"That's like those traditional songs collected from Steeleye Span LPs, surely?"

Depends what you mean by 'like' I guess. Though I imagine what you are specifically refering to here is the use of the (redundant?) terminology.

As far as it being *qualititively* alike, then I'd say 'no', not for me personally. In as much as I've done both (though not with Steeleye Span specifically). It 'feels' different picking up a song from a sorta almost 'real' person singing and playing it simply, as opposed to a recording of something that may well have been heavily produced in a studio.

Qualitatively different as a listener and learner, because there feels far less 'remove' and much more 'intimacy'. I've made use of a few YouTube folk artists home recordings, certainly many more than I have of any celeb acts recordings.

In fact I've not actually thought 'why' I've done that until now...