Thanks GUEST and FreddyHeadey.

I can't comment on the UK scene other than my brief tour there in 2009 playing mainly in folk clubs (though the best paying gig, by far, was...at a museum).

And apologies if I made the USA sound like the land of milk and honey; it's far from that. In fact, I know many talented performers here who would echo GUEST's comments to the letter. I do think some of it comes down to the amount of "hustle" we put in though. For me, I haven't had much of a choice, as I broke off from a steady job twenty-some years ago to pursue music on a local/regional level and have been the sole breadwinner for my family of four since that time. I've simply HAD to find a way to make it work for me. I'm here to say - it can be done.