Chris P, I'm not denying the quality of the individual musicians who have all been commercially successful in their chosen areas -- but over the years the programming has moved inexorably from a fair representation of Scottish traditional song/music to a position where it almost seems to have been subsumed into the "crossover" genre and very little is allowed to stand in its original state. Tunes are perhaps slightly more robust, but song too often IMHO is seen as an excuse for instrumentalists to jump in and make an "arrangement".

After more than 50 years' involvement with traditional Scottish song, I think I know what I like and that is why I so often find CC programming disappointing; even when there is a performer I would want to hear, too often (s)he is billed with other less attractive acts -- to me -- and at a ticket price that forces me to do sums to work out the value of a half hour slot!

There's no denying that CC attracts audiences from considerable distances, but the organisers seem to me to suffer from a lack of confidence in traditional song or an unwillingness to promote it and "educate" a potential audience. Too often their commitment to song produces a slew of American singer/songwriters -- probably very talented, but not to my personal taste.

And have you noticed that the links with English traditional music are seldom acknowledged?

Hope this gives you more of a sense of where I'm coming from!