I believe the reason used to have more to do with licensing laws than anything else. I know of some clubs, Westhoughton and Northwich for example, which operate a membership system. The two clubs I'm involved in running, The Open Door and the Railway, do not.

We have had a few instances at the Railway recently when ticket sales for guests have reached room capacity before the day. Regulars aren't usually disappointed, because they know soon enough that tickets are selling fast, so I don't think a membership scheme would make much difference.

I agree that a membership system could make people feel excluded, and, in my experience, it can also drive away those who don't wish to take on such a commitment. No, I don't understand that last bit either, but it happened at a club I used to run back in the 1980s!

I believe the trend towards festivals has a lot to do with the decline of clubs, and I've no idea how to reverse it.

The Open Door has a very small core of regulars, but the Railway boasts around fifty. The Open DOor is on a bus route, the Railway has no easily accessible public transport...