Whilst this is certainly true SS there are still plenty of songwriters about who couldn't give a toss about copyright and are just happy for others to sing their songs. Also there are plenty of 'folk songs' even the traditional ones that we know the author of, even some of the Child Ballads. After 70 years they go out of copyright and mine don't get copyrighted at all. All of the songs I sing that are not from oral tradition have been written by people I know or knew personally.