Lots of interesting points here...hope you don't mind me adding to the dialog.

I understand Jak's frustration with venues. I spent nearly 10 years on the road, and met plenty of club owners who wanted something for nothing. Also, given Jak's talent, I can understand that a guy who is as excellent performer as he is would be a little pissed to pony up money for something that he is usually paid for.

That said, I think we have a little different dynamic with our JPF meetings. JPF members represent the vast majority of the audience at our monthly meetings. I wouldn't have a problem kicking in $5-$10 knowing that I, and everybody else, benefit by having the highest quality perfomance elements possible...stage, sound, lighting, no smoking, cold beer, etc.

$10 is a small amount of money to pay for a pleasant experince as both performer and audience member. That's not giving the owner a freebie, it's optimizing our experience. It can also be a method of separating the wheat from the chaff.

Finally, given my level of proficiency as a performer, I'm not shocked at the prospect of having to pay for an audience :-)

Mike Worrall