Oooh...thats a good question and could, perhaps, lead to another thread. I think this is a bit of a grey area and I must apologise in advance here because I'm talking from my experience of English clubs.

A singaround involves working your way around a room with each person (who wishes) taking a turn at singing or playing wjereas I take a singers night to be somewhat similar to the folk clubs I remember from the 70's and 80's with a resident or residents hosting the night with singers coming to the front of the room or stage to sing, usually, two or three songs. This would give a singer the confidence to go on to the next stage which would be to sing as a 'floor spot' at a guest night--a warm-up act if you will--for the professional artist booked on that night ...this can be a real test of nerves. Many professional folk-singers honed their craft by paying their dues as floor singers.

Incidentally...there is no ban on people using books at our singarounds...two or three regulars use them regularly until they feel comfortable enough with a song to fly without the aid of a safety net.

Any more on this?