I'm still waiting for Conrad to give me two or three examples of the folk music that he thinks we are "charged" (who by?) with preserving. America had a huge influx of immigrants in the 19th century, from all over the world - the British Isles, Europe, the Far East, etc. Are we talking of Yiddish folk and theatre songs, for example? Just tell us what you consider to be the music.

Anyone can go to a library.

Of course they can - but they don't necessarily choose to. The music is there for all to see, accessible to all, but if people don't want to be coerced or prodded into enjoying it, you can't make them. It's nothing to do with money or professionalism or elitism. It's the people's choice and, no matter how important someone may think folk music is, it's not a given in society that we have to sing it, play it, or like it.

The reason folk songs are only sung by a handful is that over the last 100 years integration of folk music into the lifeway has declined.

If folk singing has declined, it's not because people are lulled away from singing it by professional performers - it's because, as Howard has quite rightly said above, other forms of music are more appealing. It's as simple as that, but you don't seem to get it. And - just to contradict that statement - what about the wealth of fiddle tunes in folk music (for example)? I sit here with the "Fiddler's Fakebook" in front of me - 500 tunes from all over the North America and parts of Europe - set out for me to enjoy. And anyone else to enjoy.

And the key word here is "enjoy" - because you haven't once mentioned in any of your posts the fundamental point of all music, which is to play it and enjoy it, And, if we choose to entertain others or be entertained by others with the music - just for fun - there's nothing any so-called radical paradigm will do to change that. You can't shoehorn music and the joy of music into a crackpot social theory for it's own sake. When you realise that, you might get some sense into your head. You might believe that folk music is a fundamental element of a "lifeway", whatever the hell that is, but many do not and will not, preferring classical music, or jazz, or rap, or hip-hop, or reggae or church music.

And some people have no interest in, or ear for, music whatsoever.