This thread suggests to me that people in the US are having some of the same problems that we are in UK, although I think the US folk scene is organised a bit differently. There do seem to be a lot of singers about who think they have some divine democratic right to get up and sing. Up to a point, I'd say that, in folk clubs, they do. However, this has to be tempered by the right of paying punters to get what they think they are paying for. If it's a singaround/song circle, then everybody gets a go, but these are usually free, or minimal entry fee, and people know what to expect. The concert platform, with named performers getting an extended spot, and punters paying to get in, is an entirely different thing. The folk club lies somewhere in between. There were always general principles on which folk clubs ran, but no actual rules, so there was always scope for variation and experiment. I think this generally worked satisfactorily, but when people like me have suggested, in previous Mudcat threads, that this was the way to do things, we've been told "no, we can't go back to the old ways". (Is there only me that sees the irony in this?) Some clubs didn't have floor spots on guest nights, and the atmosphere tended to be more formal. I preferred the clubs where there were at least some floor spots on guest nights, and the atmosphere was more relaxed. (It isn't as if you were paying a fortune to get in in those days). I remember once, in the '70s, after the floor spots, the guest (I'm pretty sure it was Nic Jones; my apologies to him if it wasn't) on getting up for his second spot said "the floor spots are always my favourite part of a folk club; you never know whether your singer is going to be brilliant or bloody awful". I agree. I love the element of unpredictability. I also agree with several posters here, that a 20 minute spot, if the performer is not right, can be dire.
I'm waffling again.
John Kelly.