House Show Hosting 101 ˚⟡˖
A very thorough guide on hosting shows in your house (or backyard!)
House Show Hosting 101
by Jonie (host of @littlebluehouseshows)˚⟡˖
THE MISSION
Are you a musician or music lover with space to gather people inside (or outside) your home?
Have you been wondering, “How can I contribute to our world and my community during this insanely isolating crazy chaotic f*cked up time???”
If so…it might be time to consider hosting a house show!
House shows are an amazing way to foster community, nurture your local indie music ecosystem, actually pay artists, meet new people, and share the joy n’ love of music in the comfort of your own home (or backyard).
Even if it’s just a one-off thing or unplugged & acoustic in your living room or just you and some friends sharing songs, it *matters*! Truly!!
We really need every excuse possible to be physically together and off our godforsaken phones! We need to be creating and sharing in joy and art and hope!
My hope is that this little guide can help you feel a little more empowered to start your own house show series or space and that we can bring live music to living rooms and backyard everywhere!
˖⟡ 🌎⟡˖
THE SPACE
⟡ All you need to host a house show is a HOUSE and a SHOW.
SIMPLE AS THAT!! CASE CLOSED!! GUIDE OVER!!
⟡ Okay okay okay, you might need some people to come see that show, and maybe…just maybe…a plan. But that’s where this guide comes in!!
⟡ If you have a…
Large living room
Backyard/patio space
Garage
Any space that can hold around 30-60 people (up to you on your limit!)
You’re basically in business! But first things first…
⟡ Make sure any immediate neighbors are okay with some noise and some traffic in and out of the space.
I suggest inviting them along to make them feel included and let them see it’s not some crazy house party that’ll end with someone throwing up on their Honda Fit! This always helps any potential conflict around noise get squashed fast.
If they have hesitations, is there a compromise you can come to?
Done before 10pm?
Acoustic/unplugged?
Only once in a blue moon?
There are certain city ordinances that prohibit sound and “unruly” gatherings. I’d suggest looking them up to stay within your bounds, but generally they go something like this:
Quiet hours are from 10PM-7AM
Sounds audible beyond your property line can be fined
If you have a cranky neighbor who loves to call the cops and still want to host, all power to you. F DA MAN!!!! Maybe consider…unplugged and wrapping up by 9:30PM? Get creative!! Be considerate! But don’t let squares ruin all the fun >:(
At the end of the day, *most* people don’t actually care. Especially if the music is good. ;-)
Go forth, meet your neighbors, invite them over, and gather bravely!
THE VISION
Think about what kind of house show you’d like to put on. Really anything goes, it’s all up to you and your dream of how you’d like to contribute to your own music scene!! 🌀
but a few things to consider are…
⟡ FREQUENCY
Is this a one-off thing?
Is this a “every now & then” thing?
Is this a regularly recurring series?
If so…will it have a name??
⟡ ARTISTS
Do you only want to host locally/within your own music scene?
Are you open to occasionally hosting touring musicians?
Are you interested in taking submissions?
If so, how should artists submit?
How many artists will you feature?
How much time should each artist play?
Are you paying your artists?
How much will you pay them/what’s the split you’d agree to?
⟡ SOUND
Will the show be acoustic/unplugged?
Will the show be amplified?
Where will you get the sound system?
Do you have a friend who could bring theirs?
⟡ GENRES/THEMES
Is there a specific theme for the show?
Will it span genres?
Will it only be for a certain kind of music?
⟡ PUBLIC vs. PRIVATE
Will this event be open to the public?
Will this be a private event shared among friends?
⟡ TICKETING
Will it be a free show?
Will it be a suggested-donation show?
How will you clearly advertise how much and who to pay at the door?
Will it be a ticketed show?
How/where will guests buy tickets?
THE STAGE SETUP
⟡ Every show needs a stage! Or…stage-like area!
Brainstorm where the best place for visibility and comfort will be for your artists to play.
Is there room for the sound system/monitors/gear?
Is there room for drums? Or only guitars/keyboards?
Where will guests sit or stand in relation to the stage?
Is there easy access to exits or the bathroom with this setup?
THE EXPERIENCE
⟡ Envision the kind of experience you’d like to have as a listener, and what you’re capable of providing to others within your limits.
Where will listeners stand or sit?
Will you provide seats or floor cushions?
Should you suggest guests bring their own?
Do you have a bathroom space open to use for guests?
Is there hand soap, toilet paper, and a hand towel available?
Will there be food/drinks available or will it be BYOB?
Will you provide artists with a meal or should they take care of that ahead of time?
Do you have easy places to eat nearby you can suggest?
If providing a meal, have you asked about dietary restrictions?
Where are you getting your sound system?
Are you providing it?
Can a friend?
Should the artists bring one?
Are you running sound or will a friend help out?
Will you be checking for donations or tickets at the door?
Do you have someone who could help with that?
COMMUNICATION
A huge component of a smooth house show is proper coordination and communication! A little checklist of things to consider…
Have your neighbors been clearly communicated to about what’s happening/when/why?
Have your artists been clearly communicated to about the plan?
Do you have a ROS or advance you can write up and send to each artist?
Is all important info the artist might need to know included?
Address
Parking
Guest list
Load-in & soundcheck times
Set times
Food options
Payment
Inviting friends etc
Are you MC’ing, or will the artists introduce themselves?
Do you have a plan of what to say?
THE PAYMENT
⟡ It’s super common to ask for suggested donations or have tickets purchased ahead of time for a more traditional house show set up. The pricing is up to you and your artists to agree on, as well as the split.
⟡ For an example on how Little Blue House Shows does it, here’s our payment setup:
We sell tickets on Eventbrite ahead of time, priced at $15-20 depending on lineup as well as some tickets at the door via Venmo for those who show up on a whim (usually those who had the address prior/artists’ friends etc)
We pool whatever is made from ticket sales, take $150 off the top for our sound guy and then split the rest 3 ways between our 3 acts. Each act walks away with between $100-200 depending on ticket sales.
We also sell homemade concessions (spiked cider, tea, muffins etc) which helps us cover operating costs (feeding musicians/stage decor/cups/plates/napkins/serving vessels/ink for zines etc etc). If we make more than our operating costs, we usually donate to an organization or cause (past orgs have been CHIRLA and The Sameer Project—highly rec checking out both!!)
⟡ In the end, it’s up to you and your artists on the right split for your show!
~ open communication beforehand is highly encouraged!!! ~
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER
⟡ SIGNAGE + DIRECTIONS
Signage and clear directions make *everything* go so much smoother and saves you from getting 1 million Instagram DM’s or questions mid-show.
Important things to consider location-wise:
Is your house easy to find?
Do you have the directions for your house clearly laid out in your invite/flyer?
Do you have any specific places for guests to park and is that communicated clearly?
Do you have signs pointing where to go from the street?
Do you have signs for your bathroom?
⟡ CHARGING AT THE DOOR / COLLECTING PAYMENT
PRO TIP: Have someone at the door + a sign for donation/payment collection!
If you’re collecting suggested donations or selling tickets at the door, I’ve found it incredibly important to have a person physically sitting at or near the entrance to greet people as they come in and show the payment information.
This does not mean payment has to be enforced, it just simply encourages guests to contribute! If doing donations, having a suggested range of what to donate is great!
💸 In my experience, not having yourself or someone else at the entrance leads to way less donations contributed, meaning your artists go home with less 😢…so let’s get those donations up!!
⟡ CONCESSIONS
Do you plan for the event to be BYOB, or will you provide food/drink to purchase? Here are a few things to consider on the matter:
Do you have an easily accessible/marked trash can or recycling bin for food/cans/bottles?
Will you provide drinks/food for purchase?
Do you have a sign with pricing info?
Do you have a link to Venmo/payment?
Will someone be manning the food/drink area to help people out or will they just help themselves?
Do you have a clearly outlined place for guests to put their trash/recycling when they’re finished?
⟡ FLOW OF TRAFFIC
The way a bunch of bodies move within a small space is important to consider. Think about placement of your stage and where people are seated or standing. If things are tight, don’t worry!
People generally figure out how to move and things sort themselves out, but if you need to help direct the flow of traffic, think about this ahead of time and how to keep people moving / where to move them if need be.
⟡ PROMOTION
Since this is hosted in your home, after all, it’s important to think about how you’ll promote it and get the address out. It’s easy to worry about having too few people come, but the real problems arise when way too many show up!
Having a good plan for getting the word out while not getting the word wayyy out is key.
House shows = good.
Unexpected house party = not so good.
(Unless you’re cool with that!! INVITE EVERY1 U KNO!!!!!)
🪇🕺
Things to consider promotionally:
How will guests get your address?
Who will they DM/message/email for it?
Are doors and set times listed clearly?
Are the links to buy tickets working and linked clearly?
Do you have a flyer and should it be sent privately or is it okay to post on socials?
Has this all been communicated clearly with your artists? ^
⟡ TICKETING PLATFORMS
Partiful - super easy to use and invite a bunch of people at once, but not easy to ensure payment. not the worst option!
Eventbrite - we use this to send the address after purchase! kinda clunky, but works pretty well for ticketing and managing communication. just keep poking around and google what you’re looking to do if it gets confusing! downside is the $2.85 ticket fee. gross!!! we might switch to one of the platforms below to avoid this. TBD.
Luma - haven’t used this one so can’t speak on experience but have seen it used a bunch for events I’ve attended and had a solidly okay user experience!
Secret Party - people on reddit really like this one, but can’t speak to it personally.
Good ol’ Venmo - I’ve seen some other spaces use Venmo to track ticketing and send the address, but this takes a lot of work and organization…that said, do what feels right to you and your system!!
⟡ COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Hosting a house show is already giving back to your community, whether it feels like it or not!! (How can contributing meaningfully to our world feel so FUN?!)
But if you want to involve other issues/causes/organizations, there are so many ways to do so. Here are just a few broad ideas for involving your neighbors / neighborhood / or larger community.
Consider…
Fundraising
Will a portion of ticket proceeds go to an organization or local cause? Will concessions?
Neighborhood invites
Could you get the word out to neighbors by inviting them personally or putting up a sign on your street?
Donations
Could you incorporate a food drive for your local food pantry or a clothing drive for another organization/cause?
Phew!
Are you ready to host a house show?
I hope so!!
If you have any more questions or tips to add from your own experience hosting shows, seriously feel free to DM/email me directly so I can help however possible or add more wisdom to this list :-)
NOW GO FORTH AND HOST!! ⟡˖
This is awesome!! BRB while I send them to everyone I know. :)