Open Mic Etiquette

#1        To be guaranteed a spot, artists need to sign up in advance via email (jackie@ragamuffinmusic.com) or by coming to the studio.  There will be a clipboard at the front of the studio that you may fill out a “Request to Play.”  No phone reservations will be taken.

#2        All e-mails/reservations must be received by 10pm on the Tuesday night before that week’s Open Mic. We will email you by Thursday at noon to confirm your spot.

#3        When you email or sign up, you may request a specific time slot, but that time slot cannot be guaranteed (it’s impossible to give everyone the 9pm slot!).  We will email your time to you.

#4        Doors open at 7:30.  If there are available slots at 7:30, they will be filled on a first come first served basis at the door.

#5        The order for that night will not under any circumstances be changed.

#6        Artists may play two songs or 10 minutes.   This includes any talking that the artist does before the song or in between songs.  Artists who go longer than a total of 10 minutes will be encouraged to end and may try again another day.  There will be a two minute grace period…and then a muted microphone.  It is out of respect for everyone.  (We have actually had individual songs that lasted much longer than 10 minutes!)

#7        Open Mic will begin at 8:00 and will end as close to 10:00 as possible.  As much as we would like to have more people play, the truth is that there just is not much of an audience after 10:00.

#8        An “In the Round” will take place every six weeks with three artists who have stood out at open mic with regard to exceptional songwriting talent, crowd appeal, draw, and courtesy/support of other artists.  

#9        RMH is a Listening Room.  All artists are encouraged to stay in the room and listen to all artists playing unless they are “in the hole.”  As much as we would like to hear your music, if you cannot block off a couple of hours to listen to others as well, don’t come.  No one wants to play to an empty room.

#10     Artists are encouraged to play original music but covers are acceptable with appropriate recognition given to the songwriter.  Obscure covers are great as well as beloved songs of old.

#11     Artists are encouraged to come to Open Mic simply to listen to the other artists who are playing on a night that they are not playing themselves.  Admission is $5 at the door for Artists and Listeners.

#12     Artists may receive a CD/MP3 of their performance at the end of the evening or may leave their email to have it sent to them for a fee of $5.

#13     We want to leave spots open for newcomers and diversity in our players…thus, an artist may not reserve a space more than once every two weeks.  If there are available slots at the door on a night that they do not have a reservation, we are happy to have them play and encourage them to do so.

Ragamuffin Music Hall is committed to supporting artists of all ages and stages of ability level. This new system is designed to book artists well in advance so that they may have adequate time to prepare and bring folks with them to listen.  An occasional “crash” is ok but our goal is to provide the community with consistently good live acoustic music and to give songwriters and musicians a place to be heard.