In many ways I feel sorry for the young performer to-day. In the 70's & 80's, there was probably somewhere in the region of 60 clubs within 1 hours drive of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Each city had 2 or more clubs, each town had at least one, and many villages had a folk club.
As a semi pro band, with day jobs, we were playing 5 clubs a month as guests, and also visiting as many again as floorspots. The same opportunity I had, to learn to perform and build confidence, is just not there for the new performers.
These days it's a struggle to keep one club on the go in the cities. That platform is still there for the newcomer, if you can persuade them to cross the door, but after that there is little chance for them to go further.
Back then you could sit and wait for the phone to ring, and the invite would come in, now so many artists are chasing so few gigs that organisers can fill their diary on incoming calls alone.
This is not a moan by the way, I've had my shot, it's a lament for those who come behind, may they find new places to play,
love, john