Hi Melissa,
I agree that if you just judge by these threads it sounds like the entire folk world is rotten, but that isn't the case. I have visited several folk clubs in the UK, both as a performer and as a 'punter'. The atmosphere has always been welcoming, the standard of performance in the floor spots varied but I can't recall any evening when I didn't hear singers I enjoyed. On occasions where I called the organizers ahead of time and said I was a visiting American folkie they invariably and graciously offered me a floor spot. Turning up as a stranger I was always warmly welcomed and I enjoyed every folk club I went to or performed at. I think there is a lot of venting going on in this thread and you're hearing about everybody's 'issues', but if you were to attend a folk club you probably wouldn't run into any of that. On the contrary at most of the folk clubs there seemed to be a lot of camaraderie and fellowship. A great deal of hard work goes into organizing a folk club. Not all organizers are perfect but I really think most of them make a concerted effort to provide great entertainment at a reasonable price for club members and anybody else who wants to drop in and pay the modest admission fee. They aren't in it for the money and I sincerely doubt that the performers are either - there really isn't a lot of money to be made on the folk club circuit. There's a good side to folk clubs too. I wouldn't stay away from folk clubs or venues based on these discussions.