The idea that there were no songs being composed and sung before the advent of the printing presses is doubtful.
If that was the case there would not have been the demand that the broadside sellers and printers decided to exploit. The traditional songs did not suddenly start with the advent of the printing presses and broadside composers, that imo is extremely unlikely.
Then perhaps we should look at Wales, Songs in the welsh language do not appear to have been collected by Sharp and co, yet there must have been those songs and they are highly unlikely to have been
written by english broadsisde composers, the same applies to irish language songs [ possibly written by hedge poets and ordinary people all this tends to reinforce my original post quote
             'I am of the opinion, the old songs were composed by both Broadside writers and ordinary people who did not do it for money making reasons'