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