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Well...perhaps you guys who don't like the "open mic" nights have never been to a good place.
I have played with Robin Ford, and Larry Carlton just to name a few really good guitar players at the Baked Potato in Studio City, Ca. It is a pretty famous place.
It is or use to be a place where musicians went to see their friends.
I have played at The Big Easy in Houston Texas with several world famous blues players. I have occasionally played in a dive biker bar in Tucson Az. because it was fun and other musician friends I know agreed to meet up there.
Most all really good open mic sort of venues have a house band.
Blues jams are a place to have fun playing without having to work. Not everyone has the time or desire to play professionally.
Not everything in life is about money. Ever post a original song here on the forum that you spent hours putting together? Did you get paid for that? Ever give one of you CDs away for free? If you think playing for free in an open mic is bad, go to LA where it is pay to play...lol
Back to vaccine...day two and my arm is a little sore and I did not sleep well last night. My wife is suffering greater arm pain with the Moderna vaccine than me with Pfizer...have no idea why.
Billy Great points Billy, unfortunately for some people they have got their ideas on this set in stone, they have been making the same old arguments against open mic nights for years here on the forum, and won't accept that some people actually enjoy taking part without getting paid. And its all to do with, hey if this open mic was to really take off it might affect Me Me Me!
Last edited by musiclover; 01/24/21 02:39 AM.
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I view open mic as just a variation of playing a few songs for friends. It's just different because instead of friends it might be strangers listening.
This whole thing of insisting that only "professionals" are allowed to play for people is ridiculous.
Since my main public playing experience is from bluegrass, it's pretty common to pass around instruments and encourage others to play a song or two.
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There are plenty of places to play for free and for the fun of it that aren't commercial establishments.
Playing in a for-profit place deprives a working musician from his/her livelihood. That is unless there is a paid house band working at a fair rate as an anchor.
I've gone to jam sessions for the fun of it, but only if I know the house band is making a fair wage. Mostly it's to support my friends in the house band to make sure they keep working.
Just think of your regular job. How would you feel if someone offered to do your job for free one day a week, and your boss gave you the day off without pay. The person sitting in to your job might not be as good as you are, but is having a good time, and your boss gets work done for nothing. Would that be OK with you? Do unto others.
So if the restaurant/bar hosts an open mic night, and there isn't a house band being paid, I don't go there whether it is open mic night or another time. I feel I owe that to my fellow musicians.
Others can do what they want to. They can let the venue exploit them, they can put musicians out of work, but I won't. That's the way I feel about it anyway.
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I'm not a professional musician but I'd like to think that if I were that I wouldn't get my panties in a wad if a venue had one night a week of open mic so amateurs could get some experience playing for people.
Are you opposed to busking too? I've never done it but once I had a lengthy layover on a flight and I was packing my guitar as a carry on, (pre 9/11), so I took out my guitar and started playing a few songs. Next thing I knew people were walking by and tossing money in my guitar case.
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Great points Billy, unfortunately for some people they have got their ideas on this set in stone, they have been making the same old arguments against open mic nights for years here on the forum, and won't accept that some people actually enjoy taking part without getting paid.
And its all to do with, hey if this open mic was to really take off it might affect Me Me Me!
I don't think that you should put all of us in the same category. I ran our wedding band as a business. We had all of the gigs that we needed or wanted so we didn't need to give out music out for free. But I never said no one should do it. If one wants to do open mic nights then fine, but then don't complain that there are no paying gigs available. Around here karaoke might has replaces open mic nights. There is no cover charge, the bar only pays one man and not a house band, and lots of singers and want-a-be singers. Not a paid musician in site! YMMV
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
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I'm not a professional musician but I'd like to think that if I were that I wouldn't get my panties in a wad if a venue had one night a week of open mic so amateurs could get some experience playing for people.
Are you opposed to busking too? I've never done it but once I had a lengthy layover on a flight and I was packing my guitar as a carry on, (pre 9/11), so I took out my guitar and started playing a few songs. Next thing I knew people were walking by and tossing money in my guitar case. Around here open mic nights or now karaoke nights were/are on Friday and Saturday nights, the nights musicians usually play in bars. Some were on Sunday afternoons. But I don't get "my panties in a wad", if you want to play for free fine just don't complain that there are no paying gigs anymore. Busking is fine. It is a musician that usually makes some money.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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[quote=Notes Norton]I don't patronize any place that has open mic nights. Why? It exploits musicians. - The owner gets paid
- The managers get paid
- The bartenders get paid
- The cooks get paid
- The wait staff gets paid
- The bouncer gets paid
- The provisioners get paid
- The floor sweeper gets paid
- The toilet cleaner gets paid
- The musician gets nothing and in most cases the songwriters don't either as open mic places usually avoid ASCAP licenses.
That tells me that the management thinks the musicians are worthless - worth less than the owner, manager, bartender, cook, waiter/waitress, bouncer, provision, floor sweeper, and even the toilet scrubber. These are all important people who contribute to the profitability of the venue, but so are the musicians. So if the establishment doesn't respect musicians and pay them what they are worth, I don't respect the business, and they won't get any of my money. Exception: If I know there is a house band getting respectable pay and people sit in for free, I don't mind. But that's just me. No it's not just you, we are rowing in the same boat. IMHO Open Mics just exploit musicians' who feel that "any gig" is a good gig. Later,
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Jiminy Freaking Christmas, (or that other JFC thing).
FWIW, I've never played an open mic night but I have attended a few and heard some pretty decent original songs by folks that really didn't have the ability to do a whole show.
No wonder America is so divided! People are so wound up they're just looking for a reason to pounce on anyone that disagrees with them.
Step #1 Relax
Step #2 Slowly remove the stick from your a*s's.
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eddie1261
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Are you opposed to busking too? Reading comprehension is not your thing I see. Buskers on the street are not putting musicians out of work. Pay attention.
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eddie1261
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eddie1261
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Busking is fine. It is a musician that usually makes some money. Busking on the street isn't putting a musician or band out of work. He either doesn't understand logic or didn't read the whole post.
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Are you opposed to busking too? Reading comprehension is not your thing I see. Buskers on the street are not putting musicians out of work. Pay attention. Actually Eddie reading comprehension is my thing. Since I have you on "ignore" I had to click "toggle" to see why you were responding to my post. Since you asked me to put you on ignore and not respond to your posts, I have done that. I assumed you would do the same. My mistake. So I'll politely ask you to put me on ignore and never comment or respond to any of my posts again. It would be a great pleasure to never read or hear another word from your mouth or brain.
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Open Mic is a form of specialized entertainment. So is is karaoke.
For those who don't like, don't go. Should those of us who do like open mic protest to stop live bands from playing.
This has turned into a completely pointless thread besides my guitar can beat up your guitar and my dog is bigger than your dog. Soo now lets all take sided and have a big snowball fight.
Billy
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I had one experience at open mic night and never again...
It was advertised as an open mic but when I showed up the "house band" told me I wasn't playing. They were regulars who discouraged newcomers.
I left at half time, cried in the parking lot hugging my instrument then warned every music instructor I knew not to send their students there.
It closed up soon afterwards.
Nope, no open mic for me.
...Deb
Sorry that you got mistreated that way. Truth is, it happens more often than you would think. Some places have their click and push everyone else out. Some bill themselves as pro jams and will not let anyone play they don't know. We have a lot of rude self-centered genetical defected lower Huachuca city low life bottom feeders swimming around the bars that the buffalo solders forgot to shoot. The world has way to many unkind people. Sorry you had to meet up with some of them. Billy Back on the subject and two days and I am back to normal with the Pfizer vaccine
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Thanks all. At the time a friend told me that an open mic is where you can really get your feelings hurt.
I went there all excited thinking about the song I was going to play. When I was told "You are not playing" as I walked into the door I crashed.
It was a big step for me because I was willing to try playing out. Good or bad, it would have been a cheap thrill to let me have 2-3 minutes then they could have moved onward.
At least, I was able to warn other students that was not a good place to try.
Oh well, that was a long time ago. On to more positive things.
...Deb
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Many of the clubs that now have open mic nights used to hire musicians. We now have at least one open mic night on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and a once per month Tuesday.
Playing for free in these places definitely puts musicians out of work. Do unto others comes to mind here.
It's not wrong to play for free, but if everyone else from the manager to the toilet scrubbers are getting paid, the musicians should get paid too.
Busking doesn't put musicians out of work as there is no 'house' making money.
Jam sessions with a house band getting fair pay don't put anyone out of work.
Karaoke is competition but as long as the hosts are getting paid it's fair competition.
Same for DJs.
There are plenty of places you can have fun and play if you are just a little creative. Go to the local VA hospital and play for the vets. We do this once a year, and they appreciate it. Play in a public park. Have a house party. Conduct a live social media stream.
If they have open mic nights, they don't get any of my business. But that's just me.
Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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