"When we sked the bar manager to turn them down he refused, saying that the more volume they pumped out, the harder it was for the customers to have any conversation without shouting. The more they shouted, the hoarser they got. The hoarser they got the more they had to drink. He wanted to sell beer so he wanted the music loud!"

Well, you have to admit that makes commercial sense. But turning up the volume of the band isn't quite the same thing as turning up the volume of the telly to drown out the band.

The answer is, I suppose, people who love folk music just have to bite the bullet and drink more at sessions. And buy the musicians more drinks. (And pay for their taxis home.) It's a hard life folk music...
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I wasn't clear if that bad-tempered lad was just suggesting that people shouldn't complain if a pub thinks it can make more money without folk music, which is sensible advice, or suggesting that it's a good idea to keep on playing to drown out the TV, which seems to me pretty very silly advice.