Wow... not only does my spelling suck, but I'm truly blind.
My little sentence up top actually said that I'm the THRAD-killer. And it took me this long to catch that? Boy do I feel shamed right now...
Anyways...
I have to ask... does anybody here collect (music) bootlegs?
Okay... let me make a distinction. I'm not talking about purchasing anything, nor am I talking about copies of officially-released material (which is called "piracy," and yes, piracy and bootlegging are two very different things).
What I am talking about are recordings of live shows, mostly made by the audience, sometimes from a soundboard, and, also, studio outtakes and sessions (that is, all the stuff you don't get to hear on that official studio album).
I ask because I'm kinda deep into this world of free trading, collecting, torrenting, etc of bootlegs. It's mostly Led Zeppelin for me (in fact, I'm quite close to having a copy of every single live Led Zeppelin show ever recorded), but I also have some Pink Floyd, some Jimi Hendrix, some The Doors, some Black Sabbath, some ELP (Emerson, Lake, and Palmer)... mostly I have recordings of shows from the 60's and 70's because I truly and honestly believe the greatest music came out of this era.
But beyond that, as an aspiring musical artist and record-label owner, I believe in the promotional power of bootlegs. I believe that, instead of being fought, these should be used as tools to promote a band and their music. Once I start doing live shows, I plan on having all of them recorded so they can be downloaded, for free, right from my own site. I'll sell cases and artwork for, say, $5 - $15 depending on how many CDs or DVDs the cases need to hold.
I believe that more bands should consider something like that. Provide soundboard recordings of the shows, edited for quality but not for content, for free, not long after the show (like Instant Live sets, only free for download on a site), in multiple formats (MP3, FLAC, etc), to be downloaded. Then sell cases and artwork for these recording for those collectors who like to archive what they download.
And no, there is no danger of losing money. That is a myth, believe it or not. Truth is, the majority of bootleggers support the bands they collect. I have bought every single official release Led Zeppelin has put out and will continue to do so. I buy a lot of Led Zeppelin merchandise. And I've seen Page/Plant live (1998) and Robert Plant live (2005). This is also the same for The Doors and ELP. I am in the process of completing my official Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix collection, as well. Another band I love to collect, the first real rock band I ever got into, is Nirvana. Again, I have every single official Nirvana release that exists and will continue to buy more Nirvana releases. So it's not like I'm not giving these bands my money. I just get more for it then most people.
The reason I collect live recordings of these and more artists is, honestly, because I want to hear what I missed. I was not, unfortunately, alive in the 60's and 70's. When bands like Guns N' Roses and Nirvana were big, I was way too young to go to their shows, let alone know of them. So I missed seeing many of my favorite bands and artists live. The bootlegs give me a glimpse of what I missed. And while they may not be anything like actually being at the shows, they are the closest I will ever get. Since when is that a crime, I ask you?
So what about you? Are you a collector? Do you have bootlegs?
I may actually start a thread on this... not sure... should I start a thread about it? Could be very interesting...
My little sentence up top actually said that I'm the THRAD-killer. And it took me this long to catch that? Boy do I feel shamed right now...
Anyways...
I have to ask... does anybody here collect (music) bootlegs?
Okay... let me make a distinction. I'm not talking about purchasing anything, nor am I talking about copies of officially-released material (which is called "piracy," and yes, piracy and bootlegging are two very different things).
What I am talking about are recordings of live shows, mostly made by the audience, sometimes from a soundboard, and, also, studio outtakes and sessions (that is, all the stuff you don't get to hear on that official studio album).
I ask because I'm kinda deep into this world of free trading, collecting, torrenting, etc of bootlegs. It's mostly Led Zeppelin for me (in fact, I'm quite close to having a copy of every single live Led Zeppelin show ever recorded), but I also have some Pink Floyd, some Jimi Hendrix, some The Doors, some Black Sabbath, some ELP (Emerson, Lake, and Palmer)... mostly I have recordings of shows from the 60's and 70's because I truly and honestly believe the greatest music came out of this era.
But beyond that, as an aspiring musical artist and record-label owner, I believe in the promotional power of bootlegs. I believe that, instead of being fought, these should be used as tools to promote a band and their music. Once I start doing live shows, I plan on having all of them recorded so they can be downloaded, for free, right from my own site. I'll sell cases and artwork for, say, $5 - $15 depending on how many CDs or DVDs the cases need to hold.
I believe that more bands should consider something like that. Provide soundboard recordings of the shows, edited for quality but not for content, for free, not long after the show (like Instant Live sets, only free for download on a site), in multiple formats (MP3, FLAC, etc), to be downloaded. Then sell cases and artwork for these recording for those collectors who like to archive what they download.
And no, there is no danger of losing money. That is a myth, believe it or not. Truth is, the majority of bootleggers support the bands they collect. I have bought every single official release Led Zeppelin has put out and will continue to do so. I buy a lot of Led Zeppelin merchandise. And I've seen Page/Plant live (1998) and Robert Plant live (2005). This is also the same for The Doors and ELP. I am in the process of completing my official Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix collection, as well. Another band I love to collect, the first real rock band I ever got into, is Nirvana. Again, I have every single official Nirvana release that exists and will continue to buy more Nirvana releases. So it's not like I'm not giving these bands my money. I just get more for it then most people.
The reason I collect live recordings of these and more artists is, honestly, because I want to hear what I missed. I was not, unfortunately, alive in the 60's and 70's. When bands like Guns N' Roses and Nirvana were big, I was way too young to go to their shows, let alone know of them. So I missed seeing many of my favorite bands and artists live. The bootlegs give me a glimpse of what I missed. And while they may not be anything like actually being at the shows, they are the closest I will ever get. Since when is that a crime, I ask you?
So what about you? Are you a collector? Do you have bootlegs?
I may actually start a thread on this... not sure... should I start a thread about it? Could be very interesting...