Tom, I'm interested that some sessions have apparently been successful in persuading PRS that only non-copyright material is performed and that they don't need a licence. The impression I'd got from other discussions was that PRS usually took the view that this could not be guaranteed, especially since many pieces often assumed to be traditional are in fact copyright, and insisted on a licence in most cases.

I think people in the folk world would be more receptive if we could be assured that the licence fees actually went to the people whose music we perform, rather than just enriching the megastars as we cynically assume. The "Gigs and Club Scheme" is aimed at singer-songwriters and doesn't seem to cover this situation.