Surrounded by 21st Century corporate popular music culture for the masses;
gotta keep our own specialist biases in perspective....

For most young and new UK listeners and performers,
'Trad' is not the default starting point for entry into 'Folk'.

'Trad' is a small marginal, almost alien, area of interest within the broader folk music genre.
A genre where even bands as unlikely as R.E.M & The White Stripes
can be claimed by journalists to be on occasions 'folk' .

'Trad' requires new entrants to actively make the effort to seek it out and voluntarily opt in....

Yes there are still 'Trad folk families' passing it on to their offspring.
Some may argue they are predominantly midddle class
and almost as insular and preserved in aspic as the Amish and Mennonites...

Not knocking them, hats of to 'em..
but doesn't 'Trad' need fresh blood and more dynamic social diversity...???

Yeah, we all moan the mainstream music biz is nothing but transient marketing, PR, and hype...

But it wouldn't hurt to try and make Trad look just a little bit more appealing and less intimidating
to any newbies who might be making tentative first steps to check out mudcat for info and encouragement....????????