Generally speaking, the clubs I go to have singers nights 3 weeks out of 4, with 1 guest night per month. 1 song for individuals, 2 for duos/groups; you'd expect to get round once in each half on a singer's night (not always; and rarely, a third go-round). Guest nights usually 4 or 5 (maybe more) floor spots (1 song each - 2 for duos) in each half, before the guest comes on. No "residents first" bias is ever apparent in my experience; I'm not fazed if I don't get a spot on guest night because of the length of the singers list.

But there is a clear trend even with the most successful clubs - yes, singers nights are often better attended than guest nights, to the extent that nowadays far from not getting 1 song then, I sometimes get 2 because it is the regular singers and musicians who have stayed away.

Our club at Corsham runs monthly spotlight nights, where everyone performs from the stage, and these are the most successful of all in terms of numbers (audience and performers). There has also been a move, across the region, to feature local artists and club regulars and this has undoubtedly impacted on the frequency of bookings for the full-time musicians who tour the clubs.

None of the nights are free - you pay £1, £2, £3 for a singers/spotlight night, £4 - £6 (sometimes more) for a guest night and undoubtedly the guest nights are subsidised by the other weeks' door takings/raffles.

I happen to think the clubs I go to, and the people who run them, are worth supporting because they do provide regular opportunities even now to meet and see perform some remarkably talented and creative performers. It's not altruism, it's enlightened self-interest which gets me driving 30 miles to Devizes on a Monday night.
If any of those clubs were to close through lack of support it would be a serious loss - for me, I'd lose the community of friends, the experience of sharing our songs, the pleasure of discovering new and exciting music. And I really value the interaction with top-class professional artists (such as Tom) which gives me encouragement to develop and improve both as a performer and a writer. At the same time, if the traditional guest-night format were to continue its decline then this would have the effect of narrowing the song-base for the professional folk musician, deprived of a significant source of new material from "amateur" writers/performers.

I am really sorry Tom is giving up - I know how hard he has worked, reaching out to the wider community with his shows without ever compromising the integrity of his musicianship and creativity. What about a "Tom Bliss - The Farewell Tour" documentary for BBC4 ?

Henry