"If an audience is to be won for traditional singing, it has to be for its own merits and not for something else, and thereby hangs our problem."

I have a lot of time for JimC's posts too Good Soldier, though I reserve the right to completely disagree with them on a regular basis! That's simply healthy discussion as I'm sure he'd agree.
The problem I have with JimC's post here, is the premise that an *audience* for traditional singing need to be won at all in order for it to have a 'future' - as per the OP.

I'd see it the other way around entirely, to encourage more people to explore traditional songs and singing for themselves. And yes, as JM says, IMO these songs and their stories belong to *all of us* to discover, explore and to respond to, as directly and intimately as we are able, drawing upon whatever personal resources, experiences or skills we may possess in order to achieve that.

I can't recall the traditional singer's name, but Jim has told us the story of two folk celebs squabbling over who was going to get to record his songs. And the chap says simply: "They're not my songs, they're everybody's".