Might I suggest you join the Folk Alliance.

The Folk Alliance is high-powered for sure, but they have more of a srious business-like atitude about things folk than anyone ever has. Agents, managers, product manufacturing, connecting with record companies. As far as networking goes, their annual convention is tops---that whether you are just schmoozing with friends of old, as many of us "old fogey folkies" seem to do there mainly, or if you actually seem to fit in this brave new folk world that is so incomprehensible to the likes of me. In the same way that the old Mountain Men were not wanting to participate in what the West became later, many of us that see this folk music the way I always have just sort of sit back and watch the passing parade and wonder how the next generation will figure out to outrage earlier folks. When folks need what we saved, we are right there to "guide" newcomers back to the future to teach them how we got from there to here IF they want to know.--- Those old Mountain Men fur trappers (we were song trappers) were the only ones with the knowledge to guide the people West after the beaver were gone. They knew the Indian paths--and a few more to boot.

Back to money:----For me, this discussion of money is after the fact and a bit of a moot point since I'm out of the loop these days. Keep in mind that talking about money to us older ones who are off the road is alot like comparing what cash Jackie Robinson made to what Barry Bonds or Sammy Sosa is making. It's rather frustrating when I think what fees I settled for, but what the hell, you good people today need so damn much more cash just to have a standard of living similar to the one like Jed Marum described. Just paying the astronomical rents charged here and now in the USA would be impossible for Carol and I if we weren't living in a HUD building. You kids need astronomical amounts of cash just to break even.

In spite of what I think folk music IS,   I can see that the Folk Alliance attitudes toward this scene as a business is the way to go for you singer-songwriters and world-music-fusion practitioners. I wish you all the best. It's a wondrous road you've chosen!!! ENJOY

Art Thieme