It's interesting 'tradition' is brought into this. To my mind traditional musicians did not exist or play in a vacuum. They were part of a the community and functioned within the community. Quite different from the attitude expressed earlier in this thread. And there lies my point: Traditional music never was solely the plaything of the musicians, only to play to eachother. It wasn't necessarily performance based either. But to declare yourself separate from your environment 'we're only here for our own entertainment' seems a rather extreme position to take.

I like to play with other musicians I know well but if I want to enjoy playing fully I would probably choose to do it in a place other than a pub, away from distraction or interference. If we do play in a pub our own amusement is important. But we do not play in isolation. People in the pub known to be singers are regularly asked to sing a song, or two. Young players are asked to play a tune. There's no performance but there is interaction with the other inhabitants of the venue. Quite essential to a living, breathing music I would think.