Idoubt very much whether lennon, paul Simon or Dylan get paid for performances of their material in folk clubs. those songs belong to the people now. okay on a big concert or televised event - there will be a prs form. but frankly if you're not one of the big boys you usually end up getting nowt. that's the reality in it. most contemporary songwriters make nowt -its a real grassroots artform. if they play it onlocal radio - they spell it out to you - they are doing you the favour -expect no money!

if you still went to folk clubs you'd know that.

When the ace footballer Rummenigge quit Bayern for Inter Milan, the terraces chose my song with some insulting words added to express themselves on the subject. When the folks sing your songs, generally you don't get paid. but its great!

Ask Wizz Jones - Bruce Sringsteen performed his song When I leave Berlin to a huge audience at the Brandenburg Gate when the wall came down.....massive applause, thousands of hits on youtube! but its not on record officially, so Wizz got sod all.

you seem to think we're all breadheads. in fact, denied the respectability of being allowed to call ourselves folksingers by the very real folk police and middle class establishment. We have been idealists on a scale MacColl could never imagine.