I agree, I am glad that ANY publicity gets shone upon the world of folk music.

Bonnie, say what you will about ignoring the adverts, but subliminally you cannot avoid them. It doesn't matter if they know or not, the idea is that you know. "Going into the store" does not necessarily mean that you buy something. It shows you crossed a picket line. As you said, the people on the line are not going to know if you bought something or not. It is your decision. We can justify our actions to soothe our conscious, the spin doctors do that daily.

My point is that you can't call it a boycott if you make exceptions.   There is nothing wrong with making exceptions as long as you understand what you are doing.

I'm not a fan of boycotts, although I understand and respect them. They can be very hypocritcal.   I remember a famous story that Dave Van Ronk complained to Oscar Brand about Oscar playing Burl Ives on his radio program.   Van Ronk was upset because Ives stance during the HUAC hearings and felt that his music should not be heard on the radio. Brand replied "Dave, we on the "left" do not blacklist". Point well taken.