Bootlegging Live Acts

[LindyChef]

I was chatting with some other DJs at STLBX this year and we were commenting on how much we would LOVE to be able to legally get our hands on a recording of this year's y6a concert, even if it's just to DJ with ... (Shorty Dave, if you're reading this, get the message

This brought up a few broader questions for me:

1) As a DJ, do you want access to live recordings by artists that will go unreleased or unrecorded?

2) Have you ever encountered a situation were you were given an unreleased recording by an artist as DJ material?

* I'm not exactly sure where this one would go, so moderators, if appropriate, please move.

[kitkat]

Actually, I've asked for bootlegs with a promise that I'll never spin them. Playing them in my car, my room, etc. when I just so happen to have lindy hoppers around who couldn't make it to the event is one thing. Broadcasting them in public is another.

My comfort line just happens to fall between those two things when it comes to acquiring copies of something that will probably sit on a sound guy's bookshelf not seeing the light of day. There's only so much I'm willing to "distribute" that to dancer friends. The privacy of my own home is that limit for bootlegged dance concerts.

Not saying I've even been successful with any of my requests. Just mentioning where I stand and that I don't think I'd push for copies of Y6A to DJ with--though I would definitely harrass people for a copy to quietly play to myself in my living room!

[Jerry_Jelinek]

For bootlegs, don't even try to spin the songs.

If you can get a bootleg concert, your eventually going to get in a BIG HEAP of trouble because no ASCAP or BMI royalties have been paid. It may not happen on the first spin, but trust me it will happen.

What Katie said often applies. I come across bootlegs from friends and national artists with the very explicit verbal agreement to never spin these on the air.

[falty411]

Isn't what all of us do illegal anyways? We are not liscensing this music we play for the specific use and are charging people to come to dance to it.

im pretty sure no matter what we would be fucked.

[Nate Dogg]

I remember a Ron Sunshine bootleg got a lot of play a few years back. He eventually put a version of the track on an album, but I prefer the bootleg version.

Nathan

[Jerry_Jelinek]

Isn't what all of us do illegal anyways?....

I can't speak for anyone but myself. The venue you are spinning discs at should be paying a royalty to broadcast copyrighted music in a public space.

Then of course the use of illegally obtained music in your possession is another issue.

For a dance event, where the audience may be a few hundred or even a thousand, the ramifications may be very slight.

But for a radio stations broadcast, we'll reach 10,000 upto 70,000 people at once. There is a very, REAL danger of having problems in illegal music being broadcast.

The radio station pays a royalty license I think once per year. Don't ask the amount because I don't know the details. But I've been told this royalty covers everything that is commercially produced. Even if I bring in a CD that I borrowed from the library, I'm covered in playing that on the air.

But if I play a bootleg recording that has no royalties paid, even with the band members consent, it could be a very real problem for the station.

Now from a personal standpoint, I try to buy most of the recordings I play on the air. It means the labels understand the music is popular by the sales of the CD. More sales equals more releases.

Recently I've been transfering old reel to reel tapes to CD for use at the station. This is all covered by the royalties we pay because the original music was released with ASCAP or BMI royalty payments.

What you do with illegal music is up to each person. But to me, the only real benefit is kind of like the little kid who says 'I have something you don't.'

[Shorty Dave]

I was chatting with some other DJs at STLBX this year and we were commenting on how much we would LOVE to be able to legally get our hands on a recording of this year's y6a concert, even if it's just to DJ with ... (Shorty Dave, if you're reading this, get the message

We're still working on it! It's a possibility (all I can say is Elliott Donnelly is a God)

2) Have you ever encountered a situation were you were given an unreleased recording by an artist as DJ material?

Multiple times from local bands here in NYC. I always ask if I'm allowed to DJ from it before it's released, or if it's just for my ears only.

[Drew]

Have you ever encountered a situation were you were given an unreleased recording by an artist as DJ material?

Like I've said on the Top 25 thread, I just received a few gigs' worth of live stuff from Jonathan Stout, Josh Collazo, The Dream Team (much of which ended up on the Live at the Lindy Binge disc) from Marcelo at Showdown, the person who recorded this material.

I would never give away or trade any of this material, though.

[Greg Avakian]

Have you ever encountered a situation were you were given an unreleased recording by an artist as DJ material?

Like I've said on the Top 25 thread, I just received a few gigs' worth of live stuff from Jonathan Stout, Josh Collazo, The Dream Team (much of which ended up on the Live at the Lindy Binge disc) from Marcelo at Showdown, the person who recorded this material.

I would never give away or trade any of this material, though.

I would hope that Marcello did this with the permission of the bands...

Not that I give a rat's ass about the law, but I think it's an issue of respecting the bands. Having said that, I would think that a lot of bands would totally love you for playing any of their music at all...and appreciate what a thrill it is for you (us) to get to spin stuff that nobody else has.

I know a "famous musician's" widow was very happy to hear that a DJ wanted to give out her husband's music because she felt that sharing his music was the priority.

Ron Sunshine gave me unreleased material -specifically to DJ- that I love, but we have an agreement that I am not to make copies for anyone.

I think it's nice to make an announcement about it just to plug the band...

[Soupbone]

Like Jerry said, when DJing a club, it's the venue's responsibility to pay ascap and bmi, not the DJs.

[Drew]

Have you ever encountered a situation were you were given an unreleased recording by an artist as DJ material?

Like I've said on the Top 25 thread, I just received a few gigs' worth of live stuff from Jonathan Stout, Josh Collazo, The Dream Team (much of which ended up on the Live at the Lindy Binge disc) from Marcelo at Showdown, the person who recorded this material.

I would never give away or trade any of this material, though.

I would hope that Marcello did this with the permission of the bands...

Not that I give a rat's ass about the law, but I think it's an issue of respecting the bands. Having said that, I would think that a lot of bands would totally love you for playing any of their music at all...and appreciate what a thrill it is for you (us) to get to spin stuff that nobody else has.

I know a "famous musician's" widow was very happy to hear that a DJ wanted to give out her husband's music because she felt that sharing his music was the priority.

Ron Sunshine gave me unreleased material -specifically to DJ- that I love, but we have an agreement that I am not to make copies for anyone.

I think it's nice to make an announcement about it just to plug the band...

Yes, he did do this with consent of the event and musicians.