In 1997 I decided to try to do what I have always wanted to do and that is sing for a living. This career is still- a work-in-progress and I think that is true no matter how successful a person is in the music biz.

1 Does playing open mics and other free gigs lead to getting paid work?
For me it did. When I first moved to New England I was going to as many open mics as I could within a 100 mile radius of where I was living at the time. I still attend them every now and then, even when I am touring. In the UK, I will try to do floor spots or participate in Singer's Nights.

2 Who goes to open mic night apart from musicians?
A couple of years ago, I had a feature spot at an open mic in the Boston, MA area. I was a bit surprised that some of the folks in the audience actually came to see me! So, a lot of times there might be people there who just come to listen.

3 Is the quality of music nessecarily better at a paid gig than at an open mic?
My answer to this question is pretty subjective. In my opinion, for the most part, the quality of music at open mics is pretty low. However, sometimes there are suprprises and you never really know who will turn up

4 Are open mics reducing the number of paid gigs available?
I am not seeing that happening in my experience

5 Is this a new thing or has it been going on in one form or other for ever?
It's been going on forever, it seems.

I hope this helps.

Deb Cowan