I would not doubt that Ralph Peer had a financial interest in copyrights and it is well known that A.P. Carter copyrighted traditional music. But I have read several articles about early recording artists who commented that the recording companies wanted original music or folk music to avoid payments on copyrighted material. I personally interviewed one of those artists about a year ago (he is now in his 90s)and got the same information.

Stewie, thanks for the information on the Journal of American Folklore issue. I will see if I can locate a copy.

GuestTJ, the lines between folk and country were once hard to draw. Was Merle Travis folk or country? Merle would have been shocked if someone had labeled him folk. But he was certainly influenced by Kentucky music traditions. Jimmy Driftwood did call his music folk music. He considered himself a folklorist. His music was also heavily influenced by Ozark music traditions.