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November 30, 2005
Auds to be downloadable, says McNally
According to a relix.com newsbrief the band is about to walk back its decision to try to get past its worst PR debacle ever:
Grateful Dead Downloads Likely To Be Restored at Archive.org
Complete recordings of Grateful Dead concerts should once again be available at the online Internet Archive (archive.org)--perhaps as early as tonight.
According to Grateful Dead spokesman Dennis McNally, the removal on November 22 of all downloadable Dead recordings from archive.org was the result of "a great communication snafu."
"It is my understanding that by the end of the day, the audience tapes will be restored to archive.org," McNally said by phone.
Since 2003, the Internet Archive's Grateful Dead page allowed fans to upload entire shows, which were then universally available for free download. Well-connected Deadheads have been using the Archive to bolster their collections of live Dead music ever since.
Uh, I thought that the archive made it no longer necessary to be "well connected" unless relix.com writer Richard B. Simon means "with broadband connections."
But on November 22, fans were shocked to find that access to the 1,172 recordings of Dead shows (and occasional rarities like rehearsal sessions) that had been previously available had been blocked. That included access to the "audience tapes"--recordings made the old-fashioned way, with two microphones and a tape deck in the special "taper section" at Dead concerts.
The Grateful Dead have long been known for their policy of allowing fans to record their concerts--even allowing Deadhead tapers to plug directly into the band's mixing console (resulting in the high-quality "soundboard" recordings)--then disseminate the recordings freely. The band's freewheeling taping policy has been widely credited for maintaining the band's success, even during decades of lukewarm attention from critics and the mainstream commercial music industry.
No word on whether the soundboards will also become available, streaming or otherwise.
Posted by xian at November 30, 2005 3:42 PM
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The title of this post stands for G-ddamn, this is exhausting! Via Uncle John's Blog is some tentaive good news: Grateful Dead Downloads Likely To Be Restored at Archive.org Complete recordings of Grateful Dead concerts should once again be available... [Read More]
Tracked on November 30, 2005 6:05 PM