There are two different types of house concerts. The first is a private concert, where you hire me to perform in your home. The second is where you invite people to your home and accept donations as a ticket.
Private house concerts are for people who either have a big event or don't want to deal with “selling tickets”. You pay the entire fee which depends on when, where, what equipment I might need, and how many people you expect to attend the free, private event.
If you expect a lot of people to attend, that's awesome. That means I will earn CD and merch sales with a good show. If you can pull in 30-50 people, you are golden. And the fee starts coming down even if that means I will probably need to bring sound equipment.
It also means you're more likely to book a better day of the week. Friday and Saturday are the most-popular days, followed by Thursday and Sunday. Bring in a lot of people, and you are golden!
If you expect fewer people, in the 15-20 people range, I probably don't need sound gear. But I also won't earn as much in sales. So the fee is likely to be higher, unless it's on one of those less popular gig nights.
A typical house concert fee starts around $400 and goes up toward $800. Again, everything is dependent on when and where. Your best move is to just talk to me.
Regular house concerts are when you basically “sell tickets”. However, since it is a semi-private event, you're actually accepting donations. This is great if you want to host a concert in your home and not put out a lot of money for it.
It does mean, however, that you know people who will come out and see me perform. Donation prices start around $15 and go up to $30 with an average around $20. Often there are discounts for kids, if you choose to go that route.
It is a donation though. So prices may vary. My goal is to get people in the door. So the more, the merrier. And the more likely I'll sell music and merch. So I would rather have people attend than be turned away.
That said, I usually expect at least 20 people attending a house concert. But the number of attendees will vary. Some nights, 40 people will show up. Other times, just 10.
For this year reason, I often look at a guarantee. This means that if donations don't reach a specific number (like $300 or $400 or so), then you will make sure I pull in that amount at the very minimum.
The great thing about regular house concerts over private events is that they are usually focused around the music. Private events might just be background music for me. Or it might be a concert setting. But house concerts are usually actual concerts.
That's awesome for a musician. That means people are there to listen to music. So the rules are simple. This is not a pub. Don't talk while the music is playing. You can do that during the break.
Of course, there's a lot more that goes into both concerts that I haven't covered. Things like food and beverages. But this pretty much covers how it works from my end. If you want to book a house concert, you should now have a good idea of the costs.
If you have any questions or need clarification, please let me know how I can help.
If you want to book me, contact me right now.
