Thoughts on "Open Mic" nights?

[RedJoker]

I'm always on the fence with these kinds of posts. On one hand, I want to support performers. On the other hand when people start talking about pay, they are talking about music as a business. In that case, they have to face supply and demand, just like every other business. In the meantime, I'll keep playing open mics for fun, fundraisers for the causes I support and the occasional gig to feed the hobby.

[CoffeeFan]

Our open mics here in town generally attract people who also play paid gigs around town. I live in a tourist town, and it's a good way for performers to attract people to their shows in other venues that they may not have been aware of...

[619TF]

Originally Posted by ChrisE

Open mics are good for new performers trying to get comfortable performing in front of people. I participated in a few when I first started trying to play out about 5 years ago.

I’d say open mics are good for new performers, but they’re definitely not great entertainment by any means.

These are my thoughts on Open Mic nights as well. Nobody is forcing people to play (or attend) these. You want to get paid? Play out at places that pay. You want to simply test your playing skills and courage? Go do an open mic.

[PorkPieGuy]

I went to one at a coffee shop that some friends of mine owned probably about 15 years ago or so. The first night, the turnout was pretty good. This is a small town, so lots of very novice talent (but who cares because they were having fun). Within a month, the only person who would show up was this middle-aged stoner guy who was awful, but he would sit up and there and play as long as anyone would let him.

[Mandobart]

I grew up playing and performing music. I chose to pursue other career options as an adult. I always continued to play music for my own enjoyment. A little over 10 years ago a friend asked me to play a local open mic with him for his birthday. It was fun - we practiced and prepared and we sounded good. The open mic host asked me to sit in with his band. I ended up playing gigs with him and his band for the next 5 years. Open mics started taking off in our area, and I attended and hosted several. I made some friends and networked with many local musicians. After a while, I noticed most people weren't doing anything new; weren't interested in growing or learning. I heard everything every local muso had to offer, and I got bored.

I also saw too much of the "open mic karaoke" described earlier. There was a set of"performers" who just plain needed to be on-stage to play rock/folk/country star. They brought friends/family along to take up seats, drink water, cheer their star and promptly leave as soon as starboy was done. So I don't attend any open mics anymore. For the first time in years I'm not even hosting the open mic stage at our local folk festival this weekend - I'm heading out of town for a bluegrass festival.

[patrickgm60]

Originally Posted by fazool

Too late.

Sorry (not sorry), but I found your entire post egotistical and derogatory toward beginners.

+1. And we all know the mechanic/dentist/lawyer/accountant comparison is false. Music is entertainment and virtually none of us would do any gigging for the compensation we received if we, the entertainers, didn't also enjoy it.

[CoffeeFan]

Originally Posted by 619TF

You want to simply test your playing skills and courage? Go do an open mic.

I know plenty of gigging (read "paid") musicians who use open mic nights to run through new material they're thinking of adding. It's not a lot unlike a comedian like Jay Leno, when he was doing stand-up, testing out some new material. I caught Robin Williams in a comedy club in San Diego doing that, long after he'd become a mega-star.

[Don Lampson]

Originally Posted by AuntieDiluvian

I have seen a trend locally over the past couple of years that has me concerned. Several of the local venues have abandoned booking bands, and are holding "open mic nights" instead. These bars aren't my normal clientele anyway (they never did pay enough for my groups, and they had traditionally been good venues for new groups and garage bands), but it got my attention when a couple of friends asked if I would come join them and play a few tunes. These guys mostly don't play any real paying gigs, so they just see it as a fun time with buddies drinking beer and don't give it a second thought.

From my perspective, it is a matter of the bar trying to get free "entertainment", knowing that the 10 guys who all show up to hack their way through a half-dozen covers each bring a couple of friends and buy a few beers. I get it, and can see why the bar would do it as long as they can put people on stools with glasses in hand. I can also see why these guys who have no interest in putting together a polished performance group would enjoy this sort of evening - call it "karaoke with guitars". All good, I guess, except for the loss of a few paid evenings for the local garage bands.

That said, it rubbed me wrong when a singer friend asked if I would come sit in "to help raise the bar on stage and put on a good show". From my perspective, why would I go "put on a good show" for nothing when I am already booked with paying gigs for the next 8-9 months? If the venue owner wants to "raise the bar", I am perfectly willing to accept a paying gig there - and I'd host the first set as open mic if they would like me to....but not as a freebie. I'm pretty certain that my buddy honestly just wants to have me help him sound better on his stuff, and has no reason to have considered it from my perspective. I still feel that we (musicians) shouldn't be supporting a "give-away" to a bar that isn't booking acts and paying them.

If the bar did open mic nights mid-week, then booked bands on the weekend, I would probably feel differently....but they don't.

Am I being unreasonable in viewing it this way? Any thoughts on how to respond to this sort of request and politely decline without coming across like a jerk?

Yes indeed, you are being unreasonable to look down your nose at open mikes, the folks who enjoy them, and the venues that hold them - Especially, since you are far too busy with your professional career that you are turning down other paying gigs anyway?

Don

[AuntieDiluvian]

Originally Posted by Don Lampson

Yes indeed, you are being unreasonable to look down your nose at open mikes, the folks who enjoy them, and the venues that hold them - Especially, since you are far too busy with your professional career that you are turning down other paying gigs anyway?

Don

I think you missed my point. I'm not "looking down my nose" at open mics or the people who attend them at all - there is certainly a place for them in the community and they can be a good venue for casual players, new players, and performers who want to try out new material (as noted above). What bugs me is the venue exclusively doing open mics, advertising live music, and never paying anyone to play.

[Murphy Slaw]

Freedom would be a venues choice to offer an open mic.

A musicians choice to play there for free.

An audience choice to watch it.

I'm for Freedom.

Who could be against that?

[MikeBmusic]

Decent bars/clubs PAY the open mic hosts to run the open mics - typically the same amount (or a little more) that a solo performer would get on those nights. So the bar is not getting FREE entertainment. They ARE hoping for more patrons than if they had a solo player - the players who come to the open mic and maybe some of them bring a friend or relative, too.

Of course there are exceptions - a local coffee shop (not 'coffee house', there is a difference in the Northeast) has 'guest' hosts come in every week to host their open mic - a Saturday night when otherwise they would close early - and the 'pay' to the host is free coffee and a bite to eat. This place has its own PA system, so the host just needs to come in, and plug people in, adjust the sound as needed. People keep saying 'ok' and doing it. When you work for free, you have set your own standard.

A nearby bar that has an open mic every week (2 alternating hosts), just decided last week that when the scheduled host cannot run the open mic, they are only going to pay half price to the substitute (arranged by the host that can't make it). I turned a night down, as did another person. Sorry, I'm not hauling a full PA system, working 3-1/2 hours (and running an open mic IS work!) for sub-par money. Unfortunately, there are others around who will take the job.

[Mr. Jelly]

One thing I like about open mics is that I "may" show up one day and play a couple of tunes. Or not.

[ThermiteTermite]

Originally Posted by MikeBmusic

Unfortunately, there are others around who will take the job.

The quote above is an excellent summation of the thread.

Maybe a sense of proportion is called for.

It bugs the OP that a venue went to open mike.

It would bug the venue owner exponentially more if he/she did not go to open mike and went out of business/lost an investment as a result.

Unless of course the OP has put up an investment in the business as well.

We all learn to live with things that bug us.

[ThermiteTermite]

This whole thing reminds me of something I heard Donald Fagen say on an NPR interview some 20 years ago...

The interviewer read some lyrics to Fagen from his latest solo album:

Interviewer- 'A virus wearing pumps and pearls..' - that's a little misogynistic, don't you think?'

Fagen- 'Hey, if you don't like it, you can always make your own album..'

[AuntieDiluvian]

Originally Posted by ThermiteTermite

This whole thing reminds me of something I heard Donald Fagen say on an NPR interview some 20 years ago...

The interviewer read some lyrics to Fagen from his latest solo album:

Interviewer- 'A virus wearing pumps and pearls..' - that's a little misogynistic, don't you think?'

Fagen- 'Hey, if you don't like it, you can always make your own album..'

OK, I think you win the thread.