Folkiedave
I would not go to a singer's night and pay my 50p (or £5.00) because I know the probability of seeing someone good is low.

You're depriving yourself Dave. We charge £3 for singer's nights and you will hear some excellent singers. Ok, maybe one or two not so good and you might have to put up with me playing the fiddle.

But stop exploiting artists,

All contracts are negotiated in advance with details of fees and accommodation. The artist can say no.

Dave Polshaw

The two are comepletely different things and should never be confused.

I think this is where I came in. See 23 May 07 - 09:16 AM. I completely disagree; they are simply points on a continuum. from the smallest session through a wide variety of styles and sizes of club, concerts, festivals and the Albert Hall. There is no yawning gap between them.

If I pay £15 for a concert I expect a good night. As you say, it is hypothetical anyway - Just as is your 3 hour concert and five minute singer. When did you last see a top act perform for three solid hours and when did you last see a bad floor singer shut up after five minutes;-)

Actually, I said "a three hour concert with Fairport at the top of the bill" and lets say 10 minutes for the floor singer. They'd have finished by the time you had faught it out with the box office.

(Are you a Dave as well BTW?)

Bryan (The Snail, geddit?)

Breton Cap
( I don't always win the bottle of red wine).

No, but too bloody often for chance. Dark deals have been done. When you aren't there, the cry goes up "Get your raffle tickets. Dave's not here so you are in with a chance.

Diane Easby
Er, no, not quite. What I am asking for is properly and professionally run venues with good working conditions, proper rates of pay, a good deal for punters who pay a fair price, and wonderful music and all this preferably not all seated in rows with no room for dancing.

Fine, but that's not the only way of doing it. Venues like that (e.g. The Komedia) are few and far between. Professional artists would have slim pickings.

Went to see Tom McConville, Claire Mann and Aaron Jones at the Hawth, Crawley last night. Wonderful concert by wonderful people but the audience in a studio theatre which could probably have seated 150 + was smaller than when we booked them. Similarly, went to see Alistair Anderson and his band of young musicians in a largish venue in Hove a few months ago. There were a handful in the audience, largely because the professional organisers didn't know how to advertise to a folky audience and didn't contact the local folk community till it was too late.

For Folkiedave. Yes! Went north of Ringmer, about twenty miles, and the only beer on hand pump was Tetley's. I didn't realise The North started so soon.