Open mic

An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, often taking place at night (an open mic night), in which audience members may perform on stage whether they are amateurs or professionals, often for the first time or to promote an upcoming performance.^[1] As the name suggests, performers are usually provided with a microphone plugged into a PA system so that they can be heard by the audience.

Performers may sign up in advance for a time slot with the host, who is typically an experienced performer or the venue's manager or owner. The host may screen potential candidates for suitability for the venue and give them a time to perform during the show. Open mics are focused on performance arts such as comedy (whether it be sketch or stand-up), music (often acoustic singer-songwriters), poetry, and spoken word. It is less common for groups such as rock bands or comedy troupes to perform, mostly because of the space and logistical requirements of preparing equipment and soundchecking such groups.

Open mics may have very low entrance fees or no entrance fees at all, although the venue itself may prepare a gratuity jar, a "pass the hat" for donations, or a raffle with various prizes. Venues that charge no fees profit from selling drinks and food. The performers are not typically paid, although the venue may give them food or drink. If the host is an experienced professional and not the owner or the manager of the venue, they are usually paid for their services and may perform at some point during the evening, either preparing a full performance of their own or filling in at short notice when a performer is unavailable. Open mics are somewhat related to jam sessions, in that they both see amateur performers being given the opportunity to perform. The difference is that jam sessions often involve musical ensembles, possibly even a house band or rhythm section, and may involve the participation of professional performers.

^ Zimmer, Ben (29 July 2010). "How Should 'Microphone' be Abbreviated?". The New York Times Magazine. New York: The New York Times Company. Retrieved 4 April 2020. Mike came first, documented from the early days of radio. In the June 1923 issue of 'The Wireless Age,' a photo caption of Samuel L. Rothafel...reads, 'When you hear Roxy [Rothafel] talk about 'Mike' he means the microphone.' This suggests the abbreviation arose as a kind of nickname, playfully anthropomorphizing the microphone as Mike. But by 1926, when the pioneering broadcaster Graham McNamee published his book 'You're on the Air,' mike appeared in lowercase, not as a name...Mic didn't begin appearing in written works for another few decades, first recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary in Al Berkman's 1961 'Singers' Glossary of Show Business Jargon.' Berkman offered both mike and mic as possible clippings of microphone. Since then, mic has grown in popularity among those who work with recording equipment.

[1] Zimmer, Ben (29 July 2010). "How Should 'Microphone' be Abbreviated?". The New York Times Magazine. New York: The New York Times Company. Retrieved 4 April 2020. Mike came first, documented from the early days of radio. In the June 1923 issue of 'The Wireless Age,' a photo caption of Samuel L. Rothafel...reads, 'When you hear Roxy [Rothafel] talk about 'Mike' he means the microphone.' This suggests the abbreviation arose as a kind of nickname, playfully anthropomorphizing the microphone as Mike. But by 1926, when the pioneering broadcaster Graham McNamee published his book 'You're on the Air,' mike appeared in lowercase, not as a name...Mic didn't begin appearing in written works for another few decades, first recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary in Al Berkman's 1961 'Singers' Glossary of Show Business Jargon.' Berkman offered both mike and mic as possible clippings of microphone. Since then, mic has grown in popularity among those who work with recording equipment.

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