Exactly what a live Homesong is, and how it can work, is not set in stone. It’s a work in progress. I’ve said all along that a Homesong gig, fundamentally,  is a very simple thing. And that’s true. 

It started with me (or I imagine, with any of the other folk round the world who have hosted home gigs) inviting a guest performer to our house, setting a date, and inviting a few local friends and neighbours. Everybody comes along hopefully, the artist plays and the folk who come donated generously, via “The Busking Box”  to the performer. We’ve avoided tickets. 

It’s always worked...each gig has had it's own magic... and everybody has gone home happy. 

But there is one particularly dilemma that I’m trying to sort out as I plan for the first home gigs, where I live, possibly in August.  

In the many previous gigs we’ve had, and because of the “no ticket” thing, I could never be sure the size of audience that was going to turn up. That was a stress for me and the other hosts I've got on board. Especially as most performers were travelling down from a good distance away. 

The performers themselves came in good faith. And I know that they have always got a lot out of it. When few people turned up, the audience tended to donate even more generously. And an audience who actually WANTS to hear original songs, is a blessing for any songwriter. 

But…. I do want to find a way of avoiding the dilemma of too much uncertainty. Currently I’m looking for a method of getting a minimum amount of donations (almost like a crowd-funder) ahead of time for each gig. 

It needs to be a simple, replicable model, which works, if there is to be a realistic hope of building a network of gigs in homes. Which is my dream, anyhow, as you may know. 

Isolated gigs like the ones we’ve got going in Kintyre are great, and they are something very special. I just think  it would be a lot better if they were everywhere.  I want other music loving folk with houses to say, “I could do that”.  Or even better "I want to do that!". And I would like to help them with support and advice. 

Anyway, I’m ALWAYS up for constructive suggestions, so feel free to share in the comments, or via email at contact@homesong.co.uk.