Why Aren't Bootlegs Allowed Here? - Suggestions

Facetious

Gender: Male
Age: 24
Location: Somewhere you've never been

EyeKanFly wrote:

Is a band putting up an album on bandcamp official? (I'm not implying I believe one way or another, I'm legitimately asking; I really don't know the answer to this).

I would say undoubtedly yes.

Guest

I was brought up in a trader's household, so I think I know what I'm talking about when I say there are literally tens and tens of thousands of bootlegs for some artists, often a dozen different recordings of the same gig, and plenty of the time with totally different names. There are also variations on the cover art for every gig, so that you could end up with three copies of the same show, all with different artwork, different titles and different recording quality. Whilst I understand the desire to be able to add bootlegs to your chart (if I could, Blood On The Tapes might be on my chart, as well as a 1971 Neil Young show that I adore, or even recordings of shows I've been to over the years, regardless of recording quality), it's just a dumb idea. It would be almost impossible for data moderators to check whether or not a particular bootleg even exists, and could just lead to the site being flooded with tons of fake music, music that wasn't even released officially or with the artist's knowledge, let alone permission. I love bootlegs, there are more of them in my parents house than actual albums, and that's saying a lot. But I don't want to see them on this site.

EyeKanFly
Head Bear Master/Galactic Emperor

Age: 33
Location: Gotham

Facetious wrote:

I would say undoubtedly yes.

Good to know.
_________________
51 Washington, D.C. albums!

gtroda

lethalnezzle wrote:

I was brought up in a trader's household, so I think I know what I'm talking about when I say there are literally tens and tens of thousands of bootlegs for some artists, often a dozen different recordings of the same gig, and plenty of the time with totally different names. There are also variations on the cover art for every gig, so that you could end up with three copies of the same show, all with different artwork, different titles and different recording quality. Whilst I understand the desire to be able to add bootlegs to your chart (if I could, Blood On The Tapes might be on my chart, as well as a 1971 Neil Young show that I adore, or even recordings of shows I've been to over the years, regardless of recording quality), it's just a dumb idea. It would be almost impossible for data moderators to check whether or not a particular bootleg even exists, and could just lead to the site being flooded with tons of fake music, music that wasn't even released officially or with the artist's knowledge, let alone permission. I love bootlegs, there are more of them in my parents house than actual albums, and that's saying a lot. But I don't want to see them on this site.

Totally agree with this.

In the late 90s and early 00s I was heavily involved in "tape trading". There used to a bunch of internet forums you could go on and see peoples' tape lists, which were essentially recordings of songs. You could ask someone of they were interested in trading with you and send them your list to look at. You'd work out a few shows that you were interested in and burn them to CD, put them in the mail, and wait a couple weeks for your package to arrive. As with a lot of things, the internet made a lot of that unnecessary. Now you can find bootlegs on other forums dedicated to the purpose and trade them via filesharing or torrents.

As you'd get more into it, you'd find there were these "uber" traders who had special shows that they'd only trade for something really good. Also, recording equipment because a lot more affordable and easier to use. A lot of bands began giving permission for attendees to record their shows if they were intended for personal use or tape trading only. Add in radio, television, or internet broadcasts and this has lead to many shows having multiple recordings in circulation. Now people even can mix together multiple recordings of the same show on their computers to try and come up with what they consider a better sound.

So I say leave all that to the bootleg forums, there are plenty of those out there if you're interested. Let's keep BEA focused on albums that the artists themselves (or their record companies) intended to be released.

gtroda

Just out of curiosity, I looked and my tape list is still online even though I haven't updated it in over seven years. I've added a lot more since then, but it's kind of fun to see it's still there.

http://db.etree.org/gtroda

A lot of bands that I still consider my favorites I really came to love through tape trading: Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, The Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule, etc.