BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (WMOT) -- Attending a live musical performance with thousands of other fans in a large concert hall, arena or even an outdoor stadium is an amazing experience.
Even in a smaller venue - such as a small auditorium, bar or coffee house - the energy and excitement that can be generated by a gifted performer can be memorable.
Here in Middle Tennessee, a very different kind of performance space is gaining in popularity.
On a recent Saturday evening, Singer-songwriter Annalise Emerick was preparing to play a show. It’s something she does most nights in coffee houses, bars, auditoriums, and other small venues across the country.
But on this night she’s getting ready to play for a handful of people in the living room of Kristina Schulz’s Brentwood home.
“An artist will come into my house and play music and I don’t have to go anywhere,” Schulz explains. “All I have to do is provide the atmosphere, which I am absolutely happy to do.”
Schulz and her fiancé, Chris Hemphill, have been hosting concerts in their home for about 4 years. They’ve had as many as 30 people attend, usually a mix of friends, neighbors, family and even strangers who find the shows listed on house concert websites.
“We’ve done rock, we’ve had blues, we’ve had pop, folk…pretty much anything…anything we’ll have here,” Schulz says.
Helping herself to a cup of tea in Schulz’s kitchen as guests arrive, Annalise Emerick says
house concerts have become an important part of her performance income.
“I can play a bar for $100 bucks, but I can play a house concert and if there’s 50 people there and they all pay $20 bucks I’m having a great night. And they’re all buying CDs. It’s amazing,” Emerick says.
Emerick also says house concert audiences tend to make more dedicated fans. They stay connected, buy her new releases, and show up to hear her the next time she’s in town.
“It’s just a totally unique experience as opposed to playing like a coffee shop or a bar or something like that where people are usually there, but you don’t know if they’re always there for you,” she says.
Emerick normally plays two, 45 minutes sets for her house concert audiences, but this night she has a bad cold and plays just a single set.
At the show’s conclusion, first time house concert-goer Janice Anderson says she found the show’s intimate setting appealing.
“You’re just sitting around with a group of friends, you’re listening to music. It’s just like a level you don’t get at a concert. It’s more personal,” Anderson says.
Charlie Dahan used to book appearances for artists like Annalise Emerick. He now teaches music management courses at Middle Tennessee State University. He says house concerts are gaining in popularity, but can be financially risky for artists.
“Most house concerts don’t pay guarantees, he explains. “You have no assurity of how much money you’re going to make. In fact, most house concerts by law are not allowed to charge admission. Most of them can only do a suggested donation.”
On the other hand, Dahan says house concerts can fill empty dates on an artist’s calendar and help build a loyal following.
Annalise Emerick says she’s played in some homes so often her hosts have become close friends. She even considers some to be family.
“They always say ‘Our door is open if you’re traveling through and you need a place to stay,’ in Virginia or Maryland or wherever you are. So that’s been really nice too, cause these people are just good people who love music," Emerick concludes.
Not every house concert goes quite as planned, according to Emerick. She recently booked one in Idaho. It turned out the home was in a nudist colony.