'vying for club and festival bookings'

I think,looking from the outside, this is a recurring theme in discussions about the UK folkscene. Time and again a musician or a particular place/club is brought up and the reaction is 'I booked him a few times' or 'I did a few bookings there' without really much, or any, discussion of the music involved.

Perhaps it is worth considering that at the core of 'folkmusic' there should be something else, playing music for the sake of it, playing music for friends or community, than 'vying for bookings'.

Just a thought.