Gene, you questioned the idea that there were lots of young audiences AND performers (your emphasis) on the folk scene.

Good lord, do I have to name all of the festivals booking such artists as well? The ones mentioned were meant to be illustrative, rather than an exhaustive list. I have no idea which festivals you're attending, but I probably do abut 10 a year, and see many of the artists I named at all of them. I also attend a lot of folk gigs in various parts of the country. These artists are bringing out CDs and touring them to venues all the time.

In addition to the festivals I cited, others booking substantial numbers of younger artists include:

Oxford, Cheltenham, Loughborough, Broadstairs, Gosport, Holmfirth, Chippenham, Southwell, Middlewich, Big Session, Ely, Priddy, Trowbridge, Bideford, Shrewsbury, Bromyard...those are, again, off the top of my head.

Audieces: well, that depends on the festival. Some are more successful at attracting younger audiences than others, as I said previously. This can be to do with pricing policies, type of accommodation available, engagement with the local community, and a number of other factors.


So as was suggested on the previous thread, perhaps you do need to get out more.