If a singer [who is also a fabricator] can perform the song well and get the interest of people who have never heard shanties before, is that perfomance minimised because they are a fabricating scholar?
   The performance of the song is what keeps songs alive and prevents them becoming museum exhibits, the fabricators scholarship work may be worthless, in your opinion from a scholarship perspective, but if they were also successful song carriers, then overall their contribution is not worthless Whilst scholarship is important, keeping the songs alive IMO is even more important,
Of paramount importance is the songs must be performed