How many folk clubs are there?

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 12:10 PM

We have operated out of a Marston's pub for the last eighteen years without any brewery interference so far. Having said that I don't think that our pub and Corporate Image go together.

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: Folkiedave
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 11:54 AM

Name the brewery. Then we can write to them and point out the error of their ways!

On the other hand do they do real ale?

And since pubs are closing at an alarming rate - what does a brewery rep know?

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: Vic Smith
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 11:37 AM

Twick Folk wrote

"Aren't there more than that within the space of 100 yards in Lewes, West Sussex?"

Don't know anything about West Sussex but there are certainly more than six pubs with folk clubs/tune sessions/singarounds in the small town of Lewes in East Sussex.

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: autoharpbob
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 10:36 AM

Who is is this casting nasturtiums on me? And how did he work out who I was?

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: uncle joe
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 10:22 AM

Hang on I know this Bob and he isn't that bright when playing the autoharp! I think you could at least double that estimate and if the brewery still doesn't like the idea how about takings averaging £250 on a Wed night and if they still aren't convinced think about the repeat custom from folkie types who get to like your venue and come on other nights just for a meal or because they like the barmaid (sorry barperson? Why worry, there must be more than one pub in your area most landlords would kill for a few extra punters.

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: G-Force
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 10:20 AM

If this is about what I think it's about, the brewery is Marston's.

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: autoharpbob
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 10:08 AM

I go to seven folk clubs on a regular basis and have attended fifteen in the past two years, all within one hours drive of my home in Nottingham UK. I am out performing at a folk club 3/4 nights most weeks. I also find folk clubs when I go on holiday, in Wales or the Lakes usually.

Taking a 50mile radius, that gives an area of 7,857 sq.miles for 15 clubs. Using the Wikipedia area of the UK at 244,820 sq. miles, this is 31 times the area I cover, so there are 31x15 = 465 folk clubs in the UK. QED.

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: evansakes
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 09:31 AM

"Six"

Six?

Aren't there more than that within the space of 100 yards in Lewes, West Sussex?

:-)

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: t.jack
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 09:21 AM

Marketing yes .Is folk music leaving us.Disco has .I don`t know how else it survives other than around the kitchen table and most of the time we eat out

                t.j.

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: GUEST,Billy Suggers
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 09:16 AM

First thing that you'd suspect is that the brewery doesn't want folkies because they are rough types who make a lot of noise ......

Thinking about that - I remember when folk clubs were the province of bearded types in Arran Sweaters who fancied themselves as Trotskyites but had failed the medical for the Young Socialists.
The male folkies were even worse.

Nope - there' sthe danger that the rep's corporate image centres around

a) girls who consume their own weight in Breezers over a three hour session
b) their lager tank boyfriends
c) indie bands Fridays and Saturdays, Karioke Sundays
d) Champions League (full volume) on other nights.

This will not sit well with the rep's fear of being tainted with nerdy old farts croaking out ballads and playing wheezy accordions.
(If it helps, I'll stay away .. )

Whats needed is a good bit of folk marketing - to disabuse the brewery of their preconceptions ....

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: t.jack
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 08:45 AM

I should think that if one was to start a franchise of MUD CAT CAFA
example .Clubs across the country would have some interesting turnouts...
Here in Canada it can be quite difficult to pick up gigs at coffee houses.The old thing is that musicians play for nothing and when the till rings for the owner,they think they are doing musicians a favour.
   Where a hard hat and steel toes and stop calling it playing.

                                          t.j.

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: GUEST,Mike
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 08:44 AM

Probably has connections with Sam Smith's Brewery or they think singing/playing Traditional Music will put punters off drinking their non-traditional beer.

By the way - which Brewery is it ??

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: treewind
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 08:38 AM

"[a folk club] wasn't in keeping with the breweries corporate image "

Now there's a whole nother topic in itself.

What "corporate image" does a brewery want to have?

Is a "corporate image" even the first thing you want to think of when a brewer's name is mentioned?

...and most important of all, what exactly does the "corporate image" of folk music have about it that is distasteful to the brewery's marketing department?

Anahata

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: Vic Smith
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 08:34 AM

Six? No, one of them closed last week

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 08:21 AM

Six

Subject: RE: How many folk clubs are there?
From: GUEST,Mr Red
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 07:35 AM

I fear I am straying into definitions territory but......

when entering venues on cresby.com I find that "Folk Clubs" fall into about 4 vague categories and waver along the spectrum a lot.

1) the Booked guest all/most weeks/months (entrance fee)
2) singers/musos club, occ/rare Guests (cover charge)
3) SAR in their own room
4) open session/SAR in the bar but the organisers want it to be called (and listed) as a Folk Club.

Always assumming it is not an acoustic club &/or remains in the category it started in (not guaranteed). This could get messy.........

Subject: How many folk clubs are there?
From: GUEST,Onesacrowd
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 07:23 AM

Here's a question... How many folk clubs are there (In England specifically )and what's the average attendance? (And while we're at it - how long is this piece of string?) Unanwserable questions I know, but I ask because a friend of mine is trying to re-locate/revive a folk club and thought he had found an ideal venu in a local pub's function room. The landlord /tennant was keen(ish), but he reckoned without the brewery rep', who advised that "it wasn't in keeping with the breweries corporate image ". Personally I'd have thought that 20+ (?) or so "bums on seats", each buying a few quids worth of drinks would be what the corporation needed on a quiet weekday evening. But what do I know about these things? A few facts and figures (or best quesstimates from the assembled collective ) would be useful before writing to the brewey to point out the error of their ways