Anyone interested in our discussion of folk music a few weeks back might enjoy an article in the current New Yorker: "The Last Verse: Is there any folk music still out there?" by Burkhard Bilger, esp. pp. 52-56, which is a very smart, very well-written, and very funny summary of the rise, discovery and obliteration of American folk music -- and a great description of the essence of a great folk song, and what makes is a cultural meme.
It's unfortunately not online, but I'll be glad to send a pdf of the relevant first half to anyone interested.
BTW, in the second half, the article deals with the most recent re-re-anthologizers. While discussing some colorful obsessive collectors, it notes just how rare listeners to this music now are:
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Billboard and Nielsen SoundScan don't bother to track folk music as a separate category -- the numbers are so low. ("We don't put out reissues anymore -- none," Yazoo's owner, Richard Nevins, told me. "There are no sales.")
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Michael