Photos by Leroy Schulz.
Who says you need a full-size concert hall to present live musical acts? Mini music moguls like Canada's 7 Street Lofts are serving up cozy concerts in a surprising new choice of venue—their own homes. Located in the warehouse district of downtown Edmonton, Alberta, 7 Street Lofts hosts small performance concerts on Friday nights up to 8 times per year in an intimate space that holds just 35 guests—some seated, others mingling around the kitchen island.
Admission is by reservation only and is negotiated via email. Events are promoted via MySpace, so fans can log on at their convenience to see what acts are coming up and to get further details about events. There's a suggested donation of CAD 15-20, and guests are urged to bring an additional CAD 20 or so to purchase CDs, when available, to further support the artists. Once expenses for hosting the event are paid, all proceeds go directly to the performers, so the loft concerts obviously aren't profitable in and of themselves. However, the notoriety of hosting such exclusive events might build a nice reputation for music-loving entrepreneurs in any region who want to get in on their local music scenes.
Similar to the Polish ‘home theatre’ concept we featured early last year, loft concerts feed into—and market via—customers' need for intimacy. They also create an accessible stage for a new generation of artists who skilfully promote themselves and their concerts through their own websites, blogs and MySpace pages. And though small-scale is the name of the game here, if this trend continues, one might wonder if there be opportunities to partner with some big name sponsors? How about MySpace, for starters?
Website: www.myspace.com/7streetlofts
Contact: loftconcert@gmail.com
Spotted by: Tracy Hyatt
First, I wanted to say I love the site! I read it when ever it shows up in my feed. Just wanted to let you know you can use the myspace URL http://www.myspace.com/7streetlofts just to make it shorter.
Keep up the good work!
Of course! Duh... Thanks, Cecil!
the in-house concert is a bit of a folk music tradition. For example, Canadian singer-songwriter Craig Cardiff does "living room" shows on top of his normal touring schedule. more here: http://www.craigcardiff.org/loveofmusic/node/245
Gosh! Now I understand why my email has been flooded for the last few days.
Thank you Springwise for showcasing our little hobby. It's fun and different.
best,
Stephen
From a musician's perspective these shows are fantastic! The contract is informal but clear and upfront - you know that you are going to be paid for your hard work. It also provides the opportunity to really mingle with music fans. Building relationships is extremely important for an indie artist and it's nice to know that, not only will fans be able to actually hear your music in a quiet setting, but that they can easily approach you and get to know the artist behind the music. These shows are more than supporting the music - they build real communities!