Re: More on bootlegs...

In a message dated 96-06-17 23:04:21 EDT, you write:

>But why don't you people with
>fancy store bought bootlegs just copy THOSE for other people? If you
>have a decent stereo, the quality shouldn't suffer much. And since a lot
>of the people on here are good friends and all, it would be a nice thing
>to do for each other. Hey, you could save your friend $30 or however
>much. Maybe they'd return the favor someday. <shrug>
>
>                                   -Yellow Ledbetter
>who is perhaps just stupid...but I'm young, I'll learn someday...

Stupid?  Probably not.  After all, you're a Who fan.  Naive, perhaps.
 Uninformed, yes.

First off, somebody has to buy the damn thing so it can be taped for others.
 And many, if not most, people who can afford to buy the imports, DO tape
them for other people.  That's what they're doing when you see all those
notices for trades.

Second, if there were no market for imports, companies wouldn't bother making
them, taking the chances of getting the CDs seized and themselves shut down.
 Someone has to buy those CDs to remind the manufacturers we want more.

Quality's the next issue.  No matter how good your system, a tape of a CD is
never going to sound as good as the CD.  Some of these imports don't start
out all that wonderful; copies just go downhill from there.  Multiple
generation copies get progressively worse with each generation.  Say the one
rich member of the list (Fang, right?) buys a CD.  He kindly tapes a couple
copies (presumably even WF has a life and doesn't have time to make 300 tapes
for everyone on the list to have a first generation tape).  Considering not
everyone has the ability to dub tapes, and most of us do have other things to
do as well, it will be months before the 300th person gets his/her 20th
generation copy.  Which might be listenable.  Or not.  I'd rather dig up the
cash for the CD than be that person.

This is how a tape tree works--and even with only 60-70 people requesting a
copy, it still takes a couple months for someone (who has to donate his/her
time and energy) to organize the tree, make the initial set of copies, and
see that the tree functions.  (How about volunteering to run the next tree
and finding out how much fun it is yourself?)  And the tree leaves are still
getting 3rd generation copies.

Then there's convenience.  If you followed the thread on "how people listen
to their albums" you noticed that few listen to every album all the way
through, beginning to end.  With a sophisticated tape system, you can
"program" the player to identify individual tracks and play or skip them.
 But I don't have that sort of system.  Do you?
I typically don't listen to every song.  Some I dislike, some are
overexposed, some I dearly love.  Even the cheapest CD player lets you
program tracks.  With a tape, what you get is what you hear.

Finally, there's collectibility.  A tape copy, (unless it's something
extraordinary) has little "real money" value.  For some people, this doesn't
matter; they just want to hear the music and are happy with tape copies.  For
others, their collection is both a source of enjoyment and an investment.
 Whether for bragging rights, because one is a completist fanatic, or because
most of these items appreciate in value, a copy just won't satisfy a
collector. 

Undoubtedly, there are some people who flaunt their newest acquisition just
to brag and make the rest of us envious.  More do it, I believe, to let
others know something special is available and to be on the alert for their
own copy, to alert traders to a new item "in stock," or to share their happy
ending to a long search.  

Instead of complaining that you can't afford the originals, look for posts
from people interested in trading tapes.  And be grateful they not only can
afford to buy the original, but are willing to take the time and effort to
make a copy for trade.  You wouldn't have access to any of these goodies
without them!

Mick Noland