Performing the business of art: Open mic organisers look to turn profitable

While shows are back after the pandemic lull, the pay-and-perform model still works on small margins

Tanvi Mahajan, the founder of Pause Tribe open mic, Jammu, is ready to host yet another event this weekend. While she tracks the presence of registered participants, the sound system, lighting and studio aesthetics are being taken care of as anxiously as at her first open mic.

Having survived the internet shutdown due to the abrogation of Article 370, the multiple waves of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lack of acceptance for working women, Mahajan calls herself a “storyteller turned entrepreneur”.

Open mic culture has, over the years, established itself as a go-to platform for artistes, among whom are college ‘rockstars’, retired shaayars (poets) and homemakers who are passionate about performing. The momentary slowdown in the popularity of open mic due to Covid-19 is over, and now both the performers and the organisers are back with a vengeance.

The pay-and-perform concept gives artistic satisfaction and occasional popularity to the performers and a business opportunity to the organisers in a world where passion meets profitability. The registration charges generally stand between Rs 250 and Rs 500, which may vary depending upon the quality of video, venue aesthetics and other arrangements provided by the organisers.

Pritam Kumar, who started Poem&Kahaniyan in 2017, one of the first open mic setups in Delhi, says, “Just like any other business, we enjoy profits and survive losses. Organising an open mic costs Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000, which includes equipment, rent, promotion, etc. Sometimes our revenue touches Rs 50,000; at other times we settle for Rs 20,000, depending upon the number of registrations.”

Besides registrations, the organisers earn from advertisements from YouTube and other social media platforms. Poem&Kahaniyan has organised open mics in more than 22 cities including Delhi, Kanpur, Ahmedabad and Lucknow.

About performers’ interest, Jatin Rajput, the founder of Blackvoice open mic, says, “We charged a minimal amount of Rs 250 (from the performers) for our first open mic. But looking at the positive response, we increased the registration amount to Rs 300; the registrations only increased after that.”

Event organisers usually host 25-30 participants per open mic. The events are generally conducted in small studio rooms with a capacity of 40-50, with the performers making up the chunk of the audience.

The organisers say they initially try to make a name in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow and Kanpur, where people are more open to informal social gatherings around culture, poetry, music, and so on. The word is spread largely through social media.

The profit margins, though, are low, especially for poetry events.

“We can easily organise ticketed shows for stand-up comedy, but for poetry, the audience is still limited when it comes to charged shows,” says Shubham Sharma, co-founder of Deeshuumm open mic, which operates in Gurugram.

That’s a reason open mic remains largely a secondary source of income. Rajput, who is a student of law in Delhi, says that with the money he earns through open mic, he is able to meet his expenses while he completes his studies. Mahajan, however, is working to build her open mic as the primary source of income.

Collaborations and sponsorships

With the growing appeal of live shows, various cafés and public spaces such as malls and amphitheatres have started to collaborate with open mic organisers for weekly or monthly shows.

“Collaborations with malls etc. help us save a lot in terms of rent and other expenses,” says Deeshuumm’s Sharma. “When we are able to bag a good collaboration, we can genuinely work for the artistes who then do not have to pay for their performance. Rather, the chances are that they might get paid,” Sharma adds.

Deeshuumm has collaborated with various professional and political organisations including Womennovator, Aam Aadmi Party, YouWeCan, Shikhar Dhawan Foundation etc.

The social media reach of these events plays a major role in getting collaborations.

“We just have to give them a shoutout in our event and on our social media platforms, and the brands sponsor the entire show,” says Kumar from Poem&Kahaniyan. His team has collaborated with various cafés including 53 Cafe House and Freedom Café India, Patna.

August House Café (Jaipur), Guftagu Café (Gurugram), Café Terrase (Andhra Pradesh), Sacred Earth Café (Hyderabad) are among the many outlets that frequently tie up with open mic organisers.  

Studio rent tops the expense list for most organisers, followed by equipment and promotions.

This is the reason buying a place is the priority for most open mic entrepreneurs in order to turn profitable. “We have our head office in Delhi but we have organised shows across cities and are looking for a permanent property in a few more places,” says Pritam. 

Pause established its permanent studio in July of this year.

About the future prospects, there is unanimous agreement that while profit escalation will be considered thoroughly, the prime motive is to not compromise with the art. “Because it is a business, profits are important for surviving,” says Harender Rathor, founder of open mic Voice of Words, “but not at the cost of artiste satisfaction; they are the priority.”

Setting the stage

• Pay-to-perform concept opens business prospects for organisers
• In return, performers get videos and shoutouts from organisers
• Performers form major part of audience in the current set-up
• Expanded business model to include ticketed shows, payment for artistes