Re: Comments on a Kate CD-boot requested

[tim@toad.com (Tim Maroney)]

In article <3261@csd4.milw.wisc.edu> David Datta wrote:
>Who says that bootlegs have to be amaturisitc? I HAVE seen other CD
>bootlegs, they seem to be in much better shape than LP bootlegs I have
>seen.

Thanks for the information.  This is the first CD bootleg I've seen.
The LP bootlegs I've seen were in white cardboard jackets with ineptly
reproduced sheets of paper in at most one color glued to the front and
back.  I suppose the greater expense of manufacturing CDs practically
guarantees that the bootleggers will have more resources to expend
on packaging.

In the future I'll be considerably more cautious when purchasing CDs
from unknown labels.  It's not at all unusual to find imports that are
not available in the States (I have lots of European Barking Pumpkin
Zappa releases that Ryko hasn't gotten to yet, for instance).  From now
on I won't take the lack of amateurism and the presence of phony label
identifications as evidence of authenticity of an import.

>Or hadn't you noticed that the back pictures
>were fuzzy and KT has fangs on the top left picture.

No, I hadn't examined the pictures with this microscopic level of
scrutiny.  But you're certainly correct.

>I have read how you feel on copyrights, I hope that you go out and BUY 
>the Hammersmith Odeon video, at present, thats the "official" release,
>Heck, I bought it, I prefer watching the video.

One of my first videotape purchases was this video.  I thought it was
dreadful -- KT can't dance, can't act, and certainly can't choreograph.
But we've been over this before here.  In any case, I traded the video
in for credit at my favorite used CDs, LPs, and videos store.

>Sorry you got skinned,
>this disc is one of the reasons that bootlegs are illegal, people might
>think that the release is benifiting the artist, I'll bet that any
>profit from this disc don't arrive anywhere near KT.

Clearly so.  This seems to be a new thing, bootlegs which try to look
as much as possible like authentic releases to fool ethical buyers.
Pretty scummy.  But I don't intend to get bitten twice.

>Any official release will be widely announced, there is no way that an
>artist like KT could possibly release an album, even re-issue an album
>especially one with "bonus tracks" without publicity.

That's not necessarily true.  There could be overseas releases that
escaped publicity in the States, as frequently happens with other
artists.

Now, I've got to figure out what to do about the guy who offered me a
cassette of KT's B-sides.  Does anyone know if this is a legitimate
release?  It has a white paper insert with hand-lettered track
identifications.  :-)
-- 
Tim Maroney, Mac Software Consultant, sun!hoptoad!tim, tim@toad.com
Postal: 424 Tehama, SF CA 94103; Phone: (415) 495-2934

These are not my opinions, those of my ex-employers, my old schools, my
relatives, my friends, or really any rational person whatsoever.