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Hearing Aid bootlegging



Bootleggers Use Hearing Aid To Record 

By LARRY McSHANE 
Associated Press Writer 

NEW YORK (AP) — A system designed to help the hearing-impaired at
concerts has provided bootleggers with a new tool to make illegal live
recordings of exceptional quality, according to the record industry. 
This latest wrinkle in the multimillion-dollar bootlegging industry
takes advantage of a federal law requiring arenas to offer patrons use
of an assistive listening device (ALD). 
``We know through criminal investigations and informants that this is a
common practice,'' said Frank Creighton, senior vice president of
anti-piracy at the Recording Industry Association of America. 
Bootleggers can simply request an ALD headset, which provides a
high-quality feed of a live show via a low-level FM frequency broadcast
inside a facility. 
The music pirates then steal the headset feed, giving them concert
performances devoid of the usual bootleg problems such as random crowd
noise or distortion, Creighton said. 
``The quality is much higher than a typical bootleg,'' Creighton
continued. ``No question about it.'' 
Bootleggers are using the devices provided for the hearing-impaired to
record near-pristine versions of concerts by veterans like Bruce
Springsteen and Bob Dylan plus a plethora of new acts. 
``Every major act that's in the Billboard top 100 is getting bootlegged
in some manner,'' Creighton says. 
Advocates for the hearing impaired were appalled by the new pirating
technique. 
``Oh my goodness! What concerns me is if this becomes so prevalent that
the service is dropped,'' said Mercy Coogan of Gallaudet University, the
Washington, D.C.-based college for deaf and hard of hearing students. 
``That could prohibit a whole lot of hard of hearing people from this
very important mode of access.'' 
Arenas are required to provide the ALDs under the federal Americans with
Disability Act, which marked its 10th anniversary Wednesday. 
Typical of the ALD bootlegs is an Aug. 22, 1999, Springsteen concert
from Boston's Fleet Center — one of the most popular illegal recordings
of the Boss' E Street Band reunion tour, according to Internet sites. 
The three-CD collection is advertised as ``soundboard quality,'' with
various mentions that it was done via an ALD. 
``If there (is) anybody who don't own a single boot, buy this,'' raved
one bootleg buyer at a Springsteen site. ``The sound is so good you'll
think it's an official release!!!'' 
Another enthusiastic reviewer offered this praise: ``The instrument
separation is outstanding and well-mixed, making this set a joy to
listen to.'' 
The ALD rip-offs were news to officials at several major concert venues
from coast to coast, including the new Staples Center in Los Angeles and
the First Union Center in Philadelphia. 
``We have the devices, but I haven't heard of this,'' said Ike Williams
of the First United Center in Philadelphia. 
Creighton says that arena policing is generally left up to bands and
their road crews; many groups, from the Allman Brothers to the Dave
Matthews Band, have encouraged their fans to tape and trade live
performances. 
The Recording Industry Association of America only becomes involved once
the illegal material is manufactured and distributed, according to
Creighton. The association says that hundreds of millions of dollars are
lost annually through the various forms of bootlegging, and this new
technique should add to that total. 
``They're plugging into soundboard feeds — high quality,'' Creighton
says. ``Those types of recordings garner the largest bidders in the
bootlegging underground.'' 

        -Brian in Atlanta
         The Who This Month!
         http://members.home.net/cadyb/who.htm