Anahata, I, like you, don't reply to junk mail. But when someone emails me about my business, hobby, interest, I make sure that I reply out of courtesy, even if the answer is no.

Once a festival is up to numbers, why not advertise it on the website, and keep the website up to date - that way deflecting most of the artists who have left it too late!

Out of interest, I have also run a folk club and been on a festival committee, and always answered queries as a matter of importance.

With regard to listening to CDs, I sympathise there, but it seems to me that unless a festival has already heard of an artist, the CD wont even be considered, and probably at some point end up on ebay or in someone's private collection (god .. what a cynic!)