Why don’t Bob Dylan and other artists get with the program, sell their concerts as downloads

Phish download for concert last night

Phish record and release every concert for download at $9.99 a show

Stephen Pate. NJN Network, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, June 21, 2009

Phish download for East Troy Wisconsin

Fans love souvenirs of the shows they attend and the true fans collect all the shows of their favourite artists. In the old days, before the Internet, Bob Dylan and Grateful Dead fans would record the shows off cheap smuggled in recorders. Some shows were recorded off the stereo mix that is sent to the boxes and press seats. Then the tapes would be exchanged for literally the cost of the tape. Today they are available for download in the Internet. Technically illegal since the artist owns the copyright but fans make the argument that if the artist doesn’t want to release they are going to “liberate” the records.

Phish are a savvy rock group that make their living touring and selling within 24 hours the recordings from their shows. No one would bootleg Phish. Why bother? They keep an archive for collectors and souvenirs for the people who get to one show a year. For $10 you get.

Bob Dylan and other artists are missing the boat. Selling 200,000 CD’s every two years is a waste of revenue when you can sell 10,000 downloads every second day.