Tape Trading

Tape trading is a hobby that has been popular since the 1960s. It involves the unauthorized trading of live and studio recordings of popular musicians, usually demos. Many consider the 1980s and 90s as its heyday as it has fallen out of practice in the traditional sense as digital recordings and the Internet have made sharing music files much easier. This was an underground network that relied heavily on the postal service in order to transfer these tapes to friends and other people who possessed rare recordings in order to trade.

Fans of certain music worldwide found this to be the perfect opportunity to spread the word about a certain musical act which they appreciated. Copyright laws were pretty much tossed aside when any tape trading took place, with fans being more occupied on promoting their favorite bands and getting new music to listen to. Even the musicians themselves would usually be a part of this process, sending out tapes of their performances in order to hopefully land a recording contract.

Tape trading for the most part was a ad-hoc system that relied on trust and the honor system. When one would send out a tape, there was no real way to know for sure whether or not they would receive the one they asked for in return. This was prevented to some extent by essentially blackballing anyone who reneged on their part of the deal, sending out notifications and acknowledging them as a rip off trader.

Besides music recordings, tape traders may also distribute posters or flyers that a particular band would have used in order to promote themselves. Even though a recording may have been copyrighted, it would still be rerecorded to a vinyl record, cassette tape, or CD in order to make trading them possible. Although this practice broke several rules, fans saw it as an opportunity to hear new music as well as spread the word about their favorite artists.

Tapers and Live Events

Although tape trading is still in practice to some extent in the present day, it is less common and done mainly for nostalgic purposes. The unauthorized recording of live concerts has only grown in popularity however as it is much easier for fans to acquire the technology and equipment needed in order to do so at an acceptable quality. This is most often accomplished by using microphones placed out in the audience, by someone now Fans of the Grateful Dead back in the 1960s were notorious for taping concerts and trading these recordings with other fans for example.

The recording of these live events is actually done legally for the most part however, as these tapers will commonly receive the band's permission before doing so. In order to stay within the bounds of the law, the taper cannot sell these recordings, only distribute and trade them with others. Even so, there is a small minority of tapers who will record a concert secretly with the intention of selling the recordings later. These individuals are often referred to as 'stealth tapers.'

While recording a performance using microphones can be an effective way to capture a live performance, bands will sometimes allow a taper to plug directly into the group's sound system. This allows the taper to create a perfect recording that is of the highest quality. These recordings are usually converted into a digital recording format such as FLAC, which can then be transferred to listeners all over the country using file sharing programs such as bit torrent.

Record Bootlegging

Bootlegged records are recordings made without any authorization by the band or the copyright holders of the recordings. These recordings consist of a wide range of material from live performances, unused takes, demos, and songs that have been scrapped. Many fans of a particular group find these recordings to be like lost relics which they enjoy hunting out just as much as they enjoy listening to them. These recordings may be distributed for free, traded for other rare recordings, or even sold for a price. In cases where they are sold, the recordings are usually given a professional treatment and package designs are included.

In the past, there have been many bootleg recordings which were taped off of rare FM radio broadcasts which would feature live or in-studio performances. For the most part however, these bootleg tapes would be recorded during a live concert with the recording equipment smuggled in without the band or authorities being aware of it. While this is usually not allowed, advancements in technology have made this easier than ever since the 1970s.

Sometimes these bootleg recordings are referred to as ROIOs, or Recording Of Indeterminate Origin. This term is preferred for recordings whose legal status was too difficult or even impossible to determine. This was popular first amongst fans of Pink Floyd recordings in order to differentiate between tapes which were outright illegally produced or counterfeit.

The practice of spreading these bootleg recordings was first popular in the 1960s. In fact, a certain bootleg Bob Dylan record released in 1969 is regarded as being the one of the first. It was released with an all white package and labels and was titled The Great White Wonder. The advent of the Compact Disc made trading these recordings easier than ever and not only were new bootlegs being spread, but the older recordings when the 60s and 70s were reaching new audiences and old fans. Digital recordings made trading easier than ever.

Conclusion

Tape trading is still popular today, and even to a greater extent than ever before. Only nowadays digital recordings and the Internet have changed the way it is done. Many up and coming musical acts will provide free recordings on their Web sites or Myspace accounts, while bit torrent and other file sharing programs make trading easier and faster than ever. Even music companies have found this to be an effective way to spread the word about a particular musical act and have begun making certain recordings available for free.

Tape Trading