Back in the "dim dark ages" there were some people who discovered the music of the peasantry, farmers and the like and they started collecting this music (which probably would be lost by now if not for their efforts). They needed a name for this music and hence the term "Folk Music" was born along with a definition which is largely unknown now. As time went by other people who did not know of this definition or bother to do any research were a bit confused by what the term "Folk Music" meant and started formulating their own ideas as can be seen by all the comments made on threads such as this, to the point where it is now very muddy water. My main musical interest is in the music this term was originally devised to cover but I don't care how wide the compass is now as it helps to draw more people to this genre. A small number of them will be attracted to the original folk by their exposure hence the wider coverage will help to keep the older music alive and will provide "a venue" for this music. I also enjoy the wide diversity of music that can be heard on the folk scene today.