There may not seem much of a link here, but there has been a trend over the last decade for choirs to register as charities. I attribute this at least in part to the Finance Act 2000, which liberalised the conditions under which donations could be augmented by Gift Aid. Choir subscriptions now bring in significantly more income, if you are a charity.
But there are some other consequences of such a change. Once the choir is a charity, it can no longer be the personal fiefdom of its musical director. They may continue to make the artistic decisions, but are accountable to a committee. Furthermore, charitable status depends on the affairs of the organisation (such as the administration of auditions and that of subscriptions) being in order. Certainly some experiences I’ve had in the past wouldn’t now happen under such a dispensation, or if they did it would be possible to appeal to the committee of the choir concerned and remind them of their charitable status. So I think this change is for the better. I should add that I’m involved with more than one choir which doesn’t have charitable status and which is run fairly!