You know music downloading is an hotbed issue when even hippies are getting incensed.
Fans of the Grateful Dead are making noise after thousands of free live recordings were pulled from the Live Music Archive site at the request of Grateful Dead Merchandising (GDM), a group which controls all “official” products for the band and is fronted by the surviving members.
Recordings are still available for listening online but a number of Deadheads are still upset, especially so as the policy affects amateur audience recordings as well as official tracks.
From an article in Rolling Stone:
“Throughout their four-decade career, the Grateful Dead actively encouraged fans to trade live recordings and even designated a special ‘taper’s section” at the concerts. In return, Deadheads largely respected the band’s wishes that the concert recordings weren’t sold for profit.”
An online petition has been started in protest, with thousands of signees pledging to not buy Grateful dead recordings, concert tickets or merchandise until the ban is lifted.
Dig the appropriately hippie-esque language:
“GDM, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Have you forgotten all you have taught us? If you plant ice/Your [sic] gonna harvest wind.”
Yea, man.
Seriously though, even though the music downloading issue is old news the audience recording aspect adds an interesting twist. If you go to a concert and produce a recording that you were given express permission by the band to make, should you be able to share it for free without legal redress?
On a related note, many of Jerry Garcia’s home furnishings and fixtures will soon be up for auction, among them the lead guitarist’s toilet:
“‘The bidding on the toilets starts at $500,’ said Henry Koltys, the Tiburon man who owns them. ‘There’s a bidet, too, at $350. And Jerry’s Jacuzzi tub starts at $5,000.’”
The San Francisco Chronicle is flush with detail.
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When we got to the buses to the various Disney 9:50pm – Guests are escorted to the Castl