Open Mic Questions?

[Mike4mus6]

Great suggestions…one and all.

Been doing open mics for only 4 years, however, one thing that really works well is a “tip jar”.

Our open mic is at a nice Mexican restaurant so there are always diners enjoying Sunday lunch or recently the owner has a vast buffet for $35.
The open mic participants get buffet for $17.50.

Back to the “tip jar”. Since this open mic is established, all of the musicians know to show their appreciation by tipping (along with big applause).
At the end of the afternoon, everyone who signed up, played, and remained till the end gets a chance to take home the contents of the tip jar. Open mic host uses one of those number generators and that is it!

Funny thing is about half way through one of the more accomplished performers will get on the mic to remind the diners that there is a tip jar and if you like the music, put money in the tip jar….and if you don’t like the music, put money in the tip jar.

All in all it works out well. The take is anywhere from $30 to $100 depending on size that particular day.

[fpuhan]

FWIW, I belong to a club that has run a weekly open mic night for 38 years, so they (we) must be doing something right. We have only a few rules.

• The venue where we hold the open mic night (a restaurant) expects us to be done by 9:45pm. We start the music at 7:15.
• We have a sign-up board divided in half. First come, first served.
• People who performed the prior week must wait until 7:00pm to add their names in order to give an opportunity to all.
• Each performer is given eight minutes.* When they hit the stage the timer starts. So, make sure you're in tune and have all your other material ready, because it all counts against your time. You are given a moment or two to plug in, arrange your song sheets, etc. Tuning counts against your performance time.
• You are expected to be done when the timer goes off (duh).
• There is no charge to attend. There is a basket where one is requested to put a dollar in. Memberships are available, and they allow for certain benefits.**
• If the EmCee is performing, he/she is not allowed to introduce themself. Another member will perform the task.
• Above all, the EmCee announces right at the beginning that it is a LISTENING club. Conversations should be limited to muted discussions with your meal server. Turn off that idiot phone!

Members of the club do all the setup and takedown. It's all voluntary, but many of the hands have been doing it for decades. The venue is a restaurant, but there is no requirement to dine (but the food is terrific, and not costly).

* There is a calendar of events, and some nights are "special." Once a month there is a "showcase" performance that occurs just before the halftime break. Showcase artists get the equivalent of three slots (24 minutes). Only paid up members who have not performed a showcase are eligible, and a drawing is held by the current performer to select the showcase for the next month. If the month has a fifth week on which performance day falls, that day is an "unplugged" night - no mics, no PA, no sound system.

** On occasion, guest artists will appear to perform a concert. Usually, there is a brief open mic followed then by the performance. Members get a reduced ticket price (tickets are required for concerts). The most expensive ticket I've paid (as a member) is $18.

I should like to reinforce the last item on the list. Ensuring that the audience is there to LISTEN is what makes it all work, in my opinion. Not everone performs, but every performer -- experienced or not -- is given full attention, and applause when they are done. Not everyone is a pro. Those who stand in front of a crowd a bare it all (muffs, forgotten lyrics, broken strings, etc.) are to be thanked.

[Mandobart]

Re-posted from this thread 7 years ago:


This is is actually from a manifesto I wrote called "Open Mic Rant" so how can I resist posting it here. This is a result of my experience in open mic and jam settings, both as a host and performer:

For Hosts:
1. The host is paid to host. Not drink at the bar all night, or smoke a bowl in the parking lot, etc. When the host abandons his post, the whole things starts to fall apart.

2. Good hosts keep and follow a list. Don't cave to the guy who shows up late with a sob story about how early he has to get up and can he please let you up next.

3. Enforce some kind of limits; 3 songs or 15 minutes (including setup/breakdown). And be ready to gaffe the stage hog off.

4. Help the raw newbies get plugged in, show them how to use the mic, etc.

5. At least try to make the mix sound decent for each act, but explain to them you are not their dedicated sound guy. Sound checks are part of the total time allowed each act.


For players:
1. Don’t leave as soon as you finish playing! This is the biggest, most common offense. Nothing is worse than those that leave as soon as they're done. It doesn't support the other players at all. How would you like to be the last guy at the end of the night playing to an empty house?

2. Finish what you start! Nothing is worse for an audience or other players for you to start, stop, start again, etc. Cut it short if you must, but finish!

3. You may be a great player/singer/etc. Don't climb up on stage to join another player (or noodle along in the audience) unless you're invited.

4. Get your act together before you go up. Don't discover when you're up there that you have no chord. Or your pre-amp battery is dead. Or you lost/forgot your pick. Or you have no idea what you're going to play. For God's sake, tune before you go up!

5. Play, don't banter with the audience. Yeah we all know its great to be here and be sure and tip the help. Now let's hear a tune. Banter with the crowd is the host's job.

6. Skip the endless sound check. Get it good enough and play. Enough with the "check-check-checking" the mic. That mic worked just fine for the past three performers before you. I'll bet it still works.

7. The venue owner has provided you with a host, a stage, a sound system and an audience. The least you can do is buy a couple drinks or an appetizer. Same for any “fans” you bring in tow. Sipping water at a table all night means the club owner is losing money after paying his bills and soon there’ll be no more open mic there.

8. Don't play the same song(s) every time. Don't play what everyone else is playing.

I'm always open to new suggestions as well.

[Robin, Wales]

I thought that I'd drop this video into the conversation because it has everything that we are "told" doesn't work. Single stage mic' (which I think is the essence of an open mic'). Hard wall behind. 2 x Bose column array. Small guitar with light strings capo'd up high - not plugged in. Free entry open door policy leading to a well inebriated Friday night barroom audience!!!

Yet my good friend Nick Broster pulls it off - it was the first time he had played this song live. This is what an open mic' is all about!

PS - you can hear how much stage sound "lift" the single mic' is giving because it was switched off after his song when he introduces the next act.

[Mbroady]

This might not work for every venue but
When I ran open mics back in NYC the system I found that works best for the players, the venue, and for me was

1) The open mic ran for 2 hours. Any more and you get fatigued.
2) Each player had 2 songs which would not run more than ten ten minutes…no exceptions (Lights would slowly dim at ten minutes then the sound gets slowly lowered). This was enthusiastically supported and became a thing…
3) Tune up (away from the stage) prior to your performance
4) One drink/item minimum (it is a business)
5) This is a listening area, socialize away from the music.
4) for sign up, everyone puts there name in the hat and names are pulled out three at a time. This way no one knew when they would have played. This kept (more) folks in the audience, as well as created a fair system so the early birds would not always get the prime spots.

I also tried to instill a supportive environment where, even if you got an early spot you should stick around so other folks would have an audience.

Some folks did not buy into this system but after a short time these open mics became a place to hang out, not just an open mic.

[Big Band Guitar]

All open mikes around here start out ok but tend to fall into the same few attendees doing the same few songs.

There was one where a 5 piece "band" would have each one of it's members sign up for 3 songs. An hour and a half later they were still on. I you arrived at the sign in time there would already be 20 or more names on the list but only 10 people there.

My point is rules need to be enforced so everyone gets a chance to be a "star" for a few moments.

Needless to say I rarely attend open mikes, I get my musical itch scratched with the big band and a few open jams and sing alongs.

[Dave Hicks]

Originally Posted by fpuhan

FWIW, I belong to a club that has run a weekly open mic night for 38 years, so they (we) must be doing something right. We have only a few rules.

• The venue where we hold the open mic night (a restaurant) expects us to be done by 9:45pm. We start the music at 7:15.
• We have a sign-up board divided in half. First come, first served.
• People who performed the prior week must wait until 7:00pm to add their names in order to give an opportunity to all.
• Each performer is given eight minutes.* When they hit the stage the timer starts. So, make sure you're in tune and have all your other material ready, because it all counts against your time. You are given a moment or two to plug in, arrange your song sheets, etc. Tuning counts against your performance time.
• You are expected to be done when the timer goes off (duh).
• There is no charge to attend. There is a basket where one is requested to put a dollar in. Memberships are available, and they allow for certain benefits.**
• If the EmCee is performing, he/she is not allowed to introduce themself. Another member will perform the task.
• Above all, the EmCee announces right at the beginning that it is a LISTENING club. Conversations should be limited to muted discussions with your meal server. Turn off that idiot phone!

Members of the club do all the setup and takedown. It's all voluntary, but many of the hands have been doing it for decades. The venue is a restaurant, but there is no requirement to dine (but the food is terrific, and not costly).

* There is a calendar of events, and some nights are "special." Once a month there is a "showcase" performance that occurs just before the halftime break. Showcase artists get the equivalent of three slots (24 minutes). Only paid up members who have not performed a showcase are eligible, and a drawing is held by the current performer to select the showcase for the next month. If the month has a fifth week on which performance day falls, that day is an "unplugged" night - no mics, no PA, no sound system.

** On occasion, guest artists will appear to perform a concert. Usually, there is a brief open mic followed then by the performance. Members get a reduced ticket price (tickets are required for concerts). The most expensive ticket I've paid (as a member) is $18.

I should like to reinforce the last item on the list. Ensuring that the audience is there to LISTEN is what makes it all work, in my opinion. Not everone performs, but every performer -- experienced or not -- is given full attention, and applause when they are done. Not everyone is a pro. Those who stand in front of a crowd a bare it all (muffs, forgotten lyrics, broken strings, etc.) are to be thanked.

A listening room? That sounds lovely! We're going to one tonight, and I usually have to go the unoccupied room next door to hear the PA.

D.H.

[Dave Hicks]

Originally Posted by fpuhan

...
[*]Above all, the EmCee announces right at the beginning that it is a LISTENING club. Conversations should be limited to muted discussions with your meal server. Turn off that idiot phone!...

I should like to reinforce the last item on the list. Ensuring that the audience is there to LISTEN is what makes it all work, in my opinion. Not everone performs, but every performer -- experienced or not -- is given full attention, and applause when they are done. Not everyone is a pro. Those who stand in front of a crowd a bare it all (muffs, forgotten lyrics, broken strings, etc.) are to be thanked.

A listening room? That sounds lovely! We're going to one tonight, and I usually have to go the unoccupied room next door to hear the PA.

D.H.

[Al Acuff]

One thing that will raise your open mic to the next level is a good stage monitor for the performers. Either a floor wedge or a spot monitor will work. If your open mic acts can hear themselves well they will play better and enjoy the experience more. They'll come back and bring their friends.

[Dave Hicks]

Originally Posted by Al Acuff

One thing that will raise your open mic to the next level is a good stage monitor for the performers. Either a floor wedge or a spot monitor will work. If your open mic acts can hear themselves well they will play better and enjoy the experience more. They'll come back and bring their friends.

We go to two OMs. One is at Sweetwater and they have good monitors.

The other's at a small bar, and there are no monitors. The sound is usually good out in the room, and terrible on stage (just from the mains, which off to the side), so you have to take it on faith that you sound OK when you're up

D.H.

[L20A]

Thanks again for all of your answers to my questions.

As far as a PA system goes, we are covered, including monitor.

The biggest thing that needs to be solidified now is a Host that is willing to be there every time we have an Open Mic.

I think that may be covered though.

Thanks again everyone.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by L20A

The Acoustic Forum Rocks once again!

Thank you all for your great ideas and suggestions.

I really like the idea of a single Condenser Mic and small PA speaker.
We already have that available.

The venue already hosts weekend concerts where performers bring their own sound system with them.

The idea of an open mic night just seams like a natural fit here.

If you use a condenser mic, be sure to tell every performer how to use it. Every performer.

If you set it up to capture several people at once and a soloist goes to use it, the soloist might get too close and blow out everyone's eardrums without realizing it. I've seen it happen. Not pretty.

(It's another reason not to amplify if you don't really need it.)

[frankmcr]

Lots of good advice, I would just add:

Have a printout stating the rules. Give a copy to everyone who asks about performing. Maybe have copies around in a neat tidy dispenser for people to pick up & study.

Have the host be there when it's signup time, & have the host chat briefly (as needed) with everyone who signs up, just to make sure everybody's on the same page.

Some things are matters of etiquette among the performers. For example the people who leave as soon as their performance is over. That's not the host's problem to deal with. The tip bucket (if there is one) gets split at the end of the open mike session among whoever is still there.

Based on many years attending open mikes in Chicago and NYC.

[Mobilemike]

Being host to an open mic is a skill in itself as well. The very best hosts I’ve seen are encouraging and attentive and genuinely want to build up each performer.

They are able and willing to jump in and help out or back up a performer if the performer asks, but are humble enough never to force themselves into a situation where they aren’t expressly invited.

They are funny and engaging, and capable of filling any “dead air” with jokes or tunes of their own, but are perfectly happy to let each performer have their moment to themselves when it’s their turn.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by L20A

I have a local Ice Cream Shop that hires musicians on the weekends.

If they were to expand and start an Open Mic on a week night, what would be some ground rules for musicians to follow?

What if a lot of the people that try to do the Open Mic are not very good?
How do you make an open Mic a great event?

What type of sound system is needed?

What is working for your Open Mic Nights?

In order:

• Strict time and/or number-of-songs limit; no age restrictions (an ice cream shop is the perfect place for talented kids to get some stage time, and a Friday night would be ideal since there's no school the next day); family-friendly material (G-/PG-rated and non-political: again, this is an ice cream shop - not the Dirty Dog Saloon or Mother Gaia's Organic Tea Room and Neighborhood Collective); electric instruments and/or compact percussion OK but SPL limits will be in place - those little 5-10 watt tube combos (or a preamp/multi-effects pedal DI'd to house) and electric drums are just the ticket here
• It happens - everybody has to start somewhere - but if the host can maintain a low-key, supportive atmosphere it goes a long way in making all parties feel at home
• See above responses
• A "box" type powered mixer with 8-12 channels and a pair of two- or three-way speakers with 12" or 15" woofers (FYI the big-box stores run specials on packages of this type every Holiday Sale/Coupon Day); SM58's (rugged, reliable, and sonically consistent - they've become the industry standard with good reason); speaker stands; passive direct boxes; cables (XLR, speaker, 1/4" - in multiples of each) - IME if the speakers are properly positioned, sound levels are reasonable, and the sound tech knows his/her stuff, monitors are unnecessary in a small- to mid-size venue
• There was a local place where I live that met just about all the aforementioned criteria, and was extremely popular until the lockdown put an end to things - between that and most of the suggestions above I'm sure you'll find a combination that meets your specific needs...