I do a lot of free work, I get paid occasionally. The free work is just as rich an experience as the stuff I get paid for, maybe sometimes even more so. I do nursing home jobs absolutely always for free, I'm thrilled to help out and they need the money more than I do.

IMHO Folk Music isn't about how much MONEY a performer can make, it's about how much PLEASURE a performer can take from performing, and make for his/her audience. Of course there will always be those who try to make a living from it, and good luck, but it's the Great Unwashed and Unpaid who are the backbone of Folk Music (or any music, for that matter). And I reckon boasting about how much a person can make from it is pretty tacky (but that's maybe a by-product of my British nationality, it's something that's just 'Not Done' in Stiff-Upper-Lip-Country, and might be viewed as fine by 'Catters across the pond).

I'd hate to see the Mudcat become a 'Professionals-Only' forum, or even a 'Mainly-Professionals' one. It's a place where we all can interact, fans, performers, amateurs, semi-pro, pro, whatever. And most importantly, where Grumpy Old Men can be grumpy. :-) :-)
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