Hi Dan,
I have been pondering this one for a bit, and I don't think I am anywhere close to the answer. I will say this. Upon reflection, it occurs to me that this is just part of the great wheel. At various times, throughout history, other styles of music have come into prominence and the folk arts moved to the fringe. At times like that, our spiritual forebears, gathered in the music and protected it until the young ones came back around. Think about our own lifetimes, and the generation just before us. There was a golden age of folk music that got interrupted by the big band sound and early rock 'n Roll. We had a revival in the late 50's and through the 60's. Then comes Disco, back to the fringe. And so it goes. I guess I feel that our bardic task is to keep it going, until the next Woody or Pete or Bok, Muir & Trickett comes along. And he/she will. We have a lot of interest right now, which allows us to preserve more of it for posterity. I must admit to having the same concerns as you. But each time I play some venue and my 20 and 22 year old daughters show up with their friends; and the friends ask me about the music and tell me how much they like it, it helps me to understand that we couldn't kill the music if we tried. It has appeal, and only needs us to expose it to 'folks'.

All the best,

Mick Lane