From Greenwich Village folk rooms to Brooklyn loft shows, New York has always turned living rooms into stages. A house concert brings that intimacy home - an unforgettable evening with a handpicked musician playing just for you and your guests, in your own apartment, brownstone or backyard. No cover charge, no two-drink minimum, no late train home. Discover talented US-based artists up close before they're playing the big rooms.
Find artists in New YorkFew cities have put more small rooms into music history. The Greenwich Village coffeehouses - Cafe Wha?, Gerde's Folk City - turned a handful of living rooms and basements into the centre of American songwriting. Harlem shaped jazz over generations, and Brooklyn picked up the thread: Williamsburg, Bushwick and Greenpoint built a loft-show culture where an apartment floor becomes a venue for one night and a word-of-mouth crowd fills it.
That tradition never really left, which is why the living-room show feels native here rather than novel. New Yorkers are used to hosting in small spaces, audiences know how to listen closely, and touring artists pass through constantly looking for exactly this kind of room. Whether it is a walk-up in Queens, a brownstone parlor in Brooklyn or a rooftop in summer, a house concert in New York asks very little of you and gives a great deal back.
A living room concert is exactly what it sounds like: a professional musician plays a full set in a private home, for an audience the host has invited. You will see the same thing called a house concert, a house show or - because of where we started - a SofaConcert. They all mean the same evening.
There is no stage, no ticket desk and no support act. A typical concert in New York runs 60 to 90 minutes, often split into two sets with a break, in front of anywhere from 15 to 50 guests. Most take place in a brownstone parlor, a walk-up living room or a rooftop in summer. The artist brings whatever they need; you provide the room and the people.
Everything you need to plan, folded into the order you'll actually do it.
Pick a date and a room - thirty people fit a living room more easily than you'd think. Then browse the artist list for a singer-songwriter, duo or band.
Send as many free inquiries as you like. Each artist replies with a non-binding offer, so you can weigh up a few before choosing. Settle the scope in writing in the booking system - that written record is what the contract is based on.
Confirming creates the contract and reserves your date. You deposit the fee plus the booking fee, which is held in trust and only released to the artist after the concert. You then get their contact details to sort out the last bits.
Browse New York and East Coast acts, send free inquiries and book the one that fits your evening.
A few of the acts playing around New York.
List your space for free and touring artists apply to play your living room. You pick whoever you like the sound of, and you're never obliged to say yes - here is what hosting involves.
You would be joining people all over Europe who open their doors a few times a year and have turned their living room into somebody's favorite venue.
Some of the most recent spaces to join.
The choice can feel overwhelming. Don't worry - we'll help you.
Tell us the details of your concert and any particular wishes, and we'll do the rest.