How to capture the Roadburn Festival webcast to disk

[Colin Allen]

Ultimately this comes down to the mindset of the people involved. Some bands see the new technologies as an opportunity; some see them as a threat.  

Carl Edlund Anderson <cea at CARLAZ.COM> wrote:  On 24/05/2006 18:55, StevePXR5 at AOL.COM wrote:
> I just hope it doesn't end up on Ebay though.

Can't see why it would if the band is doing it's own release.

Go to eBay and look for illegal CDs of Gov't Mule or Phish or _any_
other band that encourages audience taping _and_ sells official live
downloads _and_ AACs through iTunes _and_ sells physical CDs in shops as
well. OK, I just had a very cursory look, but I didn't see any illegal
CDs on eBay from either of those bands.

I think part of the problem with illegal Hawkwind CDs on eBay is that
the back catalogue situation is in such awesome disarray, label-wise and
rights-wise, that significant chunks of it are simply not available to
fans in a legal manner. I mean, if I go check amazon.co.uk, I find that
_Warrior on the Edge of Time_ is simply not in print. I can buy used
copies, but there is not currently a way to buy this album in a way
creates revenue for the band (or at least the good Mr. Brock, or
whoever would normally be getting revenue from sales of the album). Of
course, there's still demand, so it's no surprise that illegal copies
can be made and sold wherever such things are done. There is, I think,
relatively little that the band can realistically do about this (short
of forcing at gunpoint whoever may have the rights to _Warrior_ to put
it back in print ;)

However, the band ought to have *complete* control of whatever they are
producing *now*, including -- perhaps especially including -- live
performances. I have no doubt that the band could take a full
Brock-mixed recording of the Roadburn performance (as a single example)
and stream a lo-fi version for free while selling downloadable MP3s,
AACs (through iTunes), CD-quality FLAC downloads, and perhaps even some
physical CDs themselves (through their own mailorder service or at
shows, if nothing else). This is *exactly* what loads of other bands
are doing, and very successfully. Hawkwind has only to start doing the
same to start reaping the benefits.

Case in point:
I've been a fan of Gov't Mule since their first tour. They've always
had a good relationship with fans -- encouraging taping, putting up nice
little behind-the-scenes videos from the recording sessions -- and
generally making fans feel like part of the extended family. When they
played London a year or so ago, I stood next to tapers in the
audience, and a couple of days later I had a decent sounding audience
recording legitimately and freely downloaded thanks to the magic of
etree.org and bittorrent. It sounded pretty good. After the tour
finished, the band put their own mixed-from-soundboard recordings of the
show for sale on their download site (for 15 bucks or so, which is like
2 or 3 pints in UK money ;) and I *bought* it despite having a free
version because I'm a fan, I like the band, and I wanted a really good
sounding souvenier of the concert I'd been too.
Yesterday, when everyone was getting excited about Hawkwind fans
capturing a grimy, low bit-rate, RealAudio stream, I got a Gov't Mule
email announcing the pre-order for the new studio album (available as a
physical CD or as MP3 and FLAC downloads) along with the opportunity to
purchase live downloads of a show played in NYC on the 22nd (3 days
ago!) that features several songs from the new album. So, I'm a bit
skint at present, but I get paid tomorrow and can place my pre-order
(for downloadable FLACs) then, and my snazzy new concert recordings will
be downloading as well. The three CDs worth of music will cost me just
under GBP 14.

So ... is there some good reason Hawkwind wouldn't benefit from a 
similar process?

> Once again, thanks to the band for doing this. It's very much appreciated by 
> the real fans.

Amen.

Thanks to having been able to capture the RealAudio stream and turn it 
into a WAV, I was then able to crush that back into an AAC file to stick 
on my iPod, which I can listen to at work :) I doubt all those 
translation processes did much for the quality of the sound (it's very 
clearly and audibly less than CD-quality!) but at last I can hear the 
aural confirmation of Scott Heller's rave review.

So far (I'm somewhere in "Greenback Massacre", I think), what can I say 
but: Damn, this is good stuff, as good as anything I've heard from 
Hawkwind in person or on record since the Electric Teepee days! The 
energy is _not_ lacking, and the band sounds really fired up. Sharing a 
stage with all those contemporary stoner rock acts seems to have done 
them good! :)

So. The question remains: When _will_ the official release happen? And 
how will it happen? :)

Cheers,
Carl

-- 
Carl Edlund Anderson
mailto:cea at carlaz.com
http://www.carlaz.com/