Open mic nights are an absolute gold mine for musicians, and not for the reasons you might think. Too many people see them as just a place to get started with live performance, but they’re so much more than that. Networking, live performance experience, and content creation are some of the biggest benefits of open mic nights, and nearly everyone leaves them on the table.
Networking
The connections you can make at an open mic night are extremely valuable. Fellow musicians at all skill and experience levels regularly attend these events. You also have an audience of people who are there specifically to listen to music, so you have the chance to turn audience members into real fans. Then you’ve got the venue owners and managers who book live music. Becoming a regular face with these people can open up tons of opportunities.
Live Performance Experience
If you’re new to live performance, you should be getting in front of a microphone and performing for people as often as possible. There’s no better crowd than an open mic crowd in the early stages of your career. It’s also a great place to try out new songs, no matter how long you’ve been playing. Open mic crowds are supportive and easy to perform in front of.
Content Creation
Regardless of where you are in your music career, you need video content. Venues, booking agents, and anyone else booking live music want to see a live preview of who they’re about to hire. Don’t get me wrong, any video is good, but a live performance will beat a living room video any day. It’s more authentic, and it shows you’re out there performing and actually doing the thing they want to hire you for.
Every time you perform, set up your phone or camera and capture the whole performance. You can easily get at least 3 short clips from each song, and with the usual 3 songs at an open mic, that’s 9 videos for social media from one night. Multiply that across several open mic nights, and you can quickly fill your feed with regular videos from different live settings. Very few people are actually doing this, so it’ll make you stand out.
Coffee & Cocktails, Mineral Wells, TX Open Mic
For this episode, I made a trip out to Mineral Wells to visit the weekly Wednesday open mic night at Coffee & Cocktails. This venue has become a music staple in the community and one of the few places where you can regularly find live music during the week. They have a pretty cool covered outdoor stage, plus a cocktail lounge and coffee shop indoors. The weekly open mic is hosted by Adam Hull and Ashleigh Lamport. It’s a relaxed setting, and on slower nights you get to play more than the usual 2-3 songs. The crowd is responsive and supportive, and the environment welcomes players of all experience levels.
Gear Used
- Video: DJI Osmo Pocket 3
- Interview/Commentary Audio: DJI Mic 2
- Performance Audio: Mackie ShowBox
- Looping Setup: Boss RC-1, Boss OC-5
- Guitar: Fender T-Bucket
Want to see the whole night? Watch the full episode of Mic Check on YouTube, and subscribe so you catch the next one.
And if you want to hear it in person, come out to a show. Dates are on the Shows page.