Poem on Klezmer "bootlegs"?

[Joshua Horowitz <horowitz...>]

Budowitz Website: http://www.budowitz.com

Tonight I waxed poetic, inspired by this discussion on free music on the
web.  Here is a poem for all those whose fan bases and promotional budgets
have not yet quite reached the dimensions of that of Phish and the Grateful
Dead:

Producer called me, he sounded like a gent
paid a small fee, the sales would pay the rent
Told me new buyers would flow in through the vent
But all that gushed in was my four percent

Promoter called me, she sounded like a gent
paid a meager fee, new gigs would pay the rent
Told me larger audiences would flow in through the vent
But all that sputtered in was my three percent

Dj called me, he sounded like a gent
paid a tiny fee, residuals'd pay the rent
Told me Cd sales would flow in through the vent
But all that seaped in was my two percent

Webmaster called me, she sounded like a gent
forget the small fee, new fans would pay the rent
Told me new offers would flow in through the vent
But nothin dribbled in, not even one percent

>From "Shir ha Ganovim" Chapter 6 verse 9.    Josh Horowitz

>> Thank you Josh for taking on a very troubling issue.
>> The idea that copying a recording only "promotes" the artist so that others
>> are exposed to them is like going to the most expensive restaurant in town
>> and telling the owner, "If you let me eat here for free whenever I want, then
>> promise not to eat anywhere else".
>
>> What convoluted logic would make anyone think that a musician should work for
>> nothing while the person who does the copying (or downloading)  goes to work
>> each day and expects to get paid for it??
>
> The logic is far from convoluted. If you were to visit http://www.etree.org/
> for example you would learn that this is actually a legitimate distribution
> stream for certain shows, as authorized by the artists. No one is
> "demanding" that artists give away anything. It's a choice and we are asking
> permission. There is a fine community of serious music enthusiasts who spend
> a lot of money on recording gear, computer equipment, CDs and concert
> tickets who only make legal, authorized recordings. The etree site lists a
> few examples of bands that allow these recordings to take place including
> Phish, Medeski, Martin and Wood, String Cheese Incident, The Grateful Dead
> as well as many others. Clearly, the fan base has grown tremendously for
> these bands due in large part to this successful distribution stream. Fans
> trade recordings of these shows, buy all the CDs they can get their hands on
> and attend as many shows as possible. Therefore, it is reasonable to ask
> Klezmer (or other musicians) if they might consider being a part of this
> experiment.
>
> According to your argument, people who tape live shows (that are usually
> never released because of the prohibitive cost of producing, releasing and
> marketing music) on their own dime with expensive gear, computers, time,
> etc. deprive an artist from being compensated. You would be right if these
> live tapers were actually selling the recordings. But that is not the case.
> No one is benefiting at the expense of an artist except that they have more
> access to live music that they love. If those shows were distributed people
> would likely buy them. Most of the people who tape these shows are very
> respectful of the artists and truly love the music. They can't get enough!
>
> The tapers I'm talking about only make recordings of authorized shows.
> Anyone who tapes a show that isn't authorized is making a "bootleg" copy.
> Taping without permission is clearly stealing and I am not advocating that.
> Neither am I advocating communism. Every individual is entitled to choose
> how, when and where their art is distributed if they can afford to.
>
> I am merely suggesting that there are innovative ways to distribute music
> such as the etree site that has a very strict policy against unauthorized,
> illegal, unethical, bootleg copies of any music. Additionally, the people
> involved in the etree live music project adhere to rather strict, quality
> guidelines in terms of taping and preparing music. These recordings are
> typically formatted as Shorten files, a particular kind of compression that
> maintains the integrity of the recordings, unlike mp3s, that imo, sound
> crummy and flat. Shorten files are very large and require high-speed
> internet connections for uploading/downloading.
>
>> The problem does not only rest with CDs, but with music books as well. The
>> irony is that I find this problem most often with the MUSICIANS. How many
>> times have we seen posting where musicians are looking for the music or
>> lyrics to a particular song?  These are songs that are generally available in
>> currently available music books that are being kept alive by the few
>> publishers who are still willing to produce Jewish music books....and you can
>> bet none are getting rich from their efforts.
>
> Other musicians have enjoyed the benefit of growing audiences by taking
> advantage of this type of music distribution, the cost of which is absorbed
> by the individuals who cherish these special live performances. No one is
> profiting from this...it tends to be rather expensive and is usually done as
> a labor of love. This is not the same as copying official released music or
> books. You make a valid point about that and it would be wrong to go to a
> bookstore and make a photocopy of a page in a book without paying for it.
> Yes, yes, that is wrong. This is not the same thing at all.
>
>> Is $16 or $17 too much for the consumer to pay for a little 'Yiddishkeit"??
>> No one is expected to work for free, so why should the musician be expected
>> to give his work away for nothing??
>
> It's not too much and jewish music fans pay for this music. Some of us only
> wish we could listen to more live performances. If I had the money I'd go to
> New York every week to listen to more Klez but I can't so I buy lots of CDs
> and wait until someone authorizes the taping of their performances so I can
> hear more of the music I love.
>
> Either way, it's a choice that the artists must make and we respect that
> choice. 8)
>
> brian
> --
> "Whatever we endeavor according to reason is nothing else but to understand;
> and the mind, in so far as it exercises reason, judges nothing else to be to
> its advantage except what conduces to understanding." --Baruch Spinoza, (Pr.
> 26, IV) The Ethics
>
>
> 

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