Cover performers vs Traditional performers

I have to admit it, I'm a bit of a snob about cover artists, those who specialize in covering the work that was made popular by others.
But what is that about?
I don't seem to be hung up about people who play classical music, or traditional works, but aren't they playing music that has already been made popular by somebody else.  Well, as I see it, yes and no.
I realized what the difference is for me.  It's about the recording industry.
Music that was made popular during the era of the recording industry, thru it's radio play and the likes of that distribution, is currently still very available to us, in it's original form, via modern technology.
Tradition, classical, quite a bit of jazz did not become popular thru recordings as much as the handing down of these pieces, person to person, or thru sheet music, and thusly have to keep a certain human, or organic method in their transference and our exposure to them.
Recorded music, or music from the recording industry era, just seems a bit like refined sugar, to me, where as, the traditional, classical, jazz and old times stuff, is a bit more the sweetness of a good old apple.  I prefer the apple to processed sugar.
So hearing another cover of a _____________ ( you can fill in the blank) that can be heard with the touch of my iPhone, in the original version, as done by somebody not the original artist, and no where like the original artists, just leaves me feeling a little bit unsatisfied.
Now the exception is when a performer truly makes the piece his own with an interpretation that is identifiable as ___________(you can fill in the blank) version of ___________ that takes it to a knew place.  Something like what Ryan Adams did with Taylor Swifts "Bad Blood", or with Oasis's "Wonderwall", or Michael Hedges doin his versions of Jimmy Hendrix or Neil Young or the Beatles.

I realize that not everybody can write new music, fair enough, but the bulk of what is going on in any bar, any given night and at most celebrations, including "tribute bands" is, forgive me if you can, just setting the bar kind of low.

Keep in mind that if you read this and play out, gig out, and are getting paid, getting applause, and getting your guitar/voice/rockstar on, and your happy, then "Good On Ya"!  Live your dream dudes and dudettes and realize that your life is the dream that most of us wish we could experience, even just once.

Peace,