OK, so this probably isn't really about the cost of the Topic collection so much (which no doubt are worth it if you can afford it), as much as the absence of a public educational and historical resource akin to the American Max Hunter collection. It was the decision to commit to buying the collection and the unpleasant realisation of how much it was going to cost me (I never personally spend that much on non-essential items), which prompted me to post.

I recently decided to start taking this 'traditional singing' lark a bit more seriously and make a more concerted effort to educate myself properly about my cultural roots if you will, and everyone but everyone says to look to recordings of source singers, a path which leads almost inevitably to VotP. As a low income working class amateur singer, with zero pence to my name, it struck me that the 'voice of the people' wasn't actually available to the 'ear of the people' so to speak, unless you happen to have a few hundred spare quid floating about, a spare hundred quid that I for one (can't speak for any other low income people here) simply don't have.

That's no criticism of Topic btw. I understand they are performing a valuable service. Just a pity there wasn't an equivalent freely available educational resource akin to Max Hunter, of English or British traditional singing. Though as others have mentioned here, there may be other places to look, and especially one hopes, in the future.