Guest Chris: Will we have 'professional'singers for much longer if clubs are turning into sing-arounds or closing? One wonders who will influence and enthuse budding musicians then?

I think they'll find outlets. I know of 3 individuals who started off at one open mic I attend who now regularly get paying gigs. Two of them are very "folky".

The young organiser at that one has, in the last year or so, started to get a lot of airplay on 6Music, Radio 2 and some local radio stations, as well as having 3 of his songs played regularly as "background" in a TV soap opera.

I've promoted folk acts myself, including a very successful gig for Katriona Gilmore and Jamie Roberts at The Plaza in Sevenoaks where we managed (by dint of a lot of leafletting and other publicity and holding ticket prices down to £6) to pack in around 120 people. I don't do it to make money (I just did slightly more than break even on that one....I did think I'd made £55 profit until the venue sent me a PRS bill for £36, despite all Katriona and Jamie's songs being either traditional or their own compositions!!!). I just like trying to get better exposure for people I've seen, enjoyed, and think ought to be brought to the attention of more people.