Re: [JBC] pat's thoughts on bootlegging

<< I fear a flood of MP3 bootlegs over the next couple of years.

    If this occurs there will be absolutely no point in anybody trying to     arrange for the re-release of these albums ever. Everyone who wants a copy     will be able to have one. For free. Which would mean that I had already made

    my last dollar from my record-making career. I can't be expected to be happy

    about that. >>

I don't believe this is necessarily true. Part of the lure of music buying is the aesthetic of packaging (art+words) and the thrill of bonus tracks (rare stuff, b-sides, live stuff) combined. Any fan would spend the money for all of that plus the re-released album. I don't want to be on anyone's bad side, but I can't see that this sort of thing (burning cd's of old out of print material for other fans) as a bad entity. What's bad about increasing your fanbase? As much as I love Condition Blue, that's not the only album I want my friends to have... friends who would come out to support the Butcher live if they new more of their back-catalogue... friends who would in turn become as fanatical as most of us and pay any good money for proper re-releases. The demand becomes: make the re-release worthy of buying (see above).

For example: I always love the little notes from Pat in some releases... that makes me feel special, and makes the cd packaging as appealing as the music. I never needed to buy "Edward's Closet" on cd... I already had those songs. I only bought it for the pictures and the liner notes. I'd buy another best of collection as well, provided it offered me something besides what i already had.

Just some more fuel to the fire, to hopefully cook food for thought.

J.Christopher Received on Tue Aug 24 00:34 PDT 1999