In my days running a club we booked as many professionals as we could afford and paid the going rate. They always cost us money.

The good local performers would bring in a crowd and we would always turn a profit on those nights, without them we could never have afforded a single "name".

With good publicity and some careful cash flow forecasting we were able to put on some decent shows which got new people into the scene and gave the regulars a chance to perform to a proper audience rather than just sit in a circle singing to each other.