Peter - your remarks are not U.K. specific, I think they apply to the U.S. as well. Most of the folk organizations here are run by older groups. I think it would be nice to see someone under 40 get involved, the 21 to 30 age group would be ideal.

While I feel that people need to find folk music instead of the other way around, I do see that there is a split between age groups over what is folk. Ani Difranco may have a younger following and the older crowd does not find her folk (this is a generalization - there are plenty of exceptions). Likewise my daughter was bored to tears when I took her to see Weavermania, a show that I thought was stunning and the audience agreed.   I am 45 and except for my daughter I was the youngest person in the auditorium.

The trouble is, you can't force people to like something that just doesn't appeal to them.   It is said that the music of ones formative years will stick with them for the rest of their lives.   Today's youth are forcefed music that has been improved by corporations, not developed by true artists. (Another generalization) There are still artists out there who need to be heard, and folk organizations are tring to give them a stage and I am trying to play them on the radio. As I said previously, the only way music will attract an audience is if it offers something that the audience wants.

Ron