Coffee House Players

Comment

Comment by Domi Sanchez on May 30, 2013 at 9:35pm

Looks like you guys had fun!  I hope to hear your concert one day.  All the best to you and your son, Domi

Comment by Edward Sparks on May 30, 2013 at 1:56pm

My son and I playing a Coffeehouse in Annapolis MD last weekend...

Comment by Jud Hair on May 29, 2013 at 8:21am

Well, even though it became a bit contentious, at least some conversation was produced after about two months of silence in this group.

Comment by M. Steven Smith on May 29, 2013 at 7:53am

Jams and song circles are awesome.  YOu can meet a lot of cool musicians and have  a lot of fun.  BTW, nice to "meet" some of you.  Now, back to lurking...

Break a leg!

Comment by Mike McCall on May 28, 2013 at 10:13pm

Reg... No problem..Different strokes on the open mic front. We're fortuntate to have a couple in the Bay Area that attract pretty incredible talent...

I actually prefer them to "jams" personally. A lot more fun and a lot less attitude. Again, it's personal preference..

Comment by Jim Yates on May 28, 2013 at 10:11pm

As a performer, I have gotten gigs as a result of playing at the open mic part of the show.  As a promoter, I have hired several musicians as a result of their performance at an open mic portion of the show.  Many coffee houses and folk clubs have a 30-45 minute open mic before the advertised performer.  Our folk club hired many performers as a result of their performance at the open stage.

My friend Aengus Finnan once drove from Cobourg to Ottawa, played two songs on an open mic and drove home again the same night.  The Artistic Director of the Ottawa Folk Festival was in the audience and as a result of his 2 songs he was hired to play at the festival.

I haven't played an open mic for a while, but I think I'll get back at it.

Comment by M. Steven Smith on May 28, 2013 at 9:55pm

As a musician who has been blessed to make my living as a singer/songwriter for over 35 years now, I know and understand the need for songwriters to get paid.  I am a member of ASCAP.  While I appreciate getting paid for my music, I also appreciate it when a musician covers one of my songs.  Every one of the professionals I know could care less if an open mic venue had an ASCAP or BMI license.  The fact is, we want our music to be heard, to be played, to get out there.  One of the most memorable moments of my life was the first time I walked into a venue and the artist on stage was performing one of my songs.  It is second only to the first time you hear one of your songs on the radio for the first time....hmmm...maybe its the other way around.

In my opinion, its the 'wanna-bes' who shout the loudest about songwriters getting paid and demanding that venues get licensed, etc.  It makes them look important and they can continue to fuel their need to feel like they are more famous or professional than they are. Aside from a few jackasses, the true pros and the folks at the licensing agencies understand the difference between a small local venue's open mic trying to survive and have a good time and the bigger businesses who are putting on larger shows and profiting thousands of dollars a week.  Like anything, there is a balance and all it takes is a little common sense.

Then, what do I know?

Blessings!

Comment by Reg Hayes on May 28, 2013 at 9:41pm

Hi Mike,

Sorry if you misunderstood what I meant.  I didn't mean that professional musicians would be offended that other people might be performing their songs at open mic venues.  My point was that some professional entertainers do not like open mic nights because they are loosing out on paid work while the venues are getting free entertainment from non-professional performers.  I guess you could argue that open mic nights are apprenticeshipmanys.  I also wouldn't claim that all professional (paid) performers might feel this way but their Union and or booking agent might have something to say to them about playing open mics. I doubt you'd find Arlo Gutherie, Bob Dylan or just about any other full time professionals at an open mic night. Obviously I am exaggerating to make my point.   Of course that's just my thoughts.  I rarely play open mics.  I have played them put found them limiting.  I usually attend jam sessions and song circles where I interact with others. I have formed some groups that get paid to play events as a result of meeting people at these sorts of sessions. As I said, these philosophical conversations accomplish very little.  Things will continue on as usual.  Reminds me of an old Monty Python skit about paying for an argument.

Comment by Phil Manuel on May 28, 2013 at 9:09pm

Yea Reg, I've been away from playing out for quite a while, and when I did play out, I never worried about this topic.  I didn't ask the club owner, and I suspect I was better off staying out his business.  So, I came to this discussion trying to make sense of what is the current practice. 

I played in clubs, and bars that required musicians to be booked by agents, and we had to have Union cards to perform in these venues.  I paid my dues, and the agent got their cut.  I'm not arguing for or against, just wondering what the current practices are.  For example, when we performed we had signed contracts for a specified fee, now a friend of mine who records and plays told me he usually brokers a deal to take the door, and the clubs are happy with that arrangement. 

I do think that these fees are probably deductible anyway for a small business, so that would seem to suggest the fees could be paid.  Sometimes, I think some venues just would like to get by with having free music.  That's my final thought on the topic. ;-) Cheers

Comment by Mike McCall on May 28, 2013 at 7:08pm

Reg... Just a word of advice..."Why don't we just stop this discussion" is probably the worst way to attempt to stop a discussion...:) I think we all "get it". We're just voicing our opinions.

As a professional musician who got his start (a very shaky one) at open mics, I don't buy into the arguement that otther professionals are "upset" by open mics. How so? Is someone playing my song at an open mic going to negatively impact me? On the contrary, with proper acknowledgement of the song writer, it's a great marrketing vehicle.

A small coffee shop playing a CD they own or having some dude in the corner playing mediocore guitar should not be held to the same restrictions as the large wine bar that I play at regularly. That's just the way I see it.

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