Seems to me the complaint is with the Anglo dominant folk culture here. Other music cultures seem blissfully unaware of the angst over the "death of folk" because they are busy enjoying the living traditions of their music cultures. This is as true in Quebec as it is in Mexico City, and I don't mean that there is one monolithic music culture/folk community in either place.

I really don't understand the handwringing over this, when it seems to me that it is the Anglocentric folkies and those who have assimilated into the Anglo dominant folk scene who dominate the airwaves.

Which is why Latin music never bothers anymore with the gringo stations, and why Irish musicians have their own circuit too.

To my mind, the best folk music isn't on the radio or in folk clubs, and hasn't been for years. But I have a blast every year at our local bluegrass festival (much more family friendly than a coffeehouse or pub or bar!), and we play music and sing at home all the time! And are involved in the Latin dance craze, where we will go anywhere to dance! And there are a number of local ceilis too!

Some of us just don't seem to be as proud or stuck up as some of you folk alarmists are. I think the state of folk/trad music is healthier than it has ever been. I have more choices to hear and participate in excellent music experiences than I ever have.

I happen to love listening to a lot of singer/songwriters, but I want to hear them live in intimate concert settings, not on radio or in a bar with an obnoxious amount of smoke and drunks. I LOVE the fact that I can see Greg Brown or Mary Chapin Carpenter play really intelligent music in an intimate, respectful setting. So what is the problem with that?

Get a music life! Bring it home, take it out, do whatever you want. But wise up and realize that radio isn't part of the so-called "folk process" any more than folk clubs and coffeehouses are!