But another factor contributes to my appreciation of bootlegs, and that is how I got them. The best by far are from tapers I've met at shows who've hooked me up with fresh copies of their most recent gigs. The process of meeting these people, trading with and getting to know them can be a lot of fun (in general, the hardcore fans are unusually interesting people). But I still love even my cruddy copies of shows, because I can still put myself there metally. Hours spent making tapes or burning CDs, and meeting the people who have them. In fact, when does a concert CD ever actually sound like the experience you actually had?
Anyway, Clear Channel is about to start offering “bootlegs” of the shows they present within five minutes of the concert’s end, as discussed in this article. I know this is nothing new, but it does signify a significant enhancement on the growing trend of live-music offerings. Will anyone actually pay to have the latest bootleg of Shania Twain’s last gig? I can hear it now:
”Dude, I’ve got this smokin’ set from Boyz2Men tour, 2001. I’ll trade you a Madison Square Gardens show for Brittney Spears at Red Rocks. I got it off Clear Channnel.”
Maybe I’m jaded from the jam-band scene, I don’t know. Considering my stance on recent developments in music sharing, I should be surprised that I’m concerned about Clear Channel’s decision to bring live music to the masses. After all, I’ve burned a lifetime of music on my Mac. I guess I just don’t want the process of getting the best tunes cheapened. Or commercialized, if there’s a difference.
