Bootleg Reviews
As you might have noticed, WHATEVER has decided to review bootleg tapes and "Import" CD's. We realize that by doing this we end up alienating ourselves from the good graces of the major record companies, but we don't care. Nobody else reviews them. Nobody really knows how many get bought or traded. WHATEVER doesn't care. There available in many record stores, and the network of traders outside the fucking Grateful Dead circle has been ignored too long.Recently the US began putting pressure on China to halt it's practice of ignoring copyrights and pressing their own Madonna and Garth to sell. (And for less than a buck US according to NBC) That's fine with us. What bothers us more is the GAT agreement clause that will establish a sort of "World Wide Copyright" system. This sucks. We don't agree.
One of the nicer cultural differences between the USA and Europe was the difference in these copyright laws. Looser definitions to an artists rights to performances and material existed in Germany, Italy, Belgium, and other places. Over time things have gotten tighter. GAT will end, or try to, many of the freedoms smaller European record companies had. No more taping concerts for release right after the show ends. No more demo sessions. No more.
I can understand putting the strong arm on boot's of major releases. I think it was wrong to lump concert recordings and unreleased studio stuff with illegal copies of another label's releases.
Consider these two items clipped from recent magazines:
"One of the hottest albums out there isn't for sale: A tape by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl has been circulating for months, and Pearl Jam even played a Grohl tune on L.A.'s KROQ." (US March 1995)
"In late 1992, Crow's intended debut, Sheryl Crow (A&M), was scrapped.... Thanks to the underground market, we can now hear the unreleased disc on tape, and it's a jarring experience..." (Entertainment Weekly 2/24-3/3/95)
Both articles give credit to the underground market. To be honest, I think the industry needs the underground market. Collectors and traders buy the product. Some titles become big enough to be released by the artist, to get back at the bootleggers. Zappa, Prince, Dylan, and many others have eventually released stuff that was widely available on the "underground market".
Zappa just released the bootlegs "as is" original artwork and all, on CD. Dylan did a "best of" boxed set of boot stuff. And Prince, or the guy that used to be named Prince, put out his long available bootleg, Black Album , and offered amnesty to anybody who traded a boot copy for a new one.
What I think should happen is this: Europe keeps their slack laws; artists/bands receive a percentage of any album they participate on, or concert they play in; songwriters get a similar cut to artists, but less; big record companies can take a fucking leap- they get rights to their "major" releases. Of course any artist can do what the Dead and Allman's have done, and open up concerts- let the fan's have the music, and eliminate profits made in foreign record releases. It's up to them.
We paid to get in, but we got too wasted in the parking lot- we'd like to have a tape so we can claim to remember the concert later. For thirty five bucks a show-REM- they should hand out fucking free CD's on your way out.
