Band beats bootleggers

The scourge of live bands, the illegal bootleg concert recording, will soon become a money spinner for the live music industry when a Sydney company offers patrons the opportunity to buy a CD of a show within five minutes of the finale.

Smash Touring will be the first Australian company to offer the service - at the Australian reunion shows by Detroit rock band MC5 later this month - following the lead of American band the Pixies and US entertainment giant Clear Channel.

Smash Music managing director John Denison said the technology would enable bands to generate extra income during tours. Artists traditionally make more money from tours than from CD sales.

The bootlegger usually smuggles a tape recorder, or more recently a digital recorder, into a venue and records the show as close as possible to the mixing desk, where sound quality is better. The recordings are sold and the artists get nothing.

The legitimate bootleg will be recorded from the mixing desk and will include gig details, cover art and a song list. The Pixies reportedly sold recordings of its recent US shows to between 20 and 50 per cent of its audiences, with the band clearing between $10 and $15 from each sale.

Mr Denison said he would limit the number of MC5 concert CDs to 500 to ensure they became collector's items.

by Patrick Donovan - July 7, 2004

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