Open Mic Entertainment

What Open Mic Entertainment does

Open Mic Entertainment, LLC is a privately held, bootstrapped entertainment company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, founded in 1998 by David Craver. It operates OpenMic.US, a network of city-specific open mic listing websites covering more than 50 US cities and 15+ international cities, connecting musicians seeking performance opportunities with restaurants and bars hosting open mic nights. The platform is complemented by a mobile app and a content ecosystem that includes the Play Out ezine, OM Tested gear reviews, SongCrafting, and the Business Side Of Music educational series.

The core technology is a web-based directory platform with self-serve registration for venues and hosts, supported by an email marketing infrastructure (via iContact) that delivers weekly promotional blasts to thousands of musicians per market. The company has trademarked 'Micro Music Festivals,' a branded turnkey open mic event format offered to venue partners. Sponsorship and content partnerships with Taylor Guitars, Electro-Voice, Royal Guitar Strings, GrooveTunes Studios, and Pacific International Music support both audience engagement and ancillary revenue.

The business model centers on a freemium structure: musicians and hosts access listings and the Host Club at no charge, while venues can subscribe to Open Mic Pro for $20/week, which includes a weekly email blast to local musicians, enhanced homepage placement, and inclusion in the mobile app. Secondary revenue is generated through sponsor placements, affiliate arrangements, and banner advertising. The company is led by David Craver (President/Founder), Claudia Fritschi (Operations Director), and Derek Ferwerda (Vice President), and has operated without external funding since founding.

Name

Open Mic Entertainment

Legal name

Open Mic Entertainment, LLC

Website

https://openmicatlanta.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Open Mic Entertainment, founded in 1998 and headquartered in Atlanta, operates OpenMic.US, a directory network of city-specific open mic listings spanning 50+ US and 15+ international cities, connecting musicians with restaurants and bars through free listings and a $20/week paid promotion service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Event Platform

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB), Music Discovery & Curation Platforms (Recommendations, Playlists) (MPAIACAH)

Keywords

• Open mic listings
• Live music events
• Venue promotion services
• Musician networking platform
• Event discovery platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Open Mic Pro Subscription: Venues pay $20 per week for a promotional package that includes weekly email blasts to thousands of local musicians and enhanced listing placement on the website. This is the primary revenue-generating service.
2. Venue Registration Platform: Free listing option for venues to register one event at no cost, with optional paid upgrades. This creates a funnel for converting free users to paid subscribers.
3. Business Side Of Music Content: Educational content partnership with Michael Flanders of Pacific International Music publishing, featuring Royal Guitar Strings sponsorship. Revenue generated through sponsorship and affiliate arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Open Mic Entertainment operates OpenMic.US, a multi-city web platform that connects venues hosting open mic nights with musicians seeking performance opportunities. The platform provides free open mic listings across 50+ US cities and 15+ international cities, while monetizing primarily through Open Mic Pro, a $20/week subscription that delivers weekly email blasts to thousands of local musicians and enhanced listing placement for participating venues. The company also offers trademarked Micro Music Festivals turnkey event services to restaurants and bars.

Product overview

Open Mic Entertainment operates OpenMic.US, a network of local open mic listing websites for musicians. The core offering is the OpenMic.US platform for free open mic event listings. Premium services include Open Mic Pro (paid promotion package with email marketing and enhanced listings at $20/week), Micro Music Festivals (turnkey event services for venues), and membership benefits through the Host Club (free membership with exclusive sponsor offers) and Play Out ezine (free subscription with local open mic listings and gear deals).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Open Mic Pro: Premium promotion package for venues featuring weekly email blasts to thousands of local musicians, enhanced listing placement, and app visibility. Priced at $20/week.
• Micro Music Festivals
• Play Out
• Host Club

Products and services

• OpenMic.US Open Mic Listing Platform Multi-city web platform providing free open mic event listings for musicians across 50+ US cities and 15+ international cities, connecting venues hosting open mics with musicians seeking performance opportunities.
• Open Mic Pro Premium promotion package for venues priced at $20/week that includes weekly email blasts to thousands of local musicians, enhanced listing placement on the homepage for the venue's day of week, larger listing size for visibility, and inclusion in the Open Mic app. Designed for bars, restaurants, and venues hosting open mic nights.
• Host Club Free membership program for open mic hosts providing exclusive benefits including a special edition of the Play Out ezine, sponsor offers with discounted gear, free gear, demo gear, special events, and host-only blog content.
• Play Out Ezine Free music ezine subscription providing members with the latest list of open mics in the Greater Atlanta Area, along with articles and members-only specials on performing and recording gear.
• Micro Music Festivals Trademarked turnkey open mic event services provided to restaurants and bars by Open Mic Entertainment. The branded event format is delivered as a service to venue partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Venue can attract 5, 10, or 20 new performers per week through Open Mic Pro email promotion

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Taylor GuitarsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTaylor Guitars provides sponsorship for the Host Club, offering members discounted gear and access to special offers. This partnership provides credibility with musician audiences and potential product discounts for the host community.
• Electro-VoiceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerElectro-Voice (EV) sponsors the Host Club and provides product exposure through gear reviews on the platform. Their equipment is featured and tested in real open mic environments, providing authentic endorsement.
• GrooveTunes StudiosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured as a banner advertiser on the Open Mic Atlanta site. Partnership appears to involve cross-promotion between music studios and the open mic network.
• Pacific International MusicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichael Flanders, co-founder of Pacific International Music publishing, contributes to the Business Side Of Music content section, providing music industry expertise and publishing knowledge.
• Royal Guitar StringsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured sponsor on the Business Side Of Music page. Royal Guitar Strings receives promotional placement in exchange for sponsorship support of the platform's educational content.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Meetup: Community-driven event platform with groups for musicians and open mic events. Provides a free alternative for venue and performer connections, applying competitive pressure on the directory layer.
• Eventbrite: Large-scale event creation, discovery, and ticketing platform. Comparable as a marketplace for live events, but operates as a broad horizontal platform rather than specializing in open mics.
• Live Nation: Largest live music promoter and venue operator in the world. Operates in the live music space but at massive scale focused on ticketed concerts rather than open mics.
• AEG Presents: Major live music promoter and venue operator. Operates broadly in live music, relevant as a backdrop for venue-level music programming services.

Emerging players

• Songkick: Live music concert discovery and ticketing service. Comparable in the live music discovery space, though focused on concerts rather than open mic events.
• Bandsintown: Live music concert discovery platform connecting artists with fans and ticketing. Comparable as a music discovery platform, though focused on ticketed concerts rather than open mic listings.

Direct peers

• Indie on the Move: Resource platform for independent musicians focused on booking paid gigs at venues. Comparable in serving the musician-to-venue booking workflow with paid membership and educational content.
• Sonicbids: Platform connecting independent musicians with live performance opportunities at venues, festivals, and events. Similar value proposition of linking musicians to live gig opportunities.
• GigSalad: Online marketplace connecting musicians and entertainers with venues and event organizers for bookings. Directly comparable two-sided marketplace serving live music performers and SMB venue customers.
• Sofar Sounds: Operates intimate live music events in cities worldwide, curating artists and selling tickets to small audiences—closely paralleling Open Mic Entertainment's model of organizing live music performances at hospitality venues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OpenMicATL
• Facebookfacebook.com/OpenMicATL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-mic-entertainment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Open Mic Entertainment