Will S.
Super Member
Usually when collectors talk about bootlegs, they're referring to unauthorized live recordings, but there are other kinds of unauthorized releases also referred to as bootlegs:
1) Small record pressing (and cassette manufacturing) plants operated both legit and bootleg businesses. During the day, they'd manufacture legitimate recordings, at night they'd make illegal reproductions of major label product and sell them through various channels and sometimes they'd end up in record stores right next to legit product. If you've ever bought a new record and the colors on the cover were slightly off or it had a plain inner sleeve, you might have bought one.
2) The labels and "legit" pressing plants weren't above sketchy behavior either. A common scam was overpressing a release. They'd make more records than they'd officially order and the artist only got paid at the rate for the number ordered, not the number actually sold. Sometimes overpressing happened at the plant on the orders of an enterprising production manager and got sold through less discerning channels so that both the labels and the artists were robbed.
3) Because the rights to unauthorized live recordings remained with the labels and artists, not the people who marketed them, sometimes the labels would turn around and release the better bootlegs as "official" releases, thus drying up the market for the boots. Frank Zappa had a whole series of these.
4) Sometimes when there were disputes between artists and record companies, record companies would release albums for which they had the masters, but not the contractually specified authorization from the artists to release them. This could lead to years of litigation before the artist would regain the rights.
So the discussion of the impact of bootlegs always needs a bit of context.
1) Small record pressing (and cassette manufacturing) plants operated both legit and bootleg businesses. During the day, they'd manufacture legitimate recordings, at night they'd make illegal reproductions of major label product and sell them through various channels and sometimes they'd end up in record stores right next to legit product. If you've ever bought a new record and the colors on the cover were slightly off or it had a plain inner sleeve, you might have bought one.
2) The labels and "legit" pressing plants weren't above sketchy behavior either. A common scam was overpressing a release. They'd make more records than they'd officially order and the artist only got paid at the rate for the number ordered, not the number actually sold. Sometimes overpressing happened at the plant on the orders of an enterprising production manager and got sold through less discerning channels so that both the labels and the artists were robbed.
3) Because the rights to unauthorized live recordings remained with the labels and artists, not the people who marketed them, sometimes the labels would turn around and release the better bootlegs as "official" releases, thus drying up the market for the boots. Frank Zappa had a whole series of these.
4) Sometimes when there were disputes between artists and record companies, record companies would release albums for which they had the masters, but not the contractually specified authorization from the artists to release them. This could lead to years of litigation before the artist would regain the rights.
So the discussion of the impact of bootlegs always needs a bit of context.
