As an active participant(some say organiser) of a live music club(some say folk)I've seen many examples over the years of songs being mistaken for traditional. This is regarded by some writers as the ultimate accolade. Not all writers use the 'scene' as a springboard to 'better' things. I think the problem is that the word 'folk' is so general as to be meaningless. More accurate(though less convenient)words can always be found.