DAVID CARR ([email protected])
Sat, 7 Nov 1998 19:23:55 -0000
Francesco has a point though - if Island/Polygram released even just one
complete live concert (either on CD or video) for every U2 tour, it might
deter some casual bootleg buyers. Of course, the compulsive collectors,
like myself, will still buy anything they can get their hands on,
legitimate or not. How many of us already have the Mexico Popmart taped
from Showtime, yet we still went out and bought the official video? And
there's always going to be the old problem that record companies still
haven't cottoned on to the fact that fans quite like duff notes and fluffed
lyrics occasionally. We don't always want the perfect, doctored, live
show, which turns out to have a few songs from one concert and a few from
another because Bono's voice packed up halfway through the first set or
Edge's guitar was a bit out of tune. Give us the full, unadulterated
(crap, if need be) show - or else, leave it to the bootleggers.
At the end of the day, U2 have a contract with Polygram that stipulates the
release of an agreed number of albums. U2 might have greater control over
their work than most bands today but it is still Polygram who has to
distribute that work and get it into the shops so we can buy it. If U2
start releasing every concert they've ever recorded, Polygram will probably
have to invest the initial profits into employing more staff to press and
distribute all the extra product created by U2. And where does this leave
Polygram's other acts? Fighting for attention and space on the shelves.
Fans who buy bootlegs aren't generally the clueless, naive suckers they're
made out to be by the record companies who claim to be protecting them from
the evil bootleggers. We know that what we're buying isn't perfect
quality, we take the chance that it won't be too crap and keep our fingers
crossed that if we buy Mail Order we won't be ripped off. Buy a bootleg in
a shop or at a record fare and you can usually ask to hear it first. If
you don't like what you hear or you can't afford it, don't buy it. It's
your choice.
Record companies need to stop whining about it and concentrate on the real
copyright criminals - the Pirates.
Long live the bootleggers, that's what I say. They're providing a valuable
service not currently provided by anyone else. And Wire is a great way of
informing and protecting each other from those mean, old bootleggers who
just want to take our money and run.
love
Zowie (who is a completely different person to David Carr, for those of you
who are still confused)
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b2 on Sat Nov 07 1998 - 11:43:38 PST