Who of you actively collect Silvers / Liberated Boots???

[aybesea]

I know some here absolutely hate the bootleggers and everything they stand for, but I personally seek out and collect a few labels. To wit, I really love Sigma, Amity, Wardour and a few others.

Who else here collects and which labels interest you?

[aybesea]

Just moved this to the Liberated Boots folder

[Skinny12]

I started with bootlegs in 1991, 95% Pink Floyd, a few ELP and Kraftwerk. My father started it buying me the most famous Wall in London bootleg. Spent a fortune on the collection over the years, had it all…about 800-1.000 discs. And at a very stupid moment i sold them all to one lucky guy. I wonder if he’s here at the forum

Best
Nils

[tiwaz10]

Personally I was making some tables trying to complete the theme of Labels as much as possible... Sigmas, Sirene (pre-Sigma), Amity, Godfatherecords, Great Dane, The Swingin' Pig, Tarantura, Highland...etc... but for work issues I have a little abandoned.

I know it's a subject "hated" by some... but I've always wanted to insist that if we only buy ONE copy and share it... business is over. Also, having a copy makes us see if the work they have done is good (sometimes there are surprises) or not.
Obviously it's just an opinion. 🙄

Jose

[aybesea]

And I absolutely love that idea, Jose. If we get enough people who serious collect these, maybe we can create a "buyers club" like you are suggesting. Seems like a great idea!

[tiwaz10]

I'll try to work a little more on the Labels list.... don't push me Steve... don't push me... hahahhahaha

[LeifH]

I know it's a subject "hated" by some... but I've always wanted to insist that if we only buy ONE copy and share it... business is over. Also, having a copy makes us see if the work they have done is good (sometimes there are surprises) or not.
Obviously it's just an opinion. 🙄

Jose

Usually the latter, especially with older bootlegs. A bunch of my stuff has found its way into the hands of bootleggers and while it is disappointing and frustrating, I've come to expect it. A band like PF is doing just fine financially, but kinda shitty to spend hundreds of $$$ only to have someone try and "flip" your work (and not even send me a promo copy!!!)

[tiwaz10]

Totally agree.
Sending a copy of gratitude was already the subject of talk in Y!... and it would be to admit that they have copied your work... and you can say... "look, at least they are nice".
But what they should at least put, with your permission, would be the source (you) and the process that has been done and not magically grant their authorship. If later someone has "touched up" your work, put it... based on a work of "XXXX".

If, for example, Sigma makes 300 copies of each release... I can buy a copy... or llama or whoever... if we expand that seed to the rest of the communities (101, Dime, Gullveig...) just we are buying a copy... and its market will be greatly reduced (well... it's an opinion... a wish)

But it's still my opinion

[lennyif]

I still collect, though I would call it passive collecting. I buy stuff here and there when the price is right or if it's one of those top tier recordings that's nice to have a physical version of. For instance, I recently bought a copy of the old Enclave lp for 9 dollars, and a spare copy of Total Eclipse for 15 or so. I have more stuff than I have time to listen to these days, but it's still fun getting a package in the mail or finding something cool in a store.

[tiwaz10]

How envious to live in a place where you can find that kind of thing walking around your city.
In Madrid that does not happen !!! If you find a Pink Floyd single it's a miracle... an old Bootleg... beyond a miracle!! :-)

[shuffle]

Although many people here may not like it, many of the new bootlegs are available in Japan for the Japanese market. It is still in demand for the Japanese.
Many people in Japan still prefer to collect on physical media CDs. As proof of this, Tower Records has not yet shut up shop in Japan, and many stores are still open.

Not only are they stealing audio from torrent sites, but they are also responsible for releasing recordings of various artists' performances in Japan.
I am going to Sting's Tokyo show tomorrow. I'm sure the bootleggers will release a CD of that soon too. For me, that kind of release is helpful.

[Anredeon]

I started about 2001 with collecting Pink Floyd shows, a very good friend in Germany (thanks Dirk) provided me with most stuff. For a long time I listened to it on my CD-Walkman on long meditative walks, still do, with obtaining a flacplayer I just collect flacs knowadays but its still nice to have a physical backup. I collect Sigmas (or others) only when there is some improvement on the shows.

[oldpink]

I started with silver disks back in 1993.
The one that I prized above all others, made by a now defunct Italian company called Great Dane Records, was "Total Eclipse," which turns out to have been compiled by one of our best known members here, who sent the original recordings to the owner of the company to be made into a lavish four-disk box set.
I unfortunately damaged one of the disks, sending it back for replacement.
I received a new set, but it was damaged in shipping, so I sent that one back (once again, all the way to Italy), but unfortunately in the interim, the legal loophole that had made Italy a haven for bootleggers was closed, so I never got it back.
However, I still have all 21 of my other silver disks sitting on the shelf, even though all of them have been since surpassed by recordings that I pulled down from Yeeshkul! and one or two other sites over the years.

[Llama]

i started getting them as a way to help on Y! as many shows that i downloaded, i figured i could at least buy a few things here and there and learn to upload them. i obviously like Sigma, Blue Cafe, SpeakEZY... and whatever else may be available that peaks my interest.

the interesting thing about buying these is that you are always hoping that this version of a show will surpass previous recorders. usually, it:s just stolen work.

[Skinny12]

I started with silver disks back in 1993.
The one that I prized above all others, made by a now defunct Italian company called Great Dane Records, was "Total Eclipse," which turns out to have been compiled by one of our best known members here, who sent the original recordings to the owner of the company to be made into a lavish four-disk box set.
I unfortunately damaged one of the disks, sending it back for replacement.
I received a new set, but it was damaged in shipping, so I sent that one back (once again, all the way to Italy), but unfortunately in the interim, the legal loophole that had made Italy a haven for bootleggers was closed, so I never got it back.
However, I still have all 21 of my other silver disks sitting on the shelf, even though all of them have been since surpassed by recordings that I pulled down from Yeeshkul! and one or two other sites over the years.

This?



I have it...and can send it to you after all for nostalgic reasons if you want!

Best
Nils

[oldpink]

This?



I have it...and can send it to you after all for nostalgic reasons if you want!

Best
Nils

Are you kidding me?!
I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to part with such a wonderful collector's item, even though there are now long established superior sources for all of the material on it.
I'm sure you already know this, but for those of you who don't, it was our own Rontoon who was behind the original recordings for this, way back when he was a tape trader.
I would be thrilled to have that, but I would feel rather guilty taking it from you, especially considering just how damn generous you are.

[vince666]

from tiwaz10 's comment above:

"If, for example, Sigma makes 300 copies of each release... I can buy a copy... or llama or whoever... if we expand that seed to the rest of the communities (101, Dime, Gullveig...) just we are buying a copy... and its market will be greatly reduced (well... it's an opinion... a wish)"

if it was really possible to happen that they press 300 copies and they sell only 1 copy, they would stop quite immediately because pressing 300 copies and selling only one means they've lost quite some money in pressing the remaining 299 copies.

but, unfortunately, the most likely situation is that there is more than one who buys one copy thinking he is the only one to buy it or that there are those who want to have a silver pressed CD no matter what and, in the end, they sell most of what they press or, at least, they sell enough copies to make their business profitable.
Otherwise, they would have stopped years ago but, actually, they've just made hundreds of releases.
Also, if all people here do agree to let only one person buying a copy and soon liberating it here, it would still not work in getting them losing their money because there are surely many other potential buyers around the world who aren't members here.

In fact, if they are still releasing silver pressed CDs, evidently, their business is protitable because they aren't music lovers but simply greedy people who try to get some "easy" money.

Of course, if what you hope might really happen, they would soon stop pressing CDs... but I am slightly less optimistic about this. 🙄

That said, liberating their boots here is very important so that they will press "only" 300 copies and not 10000 or more copies of any of their releases.

Cheers,

Vince.

PS: all the mentioned numbers are just an example... we cannot really know the real numbers.

[tiwaz10]

Hi Vince. :-)

I mean the 300 copies that are numbered up to 300. At least in the Sigmas.

Man, you don't have to take it to the extreme of 299-1 either :-). But if we manage to sell 25 less... well, that's what we "win"

Of course it is profitable for them since they not only print Pink Floyd... but all kinds of groups. (and the same will happen in other communities).

Obviously I agree with you that there are people who do not belong to these communities or simply want to have a physical copy of "something"

Of course they are not going to disappear and it is more a wish than a reality. This has been happening for decades and with the ease of the new times it will increase, possibly.

I just think it reduces the number of purchases if you can hear it beforehand or have a comparison. Hence "Liberated Bootlegs".

As always it's an opinion and... well... I don't make money with this!!!! That I look as if Sigma paid me !!! :-)

Cheers,

Jose

[TheWalrusWasPaul67]

I will say that while they are greedy people, they are greedy "music lovers" who just so happen to know graphic design LOL. When reading the descriptions of their releases, I can tell they have extensive knowledge of the material they are releasing. They are just as passionate about music like us, but want to make it a profitable business. Scummy yes, illegal...kinda but not so much in Japan.

[daemonspudguy]

I appreciate the album art that is made for the bootlegs, and usually download the liberated boots for the album artwork because I like to have my library organized with everything having appropriate tags and artwork.

[shuffle]

The Sigma label only releases titles that are likely to sell more than 100 copies on silver pressed CDs made at a factory in Taiwan. Titles that are likely to sell less than that are released on CDR under the Amity and Windmill labels.
They launch some new title every week and so they runs bootleg business from hand to mouth. If all titles sold less than 100 copies each, they would pull out. That means the end of bootlegs.

[Rex]

The only 3 I have bought in the lastdecade or so is 3 Roger Waters ones that I actually found in HMV here in the UK, Pros & Cons of NY, Live Radio (KAOS) & Is it the Fifth? Paid no more that £30 for all 3 so didn't feel ripped off at all, those Japanes silvers cost more than that each, could never justify paying those prices however tempting some titles are.

There was a user over on Y who was posting links to a blog of liberated silvers, can anyone remember the site they used to link? Sure it began with a G but cannot find it in my history/bookmarks.