When sifting through the many interesting topics which were covered in April music blogs, I came across a guest post on Future of Music by Fran Snyder called “Direct to Fan – the art of the house concert,” which discusses a new trend of independent artists playing concerts in people’s homes.

At first I wasn’t terribly impressed with the idea, but the more I read and the more I thought about it, the more I realized Snyder was actually on to something that could be a valuable tool for independent musicians.

Considering other articles I’ve read recently about the importance of direct to fan sales in facilitating independent musicians ability to make a living, the concept of making the live show available as a direct to fan item makes a lot of sense, and seems like the next logical step in direct to fan sales.

In his blog, Snyder scoffs at the conventional model where “Artists (who seemingly have no better option) gladly walk in, set up, and waste their evening playing for ungrateful, inattentive patrons, and force their true fans to watch a show while drunks are screaming about the latest touchdown.”

Snyder advocates the house concert as an alternative for smaller acts.  The advantage of house concerts, according to Snyder is that “even a modest turnout (15-20 people) can be very satisfying, profitable, and not leave the artist scrambling for a hotel at the end of the night.  Many house concert hosts provide food and a guest room for the night – two of the biggest expenses of being on the road.”

As a fan of a lot of independent musicians, I’ve sat through many shows at crappy bars or coffee shops where the artist I love is being ignored or talked over by other patrons who are not there for the music.  I was actually at a show recently where the artist stopped playing to ask a group of drunks to quiet down so people could hear the show.  As much as situations like this upset me as an audience member, I’m sure it is a much more frustrating situation for the artists.

Could house concerts be a good solution for both artists and fans?

House concerts have the potential to be more profitable than a show where the artist has to split proceeds with the venue and other artists.  They also allow artists to connect with fans in a more meaningful way, and could give artists the opportunity to perform for fans who don’t want to attend shows at bars.

It definitely seems like an idea worth trying for independent artists.

For some pointers on how to plan your own house concert, whether you are an artist or a fan, check out Grassrootsy’s recent blog on the topic, “House Shows – Small Crowd, Big Return.”

You can also visit Snyder’s website, which provides information and resources on house concerts for both musicians and hosts.