"kill off the free sessions that cheapen the scene and attract too much bad feedback that put people off paying for a start"

What an absurd idea!! Making music has only been an exhibitionist sport for the last 100 years or so, before that it was a participatory pastime. How can we suggest that we should put up roadblocks for people who might want to make music? That is the surest way to kill off interest in this type of music.