I regulary open my home and perform for free as do many who attend. I open the place to everyone. I find however that since I do not offer money professional musicians stay away. They just are locked into the role of patronized artist. There are other roles they can take up and still remain professional.

My opinion is that most professional musicians in the folk scene are becoming more like juke boxes requiring coins than real people. Less like the folk each day.

Smoke has always been a part of folklife. Once you remove the alcohol and smoke what is next?

You can run your house concert as you wish. That is your choice but.... the more connected artists are with the people without money in between the more successful they will be in the long run. I see the poor child in the street who wants to sit at the feet of an artist and learn being locked out by the cost of admission always being in the way. Money can be made anywhere else- there needs to be a place where it is not a primary concern and IMHO house concerts are ideal locations for this freedom. After all the artist generally gets a place to stay and food.

I am not saying that artists need not ever be paid. I am saying that they should become less like coin operated music boxes and more like ordinary people- let us say....folk!

Open the doors and let them all in! Hospitality in its ancient sense should be investegated and practiced more fully more often.

Conrad