I would rather have continued this conversation privately but since you said "i have no evidence" when there is plenty of evidence of poor perfomances putting off potential audience, you have in effect forced me to continue.
and if we have not got venues like folk clubs to perform in, we are forced to either sing in pubs[ where people go primarily for alcohol], or sing to a few friends at home or to a dog.
and here i will quote Jim Carroll,an irish tradtional singer who he collected from said "I am so glad you came along i thought the songs would die out, or i might have to teach the dog the songs."