I think one thing that is happening is that there are many venues and festivals that don't want to take risks any more. As a friend of mine said "Back in the day if you trusted the taste of a concert promoter, you'd just go to the show even if you hadn't ever heard of the singer." I am ETERNALLY grateful to the venues that did book me on this last tour as I was relatively unknown to them until now. I am also grateful to DJs like Ron O and others who play my music.

Here in Boston, I do see the same singer/songwriters recycled year after year in the coffeehouses. It is really sad to me that some of these presenters will not make the effort to try to hear anyone different or new. I do understand the "butts (or bums for you UK'ers) in seats" reasoning, but there are very successful venues and festivals who DO take chances on new or unknown artists and do quite well. Ron mentioned New Bedford Summerfest, (a festival that I have performed in) as a wonderful example of how you can put Jeff Davis and Ellis Paul on the same stage and it works!

Anahata-one of the things I definitely never run out of is material. It is a filtering process: I have very high standards when choosing material. I have had a number of songwriters send their stuff to me, yet, unfortunately, the material for whatever reason is not of high enough quality for me to want to use it.

Midchuck-as far as the PRO situation with venues goes, I am not about to enter into THAT fray, but there are many complicated issues surrounding the idea of venues booking ONLY performers of original material, etc., and much of the talk that is circulating around that is full of misconceptions. There are some great discussions on the subject at the Folk Alliance Archives . Put PRO in the search thingy and see what comes up.

I guess if I could have a perfect world in folk music, I would want all the different types of folk to be acknolwedged. It is sad to me that
quality musicans are excluded from venues and festivals due to the labels that are placed on them. We are folk whether we perform traditional or composed material and we should all learn to appreciate one another.

Deb Cowan