My last blog posting about having to cancel a gig has brought up the subject of open-mic nights and it has made me realise how strongly I feel that these are often used as an excuse for getting a lot of cheap entertainment and are an exploitation of the talents of the musicians who play at them. Very often they are also a valuable stepping stone for new talent and can lead on to professional engagements for them.
My concern is in sorting the good ones from the bad and encouraging the boycotting of those who just use them as a way of boosting the bar takings of the venue.
When I was starting up, many years ago now, there were no such things as open-mic nights but we did have the local folk clubs where, as well as the main guest, there would be an opportunity to perform two or three songs as a "floor spot". This was a way of gaining both experience in front of an audience and the exposure that you needed if you were going to get noticed. So this sort of thing is definitely needed, the question is how it should be run.
I'd be really interested to hear what experiences people have had with open-mic nights, how they may have helped or how they may have taken advantage.
If you know of good open-mic sessions that help and encourage new talent let me know and maybe we could put together a list. Also if you know of any that exploit and abuse, name them (together with details of how they use) and a similar list could also be put together.
Without making you trawl through the original dispute I have copied some relevant parts from that discussion below.
1. From the promoter
When the (original venue) folded on the very basis that we were accused (quite wrongly) of paying a cover band against the principles that were set when we started the amateur enterprise in June 2007, I made it clear that nobody could be paid at The new venue apart for travelling expenses and that was the take it or leave it choice. The budget that I currently have to run the Sessions is less than £50.
2. From meYou say that the budget you currently have to run the gigs l is less than fifty pounds. If that is the case you should stop running them now. The owners/management of that establishment are taking the p***. They are getting three acts per night, each of those acts will be bringing in a number of their friends/fans who will all be spending money at the bar while the musicians (the reason the bar is taking extra money) are getting sweet FA. Venues like that should be black-listed by the Musicians Union and it's members. They are exploiting the talents of those who deserve to be treated with more respect.
You say that local musicians in your areadeserve more than just pub outlets but this is just another pub outlet - the only difference is they are getting it for peanuts whilst other pubs in in the area, are paying decent money and the owners there do more to promote live music in a way that is not background pub entertainment but is an actual show, than most pubs in the whole of Britain. If you really want to help local musicians find something that isn't just another pub outlet, book a venue where you can have a private room and charge people to come in. That way the people who come will be those who want to listen to the music and the artists can take a share of the door takings. Hold a raffle at each gig to boost the funds, a bit like the old folk-clubs used to do (and still do in some cases). You say it makes you feel like you want to wind it up - my advice to you then is to wind it up, certainly at the venue you are now at who are just cashing in on your enthusiasm fo music, and set something else up which shows appreciation in a practical way. You won't find any of the bar staff at these places working for free!
Again, I want to stress that in no way am I accusing you of ripping me or anyone else off. In fact I think you are one of those who are being ripped off. I think your intentions are good, but you are being used to boost the profits of the venue, and in turn the musicians that you are trying to help are being used.
The more venues get cheap/free entertainment, the more decent paying venues are going to decide to call it a day. Why should they pay out hundreds of pounds when the pub next door is only paying £50 for three acts?
It is also the responsibility of promoters and musicians to have nothing to do with these venues.
An open-mic night should be a place for new talent to have the opportunity to sing 2 or 3 songs and no more, in order to show what they can do and to gain performance experience and hopefully impress the venue that they are offered a proper booking there.
The Uplands Tavern, in Swansea is a venue that holds both an acoustic open-mic night and a new bands night. Many people who have played at these sessions and have shown that they have talent have gone on to be booked for a regular music night and have been paid the same rate that every other pro act gets there. This is how it should be done.
If the open mic night is just an excuse to get a nights worth of entertainment and draw people into the bar to spend their money and that is all there is to it they should be boycotted by any promoter, musician and music loving punter.