Only just spotted this thread again. PaulD asks why I haven't contributed. Simply because Jim and others were doing such an excellent job and didn't need any help. Hopefully what they had to say has now sunk in.

Dick, you seem determined to continue this thread in some form. Whilst I get mildly irritated that advertisers can make millions out of folk songs, I'm afraid that's a fact we have to accept if these songs and tunes are to stay in the public domain. This means they are available to all. If some dictator like PRS starts putting restrictions on them you might be one of the losers. They've already started charging festivals for including them (effectively).