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Post by Mongo the Destroyer on Oct 5, 2022 18:47:56 GMT -5
I've wondered about this one since time immortal (or at least since I was younger)
Are bootlegs ok? I don't mean quality wise, but conceptually.
With some bootlegs, it's tracks that the artists chose not to release- and with concerts the bootleg more or less undercuts a potential live album.
So on one hand it feels like the bootlegger is stealing- and I guess they sort of are. Though I don't see many cases of bootleg companies being hunted down for their bootlegging.
On the other hand, it's content from your favorite musicians you wouldn't get otherwise.
Is it ok to listen to bootlegs? Is it ok to buy them? I'd like to hear you weigh in.
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Post by Visit Neom on Oct 5, 2022 22:07:52 GMT -5
It is an interesting question. Prince apparently has tons of finished albums/ music videos that were never released because he wasn't happy with them. I know some movie directors are also against blooper reels because they think it will make the actors afraid to take chances. I think I side more with the artists and don't feel we're entitled to see every experiment / mistake they made.
It gets muddy to me with media that was officially released and is no longer available. There are twitch streams of this great Japanese show called Game Center CX. I don't feel bad about watching them because the company doesn't have an official US way to do so. I wouldn't feel the same way about a wrestling PPV.
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Post by Mongo the Destroyer on Oct 5, 2022 23:30:34 GMT -5
Yeah when it comes to media that was released and isn't available anymore I'm far less concerned since it was just a matter of being able to get it, so I'm with you there. This almost deserves its own discussion in a couple different areas (comics and tv/movies for fan translations, games for emulation, efedding for old shows and rps on abandoned boards). It's hard to place some of the lines on where it's ok and where it's not.
Back to the music though. There's an interview somewhere where George Harrison was asked about bootlegs and he noted that if he wanted to release them on the main albums he would have, but they were fine for the bootlegs. So he wasn't against the existence, just didn't think the songs deserved official releases I guess, lol. I think I heard it actually on a bootleg so maybe I shouldn't talk, lol.
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Steve Awesome
.::XHF Superstar::.
-~The Awesome Reality of Steve Awesome~-
Posts: 575
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Post by Steve Awesome on Oct 6, 2022 1:03:24 GMT -5
As long as nobody is trying make money off bootlegs Or take credit for something someone else did it’s okay.
I think that George quote is spot on. If they wanted that song on a main album it would have happened.
There definitely won’t be as many bootleg copies as there would be a main release. And if the artist really wanted to they could main stream release it later and it would still get bought.
Plus there are live performances that will never get released. What do you think about ppl recording live concerts and putting those out there?
The fan base of Phish revolve around those live performances because Phish always changes it up.
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Post by Cross Recoba on Oct 22, 2022 14:24:14 GMT -5
It’s a multi-headed question.
On one hand, you could call an album like ‘letters to my sweetheart, the drunk’ released after Jeff Buckley’s death as an official bootleg. It was released unfinished and unmastered. In that instance, you listen to it knowing that the pieces are more ideas than finished articles.
On the other, Metallica. They loved listening to a bootleg they couldn’t get in the US and then infamously saw Napster to an endorsed shit show.
Personally, bootlegs now might contain the odd gem from the band you like but with the proliferation of Spotify and Apple and Amazon music, the need isn’t so strong.
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Post by Jesse Jamester on Oct 27, 2022 6:21:03 GMT -5
I've wondered about this one since time immortal (or at least since I was younger) Are bootlegs ok? I don't mean quality wise, but conceptually. With some bootlegs, it's tracks that the artists chose not to release- and with concerts the bootleg more or less undercuts a potential live album. So on one hand it feels like the bootlegger is stealing- and I guess they sort of are. Though I don't see many cases of bootleg companies being hunted down for their bootlegging. On the other hand, it's content from your favorite musicians you wouldn't get otherwise. Is it ok to listen to bootlegs? Is it ok to buy them? I'd like to hear you weigh in. I would argue that bootlegs are not wrong to buy or download, but selling bootlegs would be. I'll explain below.
1. An artist records an album and puts it out into the world. For this example we'll call them Band A. When they have produced the album through their record label (assuming they are big, hence the bootlegging aye). Band A goes on tour and is coming to your city. You and your buddies get tickets and go. You each buy a ticket and while at the concert buy a shirt each. The shirts are $40-50 now days, and you say hey, I'll get that CD later when I know it won't get destroyed at this concert. Makes sense, right? Concert ends and you head on out to the parking lot with your buddies. A guy randomly appears from an open trunk you're walking by. He offers the SAME album for $10, let's say half of what it is retail. WHAT A DEAL!
Yeah you grab a copy, but your buddy doesn't because he thinks its shady. Okay, yeah, it is right? Now you're buying that CD to listen to the band you just supported. Are you doing anything wrong here? Not really. You want a CD, you like the band, you got a deal to have their new album - awesome day for you! But... on the other hand, the bootlegger is doing something wrong. He's making counterfeits and a profit from them. If you get pulled over the police are not going to search your CDs for bootlegs. However, if the bootlegger gets pulled over and has his inventory in the car; Ooooof, that's going to be a bad day for him.
2. Napster to me was not wrong, because I found music I would have never found had I not used the platform. Now I do realize that musicians lost sales due to it, but it was also a form of marketing and 'word of mouth' that they didn't have to pay for. Some albums have 1, maybe 2, and on the best ones a handful of hit singles. So it's likely you as a fan downloaded a hit single, liked it, and found the album and downloaded it. Instead of buying a CD, you're now buying their concert tickets, their shirts or hoodies or hats, etc.
Now not everyone does what I just mentioned, and I'm sure many abuse downloading music since it's an option online. But the exposure an artist gets from it is invaluable. Sure, they lose money on the record sale, but a good album will be purchased if it's that good -- I have done this MANY times myself, mostly for autographs. While the act of it is considered wrong, I don't see it being criminal until that person is making a profit from the bootleg. If that happens, then by all means it's wrong.
Lastly, I know music doesn't cost what the price of a CD is these days. Even downloading a song on iTunes or Android Store, you're charged $1-5 sometimes a song. That's gouging at its worst in my eyes, and really shows how that industry is still behind with the times.
NOTE: I DO NOT ENDORSE STEALING! I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU GET CAUGHT PIRATING ANYTHING! Best regards.
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