Ok, since the question's already on the table, here's what I want to know. I know I risk bringing the wrath of any number of people down upon my head for saying this, but I've been wondering about it for a while now...

The people who adhere to a strict definition of what 'folk' music is, say that it is music that has stood the test of time. Many of these same people express a sense of urgency about getting as many 'folk' songs into the data-base as possible, as quickly as possible, for fear that they might disappear otherwise.

So here's where I get confused... if they're on the brink of disappearing, it seems to me they haven't stood the test of time and are therefore, using the same strict definition, not folk songs.