From the “problems you probably can’t wait to have” file: Artists at all stages of audience development have discovered that house concerts, private events, and corporate bookings can often result in far more revenue than traditional club gigs. And while…
Category
Hosting Concerts
Keeping your audience safe.
Depending on who you talk to, SXSW may have hit its own critical mass sometime in the past few years. From talking to folks who went this year, some of the best stuff was actually happening at many of the…
It takes six months to convince Baltimore officials to stage an acoustic set in a coffeehouse.
Now that the 2011 editions of Music Management for the Rest of Us and More Gigs Now are off to the printer, I’ve started working on the revisions for Host Your Own Concerts. And it seems like some neighborhoods could…
What’s Culturally Significant? (Part 1)
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Annette John-Hall covers a delicate controversy brewing just a few blocks from my home: Jamaican Jerk Hut–one of the places I thought I’d truly regret leaving behind the second time I moved away from Philly–has a new…
Scoring Big on the Secondary Concert Ticket Market
Jay Frank and I were chatting not long ago about concert ticket pricing and margin for large touring acts. He and I have both managed bands, booked bands, and booked venues, so we’ve seen this from both sides: Nearly every…
Who’s Responsible for What Happens at the Club?
Yes, unregulated social clubs can cause problems in neighborhoods, especially if liquor’s involved. But a bill working its way through Philadelphia City Hall may have a chilling effect on live performance in the region without really doing much to solve…
Gatekeepers Keeping Your Band Off the Stage?
Bob asks this morning whether there’s a new “indie pecking order” that makes it difficult for bands to get booked at “indie-friendly” venues. Absolutely, there is. The house concert circuit among folk performers is probably the best example of this.…
Proposed Chicago Law Would Make It Harder to Host Your Own Concerts
It always strikes me as odd how Chicago doesn’t always embrace its heritage as one of this nation’s most important cultural cities. A city-backed study revealed that Chicago is a “music city in hiding,” with lots of vibrant clubs and…
Did a Single Noise Complaint Shut Down Your Favorite Venue?
Probably not, but twenty complaints from the same resident just might. In many cities and towns, noise ordinances are written in such a way that venues can be fined or shut down over as little as one or two complaints.…
Farewell Little Brother’s — Another Live Music Venue Closing
I was talking with a musician the other day about why it’s so hard to find places to play lately. We’re in another real estate surge nationwide, which means that all the cheap spaces and run-down buildings that are great…
WaPo’s Joshua Bell Busking Experiment
UPDATE 4.9.07: Some experienced buskers brainstorm about ways Joshua could have upped his collections that morning — some really great ideas! For anyone who’s ever made more money from subway busking than from a club gig, here’s a fascinating experiment…
Athens House Concert Venue Gets Shut Down by Code Enforcement
I wrote about this in Host Your Own Concerts, but we’ve got an example of it here in Athens, where lots of folks host house concerts, backyard parties, and tailgates with live music. House concerts typically work best in a…