I found this a fascinating thread. Ironic that the "folk revival heroes" that are being lifted up and had commercial dominance in the early sixties saw the beginning of the end of their popularity with...the Beatles? I firmly believe the music of the Beatles will still be listened to and appreciated 100 years from now.

More to the point ... what has not been mentioned is that the "lack of shared experience" and "self-centered" nature of contemporary folk has perhaps more to do with a shift in the way people listen to music today vs. 45 years ago. It is no longer about the CD, let alone the album or tape. Downloading songs to an ipod, listening to lastfm or pandora, watching performers on youtube, even browsing lyrics in the DT ... these things have fundamentally changed the way the current generation of youth experience music. This is true not just of folk music, but all genres. It is perhaps a double-edged sword - unprecedented access, but greater fragmentation. Better or worse? Depends on where it is all going, which is anybody's guess. An interesting discussion, the impact of new ways of listening to music upon folk music itself.

But I do think that calling contemporary folk singers "self-centered" and "lacking in influence" is quite unfair. Without a time machine it is impossible to know what the influence will be of the many artists here mentioned. To say that songs of the last 5 years or so "won't stand the test of time like the standards" is begging the question. We'll have to see in 2050 or so...