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NEW YORK (Billboard) - The North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance was founded in 1989, when Clark and Elaine Weissman and the California Traditional Music Society invited 125 people to a retreat in Malibu, Calif., to discuss the formation of a coalition of folk organizers.

The organization is gearing up for its 20th edition of what has become the annual “town hall” of the folk community: the International Folk Alliance Conference, scheduled for February 20-24 in Memphis.

“The impetus for founding the Folk Alliance was to make sure that the traditional music community was getting their due,” executive director Louis Jay Meyers said.

Today, the 3,000 members of the alliance come from diverse walks of life; the member base comprises artists, publishers, promoters and even fans.

“We provide opportunities for all of our members year-round,” Meyers continues. “Some of our benefits include discounts on things like health insurance and event insurance, as well as CD manufacturing and marketing. But we also provide a lot of opportunities for people to meet each other and come together. We have six regional conferences in the fall, which are a great way for folk enthusiasts to locate like-minded people in their community.”

Performance opportunities are another perk for alliance members. “We have showcases at Tin Pan Alley South and South by Southwest (music conferences), and we program other events around the world,” Meyers said.

The overarching mission of the Folk Alliance, aside from serving members in practical ways, is to share musical traditions. While that might suggest that the member base would skew older, Meyers said this is not the case. “We have 14-year-old members, and we have 90-year-old members,” he said.

“More and more, I’m seeing an incredibly strong youth presence in the traditional music scene,” he continues. “It’s almost like we’re back to a ’60s state of mind. For the first time in 40 years, the time is right for songs to have an impact. Because of the state of affairs in the world and the upcoming election, young people feel like they have a reason to write songs and try to change the world.”

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