Grateful Dead backtracks on download ban

Facing criticism from thousands of fans, the Grateful Dead appears to have backtracked on recent moves to deter people from trading free copies of concert recordings over the Internet.

After consulting with the legendary jam band, a nonprofit group that distributes the group's music online had restored the audience recordings for downloading and streaming on Thursday.

The organization, called the Internet Archive, also made available the Grateful Dead's "soundboard" recordings, which the band sells on its own site, but only for streaming.

Internet Archive had removed the recordings from its site after the Grateful Dead's business managers complained recently. The move caused an uproar among the band's fans. Thousands signed an online petition condemning the band and pledging to boycott all Grateful Dead merchandise. The crackdown appeared to be a sudden reversal by the band, which reportedly had long approved of fans trading homemade concert tapes.

The Internet Archive is taking some responsibility for the dustup, suggesting it resulted from a misunderstanding.

"We at Archive.org now realize that our mistaken attempts to move quickly were based on what we thought the Grateful Dead wanted," director Brewster Kahle said in the site's discussion forum. "For this, we apologize both to the Grateful Dead and their community."

Former Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh also posted an apology of sorts on his Web site on Wednesday.

"We are musicians not businessmen and have made good and bad decisions on our journey. We do love and care about our community as you helped us make the music," he wrote in the posting. "Your concerns have been heard and I am sure are being respectfully addressed."

[System Tyrant]

Like I said...

the Grateful dead would allow it to go back up. I don't know if the band had anything to do with it being taken down or not, but they are the ones who will have to make the apology.

[long distance runner]

now what ?

Does this mean we can still purchase/trade shows in hong Kong ? After all, how many Chinese New Years show did we all attend.

[lingsun]

Shouldn't let the music thieves win

They shouldn't let the music thieves win. It's the band's property. They have the right to sell it. Nobody has the right to demand someone else's property for free. It's pretty sad really. It's saying "I love your music but I refuse to buy it." So much for "loving" the Grateful Dead.

[aabcdefghij987654321]

A lot of these had been taped by fans at concert..

A lot of these had been taped by fans at concert.. _with_ the band's blessing.

In short, it is NOT the band's property.

[Bob Brinkman]

That band had a long history

Of allowing people to tape their shows and trade them as long as people didn't try and make a buck off it.
Now they (the company that surounds the band) want to charge for what they gave away for free. Sounds like they are the ones trying to rob people.

[capntripz]

Who Are You?

Listen man, I don't know who you think you are, but how dare you

We are hardly music thieves, and the Grateful Dead have never been about making money

The People In Charge of the Grateful dead have been leaning that way lately, and none of us like it, because the money isn't going to the dead

Phil Lesh doesn't give a flying f*** about creating greater revenues, and the grateful dead have always been cool with tape trading

So f*** you for doubting a fan's loyalty to their band just because they don't want to finance some business man's lexus

[208774626618253979477959487856]

my favorite band

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