"Fair enough, but if that community chooses an Elton John or a Beatles song rather than something sung in a club session are you happy to accept the people's judgement?"

What's the alternative? We can argue forever, but our opinions have little or no effect on anyone but us, and it's mainly our blood pressure they affect. Telling the 'folk' what they should and shoudn't sing is futile. They won't listen and likely don't care what anyone else thinks.

My mother used to drive a school bus. The little kids sat in the back and sang "We all live in a yellow submarine, a yellow..." every day. Sometimes several times every day. Now, we know it was a huge Beatles hit with a copyright and everything. We know that song is not a folk song. Those kids woudn't have cared. They just had fun singing it.