We are excited to have you as a CouchConcert artist. A CouchConcert is a private show in a host's home or other private area. A CouchConcert typically has 20-30 attendees, and you will be expected to perform for an hour. Guests will be expected to make a donation through the CouchConcert mobile App to attend. They will also be encouraged to donate to you directly at the end of your performance. We aim to create an intimate concert experience for guests while helping artists make money.

The CouchConcert format is carefully designed to cultivate a consistently intimate experience for both artists and guests, deliberately avoiding the role of background music for parties. The establishment of an intimate "listening room" significantly enhances the overall experience for artists and attendees alike. The well-organized format also ensures that hosting an event is a straightforward and stress-free endeavor.

Key features of a CouchConcert event encompass:

• Ensuring that all attendees are comfortably seated around the artist.

• Setting the tone at the beginning of the event by requesting guests to keep conversations to a minimum (suggesting the use of another area for more extensive discussions).

• Adhering to a structured schedule, with the performance beginning 30 minutes after the doors open and guests departing within 30 to 60 minutes post-performance.

• Discouraging late arrivals after the performance has started to maintain the event's flow.

• Host actively promoting donations and encouraging attendees to engage in post-event conversations with the artists.

We have put together a few guidelines to help ensure the event is successful.

Preparing for an Event

The hosts are in the driver's seat to create an event. If they want you to perform, you will receive a request from a host in the CouchConcert App. Review the request, and you can message back and forth with the host within the app and agree on a date, minimum attendance, etc. Once you agree, you can confirm the event, and the host can invite people. You are welcome to provide the host your email and phone number or you can just coordinate within the app. We will not give your contact information to the host or guests.

There is also an option for Artists to self-host an event. This could be at your home or a friend’s house or private area. When you self-host you are taking he burden off the host to organize and ensure attendance. A great way to get traction quickly with CouchConcert is for you to recruit a few fans or family members to host your first couple of events.

If you are traveling and want to be proactive in finding a host, you can use the app to request a host for a specific time frame in a specified city. Your request will be published to all the hosts in that area.

The host controls the invitation list but has options to configure the event such that artists or other guests to invite people as well.

The event will typically be for 20-30 people. The attendees will be requested to make a donation when the RSVP for the event (default is $20). On the Monday following the event, the donations will be sent to you. Guests will also be encouraged to donate after the event and purchase merchandise.

A week before the event, if the minimum attendance level has yet to be reached, you should discuss with the host whether you want to continue with a smaller audience or cancel the event.

Day of the event

The following is a typical timeline for an event that starts at 7:00 PM.

6:00 Artist arrives, sets up, and discusses logistics with the host.

7:00 Guests arrive and mingle with the artist and other guests

7:30 Show Begins

8:30 Show Ends artist moves to the merch table

9:00 Guest leave

It is essential to stick to the event timeline. Five minutes before the performance, the host or a designee will go around to hand out the program and encourage guests to move to their seats. The host will provide a donation container and place it in front of where you will be performing.

At the event's start, the host will briefly introduce you and encourage the audience to silence their phones and discourage talking and distractions. Please provide the host with some information you would like to include in the introduction.

As you finish your last song, the host will stand up and thank everyone for coming. The host will pick up the donation box and remind people this is a donation-based event.

At this point, you should move quickly to the merch table. This will give the guests a chance to stop by and say thank you and encourage them to buy some of your merchandise.

After the Event

After the event, a small but significant step is for you to rate the host. The rating is just four of five questions and a spot to give the artist a specific comment. Your feedback will help ensure we are only hosting events at suitable venues. Sending the host a quick thank you note after the event is always a good idea.

You can extract the attendees' contact information from the system. It would be great to email them all, thanking them for attending.

Guidelines for a successful event

• The host volunteers their home and time to create this opportunity for you. When preparing for the concert, when responding to them is crucial to be prompt, appreciative, and professional.

• The host will send occasional emails to encourage people to attend and keep them excited about the concert. It would be beneficial if you sent the host a few items they can send to their guest list. These can be short bios, funny stories, song links, or videos. Include anything that will pique the guest's interest.

• Create a simple one-page program for the event. Make enough copies for all the guests and give them to the host to pass out to the guest just before the performance.

• Bring merchandise to sell after the show. The host will provide a table to display your merchandise.

• Plan to arrive at the concert an hour before the guests. Be prompt and be prepared. Have all the necessary equipment and coordinate any special requirements with your host ahead of time. Have a light meal before you show up.

• Help the host create an area to allow all the guests to be seated close together directly in front of where you will perform.

• When the guests arrive, make yourself approachable and invest time in meeting and getting to know them.

• Ensure the sound system and any PA equipment (if needed) are appropriate for the space. You want everyone to be able to hear, but it should not be too loud. Even if the event is outside, you want to keep people close enough to create an intimate atmosphere. Loud music can diminish the quality of the event.

• Perform for the allotted time and resist the temptation to go over.

• Make it easy for your guests to donate or buy items with credit cards, Venmo, etc.

• Thank all the guests for attending.

Artist Payment and Platform Fee

Any donations or merchandise sales from the event go directly from guests to artists. The guests donate for their ticket in the CouchConcert application when they RSVP for the event. This money is transferred to the artist on Monday following the completion of the event. To perform and receives payment the artists must have a CouchConcert account in good standing in accordance with CouchConcert terms of service. The artists must have provided CouchConcert with a preferred method of payment. CouchConcert currently supports Venmo, Cash App, and Zelle.

Once the event is completed the artist is required to fill out a short event survey. The artists donations will be paid the Monday after the performance and survey are completed.

CouchConcert charges guests a platform fee of $2-$4 per ticket. This amount is subject to change and will occasionally be discounted for special events.

What is a Host Guaranteed Event?

For normal CouchConcert events the guests make donations when they RSVP and this money goes to the artist. For Host Guaranteed events, guests are invited on the platform, but not requested to make a donation on the platform. The Host can choose to pay the artist entirely themselves or guarantee a minimum income for the artist. In the latter case the guests would be expected to make donations during the event. If the donations fall short of the minimum, the host would cover the balance. The guaranteed amount is equal to the recommended donation (typically $20) times the minimum number of attendees typically 20.

We encourage hosts to have guests purchase tickets as opposed to setting up host funded events. Typically, artists will make more money from the combination of ticket RSVP donations and donations at the event.

Why does CouchConcert have a service fee?

We rely on fees to help CouchConcert run smoothly and cover the costs of the services to help artists book performances including:

• Customer Support

• Platform Development and Operational cost

• Marketing to guests, hosts, and artists

• Education for hosts and artists.