Official Post From Hawkwind

[Andrew Garibaldi]

It probably stems from most record companies' historic complete inability to
(or be willing to) distinguish between a bootlegger and a
counterfeiter/pirater, thus bracketing both in the same corner and being as
anguished about the fans who buy all the official releases but use taping as
a hobby as they are about the guy who runs off 30,000 dodgy Robbie Williams
CD's - even a fool could tell them which one is doing the harm
If any band is worried that they have a problem with it, they have the right
to request it ceases,although most fans would probably not adhere to that, I
guess, UNLESS, an outpouring of OFFICIAL releases of such material was on
the cards.
I can't think of an accurate example, but if a band released an archive
recording on CD officially, say every two months, the whole bootlegging
thing would lay to rest, the fans would be happy, the band would make money
and all would be well - so how come no band seems to understand this.
Hey ho - it's a funny old game.
On a separate issue, it was rumoured that the "green light" for EMI to
release all the unavailable back catalogue (since EMI has now completely
sucked up Virgin/Charisma) would be when the two Hawkwind "leaders" resumed
a professional relationship, so maybe this is now on the cards too.
The fact that I've been doing Hawkwind, space-rock and related mail-order
for 23 years next year - and that it still has life in it yet, is a
testament to the resilience of the band and the strength of its music, the
whole being equal to the sum of its parts - long may it continue.
Andy G (CD Services, ex-Lotus Records/Mike Lloyd Music)
2003 could be very interesting.
Andy G.
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Majka" <jmajka2 at COMCAST.NET>
To: <BOC-L at LISTSERV.SPC.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2002 10:16 PM
Subject: Re: Official Post From Hawkwind


> No big deal really.
> We all know, and HW knows, that taping will go on as usual.  This message
> sounds as if there is some sort of directive from perhaps record-company
> camps advising HW to make an official statement prohibiting such activity.
> Is there a new label deal in the works or something?  Taping definitely
> doesn't hurt a band's sales or restrict its fanbase, and I've always been
> puzzled by the record companies' inability to understand this. All the
> official releases will still be bought by fans anyway... and hey, who even
> knows about or cares about bootlegs?  the general public certainly
doesn't.
> The only people worrying about live tapes are the really hardcore fans who
> are outside of a mainstream audience as it is.
> John Majka
> jmajka2 at comcast.net