"But I do worry that our musical heritage is being allowed to dwindle and wither by those supposedly dedicated to its propagation."

*sigh*

If the scene is dwindling and withering, how come these young artists are so consistently on my radar?

Mawkin:Causley
Lauren McCormick and Emily Portman
Jackie Oates
James Dumbleton
James Reynard
Matt Norman
Last Orders
Mike and Ali Vass
Laurel Swift
Oli Matthews
Tom Wright
Saul Rose
Benji Kirkpatrick
Paul Sartin
Bodega
Park Bench Social Club
Megson
The Gloworms
422
The Askew Sisters
Spiers and Boden
Laura Hockenhull
The Young Coppers
The Demon Barber Road Show
Uiscedwr
Bella Hardy
Lisa Knapp
Rachel Unthank and the Winterset
Shona Kipling and Damien O'Kane
Jim Moray
Crucible/Hekety

...and that's just off the top of my head. These are people getting booked regularly at festivals and venues - and even folk clubs.