I have heard folk talk about performing in coffee shops and church performances. Are we talking about paid gigs here? Do churches still pay for folk to sing? I know about some of the old soul singers who started off singing gospel and there was a good living to be made singing in churches. Is that still the case?
Do coffee shops actually pay musicians or is it just tips? Can you make a living singing in a coffee shop. Is it also common for local singer songwriters to make a good living playing original stuff? What sort of gigs do they play?

We do not really have anything in the UK like that. Certainly churches tend not to hire musicians except perhaps for the organist's expenses. We have lots of very small cafes and fast food restaurants. I have never seen any musicians play in these places possibly because they are so small and there is no room. It would be interesting comparing our two different cultures.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=687727&songID=5238055