I'd like to explore the question of the value and cost of music. This is prompted by the following. Our open mic/concert venue at a restaurant was sponsored by a local non-profit acoustic music organization. It was a beautiful restaurant, with good acoustics and fine food. For the weekly open mic, a $3 cover charge was requested of all but the musicians who were exempt; the cover charge went entirely to the music organization. The monthly concert had a $8 cover charge and the total door was split 70/30 between the performers and the organization. The restaurant received no money from the organization, but benefited by increased business.

This was fine for about a year. But then the restaurant found they were losing money on open mic nights, when they would stay open an extra two hours and many of the musicians would just come to perform and listen, but not order anything. Few would even volunteer to help run the open mic or join the organization. On concert nights, some people would come and sit at tables without ordering and, when the house was full, this kept other paying customers from sitting and ordering.

The restaurant then instituted a $5 minimum food order. The reaction of the organization was to end the venue immediately since the minimum food order was seen as an extra cover charge. They maintained that performers at the open mic should not have to pay for performing (after all, they were excempt from the cover charge), and people should not have to pay an extra charge to enjoy the concert. In other words, folk music should available at a minimum cost to the people, and no one should have to pay to play. Is this a carryover from the '60s when folkmusic (for the folks) was considered free? Should it be free?

This was the best open mic/concert venue ever for the organization, and was in large part due to the beautiful space, comfortable atmosphere, and fine food. It attracted some of the best musicians and provided a listening audience. This was an added value for which not everyone was willing to pay. I realize that this is a classic conflict between a restaurant venue and a music organization.

To what extent should people, who benefit by the beautiful space in which to perform and listen to music, be obliged to pay for that added value? No one is asking them to come and perform at an open mic for free - they do that because they obtain something of value from the experience. And is $8 cover + $5 minimum food order too much to pay for a concert in a beautiful environment? Is there something of added value that people are not obliged to pay for? Or should the restaurant be obligated to provide this free even if it is costing them money? Perhaps the restaurant does not value the music for its own sake.

Musicians should not have to (or be asked to) play for free unless they choose to do so. Musicians who choose to play at an open mic do so either because they enjoy playing and listening to others play, or because they have a new CD or gig to promote. In either case they are getting something of value, or else they would not be there.

In this particular case, the whole issue came to a head when some life-members, long-time supporters, came to a concert 15 min early without reservations, and had to wait while others with dinner reservations were seated. They were finally seated, after the concert had begun, at a table that they considered less than satisfactory (the house was full). They did not want to order anything, and left in a huff after they were told about the minimum order. They then complained to the organization. Were they justified in their reaction?

There are many issues raised here. I would be interested in hearing your responses.

S.