ParisNair wrote:
Rock concert performances are not free for recording for the public are they?
It depends on the artist. Many bands have open taping policies.
What's the difference of a concert being publicly played once for 20,000 people, and having another 500 people enjoy it years after the fact in audio or video form?
And that's why they have security checks and they confiscate recording material at the venues?
It's the band who ultimately determines such policies at each venue.
In the particular case of Hammersmith '75, it is said that there was one professional camera still rolling while all the other cameras had stopped. So if someone (other than the BBC or whoever the camera belonged to) now comes out with never before seen footage captured from this particular camera, would you call him a thief or a detective?
Detective, unless they sold the recording for profit, which these days counts for far less than 1% of the circulation of underground recordings. The stigma of the word "bootleg" still exists from decades ago when most of the distribution of these recordings was by sales, before the popularization of cassette tapes, CDs, and lossless digital audio/video. Today it's all about the preservation of music history, as we now see the value of these recordings from a musical and historical standpoint. And now we've hit the next step up - a member of Queen is interested in any video recording of 3 songs from 1975.
Just imagine how little would be known about the golden era of rock concerts in the 1970s if it weren't for people taping the shows from the audience or seeking existing underground recordings. Recordings like these have no doubt kept hundreds of thousands of fans interested in their favourite bands who would have otherwise moved on after tiring of the official releases. For some, the joy of seeing/hearing a new recording, effectively filling in another piece of the puzzle, is as great a joy as seeing a new concert officially released on DVD. And if Brian's call to the masses works out, both of these joys will be combined into one delicious package.
