Something that everyone should be aware of as Richard opens the tracker to the public this weekend is that Queen are in the process of turning the top 100 Queen bootlegs into official releases (a la Zappa's "Beat the Boots" series). Several have been released so far at link and you'll notice that all profits go to the Mercury Phoenix Trust (with matching funds from EMI). So, when Richard asks that no official material be placed on the tracker, please respect the wishes of the man who runs this site, and take the time to find out if something is or has been officially available. The lawyers won't take "I didn't know" as an excuse, and Richard shouldn't either. If you're not sure, post a thread in "Sharing the Music" and ask.
deleted user 08.04.2005 06:02
But are those bootlegs theyv got on the QOL site classes as an official release? just curious about that one.
so what everyone is saying is they are not setting a good example by selling bootlegs. they are doin exactly what they are trying to fight, am i on the right lines? (im dopey so....)
Thanks for pointing out that thread, Agneepath!, I hadn't seen it. I took away two points from it:
1. As Whitemanadmin states, the QOL versions of the shows are in a lossy format. I agree that this is a shame, and I'd like it if they would at least offer the choice of formats (I'd even pay a bit more for FLACed WAV files of shows I don't have).
2. Thomas Quinn feels (correct me if I'm wrong, TQ) that we should boycott the QOL offerings as a protest over QP's seeming lack of effort in finding and releasing rare or unheard material. While I agree that overall QP has done a deplorable job of releasing interesting new material, I fail to see what that has to do with the digital release of the bootlegs. I could maybe see a tenous connection if Queen were making a profit on the boots, but all the money goes to the trust charity. On top of that, EMI is going to donate money with each sale, too, and the label certainly doesn't have to do that if they don't want to.
Overall, I'd say it's Queen's attempt to make something good come from bootlegging. Sort of like Zappa's "Beat the Boots" sets, but with the money going to charity.