My personal stance; amateur folk music is far more interesting and vibrant and professional folk music. I guess part of this is because I'm cynical about folk musicians who put style before substance, and in doing so lose track of the spirit of the music because it's all about their flashy instrumental arrangements. But there's also a more fundamental question for me: Why would I listen to recordings or go to gigs of folk artists fancifying things, when I could easily go to a classical concert or listen to a gig of a proper indie band (especially given that a lot of professional folk just means somebody turning folk into breathy guitar-based pseudo-pop)? I listen to folk recordings to note variations of words, etc., but very rarely for pleasure - I have records of proper bands for that.

But as for the energy of a bunch of amateurs singing what they love - and that's what I've seen at a handful of wonderful singarounds etc that I've been to - I'd bypass a hundred gigs and concerts just for one night in that brilliant atmosphere of people getting up and singing and playing from the gut.