and compelling performance environment available!
For the performer, it’s a chance to perform in a friendly “listening environment” and to earn some money to keep on touring. For the audience, it’s a chance to get close to the performer and the songs.
As of recently, House Concerts have entered the mainstream. There has been a New York Times article, CBS Morning Show feature, etc!!!
The basic ingredients for a house concert are:
a) 15+ people.
b) a place for them to sit comfortably and enjoy the performance (you’d be amazed how many people can fit in an average sized room!)
House concerts are as different as the personality and inclinations of the host. You can provide snacks and beverages, or make it a potluck if you would like. You can also make it a fundraiser for your favorite cause.
GETTING PEOPLE OUT
The “public” doesn’t usually come to house concerts. The attendance basically depends on the host.
THE PERFORMANCE
It’s full show, the same as in a club, it will just be a little more casual and intimate. If you want to MC, you could start the concert by introducing Anita and how you got to know her and her music. You can remind everyone that there is coffee over here, the bathroom is over there, CDs are for sale by the door. At the end of the concert, you could thank people for coming, and tell them again that CDs are available. Anita loves to hang out after the concert, answer questions, & sign CDs!
How To Organize a House Concert:
How to find performers: Ask your favorite performer!!
Host: person at whose place the concert takes place.
Sponsor: person who is in charge of gathering money and paying the musician.
Musician: well, you get it 
THE MONEY (1)
The amount of money the performer needs to make can change depending on the day of the week, and the geographical location. £300- £400 is a standard and a pretty fair base rate for a solo musician on a quiet night. That breaks down to only £15 per person for 20 people or 10 (+1s)
THE MONEY (2): performer’s guarantee.
Most house concert organizers offer the musician a guarantee. After all, the musician depends on each performance to make a living, to pay their bills and continue touring.
If you are worried about covering a performer’s guarantee, try dividing the cost among friends. Ask each if, in the unlikely event of a loss, he or she would chip in up to £20 or £30. This has the added benefit of getting more people involved early, and with a vested interest to boot.
THE MONEY (3): dividing the spoils
Most hosts will give performers the full door. Where there is money made above the performer’s minimum guarantee, some hosts give that money to their favorite charity, or keep it to cover some of their expenses (if any). But bear in mind: a house concert is something that is sponsored for love not money. That is part of the charm, part of what makes it personal, part of the reason friends will come even though they have never heard of the performer.
Numbers and space
20-25 people and higher. The actual size of the room will pretty much determine the potential audience. A good rule of thumb is 3 square feet per person.
Your living room is too small? Remember the sponsor and the host need not be the same person. It is a long-standing and sensible tradition to guilt-trip a wealthier friend with a big living room into offering it for the occasion. Do not feel badly about this, but rather, think of it as a favour to them!! They’ll talk about it for a long time!!
Promotion
In our experience, people will come to a house concert for the following reasons. In order:
- They are happy to accept an invitation from a friend.
- It sounds like a good party and a chance to see the gang.
- It is an odd and intriguing thing to do.
- It is for a good cause (if it is for a cause).
- They want to hear the particular performer.
Which is to say, it is essential to “promote” the event in the same personal way you would any celebration you have decided to host at your home. Whether you phone people or send written invitations, the personal contact is crucial. If, in addition, you want to advertise (whether by a poster at the office, a note in a newsletter, or an announcement in the press) that is grand, and the resulting extra sales are a bonus; but the friends you invite yourself must fill most of the seats.
Other promo tips:
- Loan out CDs or send an mp3. This can be very effective.
- Most performers have friends and fans most everywhere. Just spread the word!
- Performers can (and should) provide promo material, including graphics, poster art and a write-up the sponsor can send out or draw on.
- To add to the party atmosphere (and the attractiveness of the event), invite people to bring a plate of finger food and/or a bottle of wine.
Tickets (1)
Should there be printed tickets? A reservation list? RSVPs? This is a judgment call for the host to make. I highly recommend the advance ticket route (or pre-paid reservations). For several reasons:
- People who have already bought tickets don’t change their minds at the last minute.
- I have seen an RSVP-ed (but un-ticketed) full house evaporate because a storm blew in.
- The best advertisement is someone who has already bought a ticket.
You can use evite.com and paypal.com - both are excellent tools.
Tickets (2): Price
You know best what price is suitable for your friends. But don’t skimp. Be comfortable charging £15 or “whatever you can afford.”
I recommend you have an “earlybird” price, expiring a week or two before the show. Say £12 for the early bird, £15 after that. The purpose being, of course, to encourage advance purchase.
Seating
There are several ways to seat 40 people in a living room. Ask everyone to bring a folding chair or a cushion; borrow stacking chairs from a church or union hall.
Most everyone can sit on the floor for an hour in relative comfort. In fact it can feel kind of good, psychologically.
Going public
Yes, you can hold a house concert in a public hall and invite the general public. Many have done this successfully – although you should be aware that the expenses can mount quickly. However, though the event is now “public”, you should still promote it in the personal way.
House concert fundraisers
Fundraising by holding a house concert (or any public event) can work out well, but it demands careful planning. The same gathering of 40 people can raise less than £100 or over £1000. It is, in fact, not a lot harder to raise the larger amount, but the event must be planned with the fundraising goal firmly in mind.
