OFF: Bootleg CD's

[John A Swartz]

I have lots of thoughts on bootlegs, but I'll just post a few now.  In
terms of people putting live recordings on CD that aren't available
commercially, I like the idea - the quality is at times questionable,
but for artists that I like and collect everything they put out, it can
be nice to have other stuff available on them - usually the casual fan
probably wouldn't be as interested, but for the die-hard, they fill a
need.

As for making copies of released material (ie. recording Imaginos from
the BOC CD), unless its strictly an archive copy for the person recording
it, I have a problem.  And, that's not bootlegging, that's pirating, and
is really stealing from the artist.

If someone is planning on recording from released material and distributing
it (regardless of what they might be charging people - even if they are
giving them away), that is illegal, and takes money out of the artist's
pocket, and I don't support it.  If they are taking otherwise unavailable
material and putting it out, well, that is as far as I know also illegal
(at least in the U.S.), although I don't really see that as the same
thing.  But, others might differ with me on that.

John