I can only point out (again, yet) that the " what I posted was a direct quote from a posting by Ms. Easby. I hold no brief, neither for nor against Mr. Bulmer, I'm not sure whether she's bitching about Bulmer releasing the material (which he's doing) or not releasing it (which he's also doing, albeit with a different portion of the material.

I have no information, one way or another, about Bulmer's fiddle tune collecting. I'll say again that the contracts signed back then were unspeakable BY TODAY'S STANDARDS. They're the same kind of contracts that cost the Kossoy Sisters all rights to their recording of "I'll Fly Away" when it was used in O Brother, Where Art Thou.

Again, by today's standards, repaying a performer with token payments--   "paid in kind - she received a set of handkerchiefs which Lucy took round to her two days after she had collected songs from her; and Lucy forwarded on various gifts of soft furnishings for the house to the family that she had collected songs from in Arisaig" is essentially using their performances with no contract and no royalties. Frankly, though, considering the tiny sales potential of this kind of material, I can't see any other way of doing it.
      There's clearly a difference between being a source for a song and being a performer on a recording that's going to be sold commercially.

Lastly, I'd like to state that I unequivocally honor and am grateful to all the collectors--whether or not I would or did dislike them personally.