Online Bootlegs

by Mark Ortega

                Has there ever been a time where you wanted to see one of your favorite musicians live but they weren’t touring in your neck of the woods? Has there ever been a time where there was a concert you really wanted to go to but you were already committed to another event? Through the advances of the internet, it is now possible to attend a concert without actually having to pay $20 to stand in the back of a crowded arena.

                Bootlegs have been around for decades. A bootleg, for those of you who don’t know, is basically a recorded copy of a concert that isn’t released by the musician individually, but rather swapped between the fans. In the early life of the bootleg, this was mostly done through concerts and outside actual events where people would pirate the bootlegs themselves.

                When the internet first came along, the bootleg began to thrive. People would post on message boards asking for specific musicians while listing the bootlegs they had. When a deal was made, they would send the bootlegs through the mail. When the CD burner became popular, bootleggers were able to burn copies of their bootlegs and keep the original so their bootleg collection would grow quicker.

                Not until just recently were full bootlegged concerts available for download. Only a few websites hold mass amounts of bootlegs, such as Bootleg (bootleg.freakin.nl). This site lists artists in alphabetical order and gives users the ability to scan for their favorite artists and be linked to the websites which actually host the bootlegs. Most of these bootlegs aren’t licensed by the musicians, and are considered illegal.

                The Live Music Archive (www.archive.org/audio/etreelisting-browse.php) is a website that hosts only legal bootlegs, meaning the artists condone the recording of any concert they participate in. Obviously no major artists are listed since they can make most of their money from the fans actually paying to see them, but it gives little-known artists the chance to market their music for free. One of the most notable bands that let fans record their concerts is the Grateful Dead, who have over 2,500 shows on the Live Music Archive alone.

                If there’s a band you’ve always wanted to see in concert but don’t have the opportunity, look on the internet before anything. It’s more than likely you will find what you are looking for.