I'm not trying to change the definition of the word "traditional music." I just find it interesting that many of the qualities that we ascribe to traditional music also relate to other forms of music where new generations draw upon previous generations of music for inspiration and the subject matter reflects the daily life of ordinary "folks".

Well, yes. I've always thought that if we were to define traditional music only as the music that comes from normal folks playing in a non-academic manner, rock and rap are both more traditional than traditional music in today's society. Doesn't make them traditional music, though. They're still rock and rap. I suppose the existence of definitive, original versions of the songs would also cause some problems for defining them as traditional music.