Thanks for that Mark. It's interesting to hear the viewepoint from an american perspective and there are some very valid points made here.
However I think there are issues which are probably peculiar to the english/british pub scene. The problem as I see it is that most english pubs are run by large breweries or pubcos whose sole purpose seems to be to squeeze every last penny out of the business to the cost of the poor beleagured managers. There are very few independant pub owners anymore who are in a position to manage their own businesses without interference from a higher authority, which means that it is often difficult to even speak to anyone who is able to make any decisions regarding live music.
I started hosting an open mic night mainly to give myself a chance to play and I realy enjoy it,but, it is a fine line between having a bit of fun and being taken advantage of! I do think there may be opportunities in the near future to take advantage of the Live Music Bill and get music into some smaller venues. Maybe if musicians can pitch the pricing right we can drive out some of the huge TV screens that blight so many of our pubs these days!
Which of cours brings us back to the original question, what is the right price?