I'm resurrecting this thread as we've discussed the topic recently at our singarounds.

Observations over the years by highly experience MC Dave Earl are that you get about 14 songs an hour into a typical singaround. Given that a maximum of two-thirds of people are singers themselves then a good number for a singaround is probably around twenty.

As an MC also, I've noticed most people are happy with a song an hour - so people arriving by 8.30pm in the typical British pub setting would probably get three songs a night - the same as a floorspot at the classic folk night.

From an audience point of view that's probably quite good as well - with plenty of variety.

On the ground we currently run three singarounds a week - all in function rooms now due substantially to rude, selfish behavior from small numbers of egotistical folk singers in the otherwise idyllic bar setting (see Folk club manners thread).

One club averages 20 (Tuesdays) and works beautifully most weeks but loses the feel when numbers get to 30ish. A problem here is that singers coming only a bit later than start time, who would normally get a spot or two on a usual night, are often reduced to one or even no songs on a particularly busy night - and are understandably disappointed (yes everyone should come early - but some can't due to work etc). We could cure this by operating a List system of course but that loses a degree of atmosphere in its own right.

Our other two (Wednesdays and Sundays) average about ten a session and work well in a completely different way - we allow plenty of time for singers to tell the background to the song - but lose the feel those nights that many can't make it as we don't have the big pool of people.

Hope this thread can take off again as with recession low cost entertainment such as folk singaround could be both a saviour of quite a few pubs - and an enlightenment for those who blindly spent their money on expensive concerts seeing the latest industry-hyped singer-songwriter no better than they could see at their local folk gettogether.

Ian Fyvie