gee that was interesting about socan... i have never heard of bmi or ascap hitting up a house concert in the u.s.... though i may just be uninformed. hadn't really even considered the possibility to tell you the truth.

as a d.j. for almost 20 years here, i suggest you make sure your local radio venue that would play the music of your guest be contacted even if the idea is just that... still an idea. i am happy to play the music months and months ahead and help build the folks an audience, especially if they are unknown in the area. i don't really care if they have been booked or not... i just play it, and if the booking goes through i can add some more promotion.

i have put on many house concerts, and performed at several as well. they have always been wonderful experiences. the funniest i guess was when i forgot to unplug the fridge. (i try to be very aware of house noises, phones ringing etc.)... but in this case forgot. the performers were playing guitar and uillean pipes. after the first set the performer asked politely if i would unplug it so he could play tunes that weren't just in one key. he very creatively found a key to match the hum.... :-)

i always would notify the neighbors and invite them to come for free. they were not required to pay. they were pretty much the only comps, unless someone was broke and really wanted to come and offered to help with posters, cooking etc.... i used to let kids sell refreshments and keep the proceeds... kept them busy and involved.

my favourite concerts were outside. the front porch became the stage, and i could hang a light from the bottlebrush and make a nicely lit stage. full moon concerts were awesome!

other advice... well most folks don't give out their address on air... they will give a phone number for information and they will give directions/etc. via phone contact.

... lorraine

p.s. hi deb!