Thanks that the financial access to musical instruments becoming easier for the youth of today and the wonder of the world wide web as a repository of the Folk past in words, sound and pictures it is very doubtful that this genre will ever 'fade away'. Change it shall but the constant looking back by musicians for influence & ideas means that today a 4 year old girl with a home karaoke singing her little heart out isn't going to be afraid in 10 or 20 years time to explore the world of music and find her own voice writing & singing in the 'folk idiom'.

Indeed just tonight Jim Moray, Jackie Oates & The Unthanks will be performing in Austin Texas at SXSW with the musical label 'World' and not 'Folk' alongside their names on the listings, so maybe the genre label will change but not the music?