Since their 2000 tour, fans of Pearl Jam have been able to buy official bootlegs of pretty much ever show they've performed since that time. The CD's are minimally packaged, but are direct-from-the-soundboard recordings of their shows. They make great souvenirs from shows you've attended, and there are plenty of people who will tell you which shows/recordings are especially good and "must-haves". I have about five or six performances in my CD collection. They really make excellent soundtracks for long drives. According to Pearl Jam's website, over three million of these official releases have been sold since they've been available.
Now the band has taken the program one step further. Often just a few hours after any particular show has ended, fans can now download high resolution digital files of the perfromance, complete with special downloadable artwork and a slideshow specific to each night's show, for just $9.99 per show. This is really an amazing deal, considering most shows could fill two or three CDs. A real nice thing about this offer is that the files have no DRM protection on them, so fans can dowload them into whatever format they like best, listen to them on whatever device they choose, and share them however they'd like.
Personally I plan on monitoring the playlists from the band's current world tour and buy a few recordings myself. Thanks Pearl Jam!
1 comment:
This really is a great thing, and an up and coming technology. Last summer (2004, not 2005) I actually got nostalgic and saw KISS (don't laugh) at Jones Beach. They were selling DVD's of the show prior to the show, then burning them right there and you picked it up on the way out. The show was one of the best I have ever seen, and had I knew that going it, would have ordered it. I don't think it was available after the show or it was more money or something which was ashame. BUT, great use of technology. I will check it out, thanks Mike.
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