Other forms: balladmongers
A balladmonger is a seller of verse, either in the form of poetry or music. To be called a balladmonger is often an insult, suggesting that the quality of the verse is low.
Just as a fishmonger sells fish, a balladmonger sells ballads — narrative poems or songs. In the 16th through the 19th centuries, balladmongers were street vendors who sold broadsides, large printed sheets with the lyrics of popular songs, poems, or sensational news of the day. Balladmongers often stood on street corners and sang the ballads aloud to attract customers. In a more modern, literary sense, calling someone a balladmonger is a derogatory way of saying their poems or songs are of inferior quality.