house
concert
guide
stone&snow
what is a house concert?
A house concert is a private concert for your guests in or around your home. It can be held in your
living room or backyard (depending on the weather). The intimate setting allows you and your guests
to truly experience the music and meet and mingle with us! If you know 20 or more people who might
enjoy an evening of folk music, you can host a Stone & Snow house concert. This guide will help you
plan your event.
a few IMPORTANT DETAILS:
• There is no charge for tickets-- donations only. (A minimum donation is required. Read on for more.)
• A house concert is not a party with a background musician but a true listening event meant to support the artist – both with attention and income.
• A house concert does not require a large fancy home or complex event planning; just a willingness to support live music by providing both a location and inviting people to attend.
• A house concert does not cost much (or anything) to put on. Some hosts provide snacks. If
alcohol is allowed by the host, it is often BYOB.
• We welcome questions and comments between songs. We love it when the evening is a dialogue of both conversation and music. Feel free to ask us anything!
How does it work?
• A host (that’s you!) opens their home to us as a performance venue and possibly a place to spend the night if we are traveling. You and your friends promote the show by inviting family, friends, and others passionate about music. We may promote the show as well but only with your permission.
• We will perform two 40-minute sets with a short break. During the break, we may talk with attendees as well as sell CD’s, t-shirts, or other merchandise.
• You will ask attendees for a donation.
Why donations?
It is simple. Donations ensure the party is not viewed as a business. This protects you because
charging a ticket price could run you afoul of commerce laws. You can collect donations by
reservation prior to the event or at the door. Either way, be sure to include this information on the
invite to guests. You can also make an announcement during the show-- something like, “Hey
everyone. Stone & Snow is working hard and giving us great entertainment value. We are asking for
a donation of $20 per person – more if you can, less if you can’t.” If the guests meet or exceed the
minimum donation (not including merch sales), you, as the host, will not be asked to donate. If the
guest donations fall short of the minimum, you will be asked to donate the difference.
What is the minimum donation?
The minimum donation starts at $500. If you have 25 guests, that works out to about $20 per person.
This includes two 40-minute acoustic, unplugged sets with Karen & Clint within a 45 mile radius of
Bloomington-Normal. If we need to travel farther than 45 miles one-way, or if we require a sound
system (for outdoor events or very large spaces), we’ll ask for a little more. Email us at
info@stoneandsnow.com, and we’ll let you know what that is.
I’m ready to host a house concert! How do I book you?
Email us at info@stoneandsnow.com with your preferred date(s) and some info on the space and
event. Once we agree on the details, you’ll fill out the agreement on the next page, send it over to
us with a $100 retainer, and the date is yours! Yay!
What happens if we have to reschedule or you get sick?
If you want to reschedule or cancel after sending the agreement, we’ll keep the retainer. A new
retainer will need to be paid to reserve a new date. We do this because we turn down other paying
gigs while we’ve got your house concert on the books. However, if it turns out we can’t perform
due to illness or emergency, we will give you the option to reschedule (no new retainer required) or
cancel (we’ll give the retainer back).
WHAT HAPPENS IF IT RAINS ON MY BACKYARD HOUSE CONCERT?
Weather can be unpredictable! We recommend an indoor backup plan for the show in the event of
inclement weather. If you decide not to have a backup plan and the show gets “rained out”, we will
keep the retainer, but no other donation is required.
You didN’T answer my question!
Email us at info@stoneandsnow.com, and we will answer it!
The House Concert Agreement
-
Stone&Snow
Thanks for hosting a house concert with Stone & Snow! We are so excited to share our music with you! We just need to
agree to the particulars of the event, and we’ll be good to go! Be sure to get in touch with us, and we’ll help you fill out the
form below. Our email address is info@stoneandsnow.com.
DATE OF EVENT:
HOST NAME:
HOUSE CONCERT ADDRESS:
HOST CONTACT CELL #:
HOST EMAIL:
VENUE TYPE (i.e. living room, backyard, rented space, etc…):
WHAT TIME CAN WE ARRIVE TO SET UP? (typically 1-2 hrs before event):
SHOW START TIME:
# OF GUESTS EXPECTED:
MINIMUM SUGGESTED DONATION: $
(APPROXIMATELY $
PER EXPECTED GUEST)
Can the band invite some family/friends to attend (2-6 people)? Yes No
Stone & Snow expects to collect a minimum of $
, not including merch sales. In the event that guest contributions
do not cover this minimum amount, we ask that you guarantee the difference. [Of course, we hope the party will be greatly
successful and bring in at least this amount, but in light of our expenses, it is helpful for us to establish at least this minimum.]
A couple more particulars:
CANCELLATION: If you want to reschedule or cancel after sending the agreement, we’ll keep the retainer. A new retainer
will need to be paid to reserve a new date. We require this because we turn down other paying gigs while we’ve got your
house concert on the books. However, if it turns out we can’t perform due to illness or emergency, we will give you the
option to reschedule (no new retainer required) or cancel (we’ll give the retainer back).
WEATHER: We recommend an indoor backup plan for the show in the event of inclement weather. If the show doesn’t
happen due to weather or other act of God beyond the control of both parties, we will keep the retainer, but no other
donation is required.
We require a smoke-free performance environment.
ADDITIONAL REQUESTS/DETAILS:
RETAINER PAID: $
SUGGESTED DONATION REMAINING: $
Both parties agree to the terms above and sign below:
HOST (signature & date):
BAND REPRESENTATIVE (signature & date):