In my view the extent to which an individual perfomaer takes an interest in the background and origin of a song as a matter of personal preference, as is my choice of who I want to listen to.

I would have a great concern if no-one carried out any research whatsoever, or if, as often happens with maritime songs, the authenticity and accuraccy of the material performed is blindly accepted without referring back to source material; a bit like chinese whispers.