Tape Trading for Dummies

kavu478 · 09-09-2003, 12:23 PM

Okay, I must confess, I don’t know jack about tape trading or taping live shows for that matter. I’ve looked at the taping thread which made it a little clearer but I’m still in the dark here. I have some questions and it’d be great if I could get some answers…

1) Is tape trading or purchasing it legal?
2) Are the recordings legal?
3) How does tape trading work? Is it really trading or can someone just buy one?
4) How do you know you are getting a good recording? How does one measure the quality?
5) Where would one go to trade or buy?

I know this may sound stupid but man I want to get my hands on some shows that I’ve been to but I want to be legit when I do it. So if you know how…I could use your help.

Scon · 09-09-2003, 01:40 PM

1/Tape trading is legal yep, as long as the artist allows it. Purchasing never is.

2/Same as above. If the artist allows it they're fine. Where artists don't allow it, people do what are known as 'stealth' recordings (hiding the equiptment). Often the band will know about them, but not go out of their way to do a lot about it after their recorded (U2 for example, who have hundreds of shows available).

3/ There's 3 main ways it works:
(a) You trade a show you have with someone who has a show you want.
(b)You send blank CD's and stamped, addressed packaging to someone who has a show you want. They'll burn the show to the CD's and mail it back (costing them nothing).
(c) You can download them off the internet (not in the sense of mp3s, which are frowned upon in trading. Etree.org and other sites cater for this, usually as 'shn' files.

So the first is trading, as the word meant it. The second is almost, and the third isn't. I tried to explain how to set up a trade before, see the link at the bottom.

4/ Usually by the information the person gives with the recording. If a person just gives the date of the show, and number of CDs it'll take; you won't have a clue. A rating (like A+) helps, but is subjective.
If they give the full setlist - info on who recorded it, using what equiptment, together with a rating - you can usually tell the person knows a good show from a bad and you can trust their rating better. Any problem's in the show (such as static, cracks or pop's) should always be written somewhere. Also, look for warnings from the person, insisting on recieving shows recorded only with a thing called 'DAO', this is a good sign that they're trustworthy on rating.

All the above is pretty widespread in the US, but unfortunately not here in Ireland. So most Damien shows out there have little or no details with them. I've no idea who recorded most of the Damien shows I have with what, and can't list it. It's a pity, but hopefully will change.

5/ Never buy. You're letting the person who bought it profit from someone elses work. 95% of the shows available for sale you can get for free.
The best way to get shows is to go to a popular forum for the artist and request. Try some trading database sites aswell, such as http://db.etree.org

Some of this might sound complicated, but trust me, it's easy to get your head around. There's some seemingly weird rules out there, but they're only to ensure standards are kept in the quality.

I tried to write up the basics on my trading page thingy ( http://jtol.jaggedpath.com/trading/ ), though I'm not the best at writing. Follow the 2 links at the top.

Hope this helps [img]smileys/smiley1.gif[/img]

kavu478 · 09-09-2003, 02:05 PM

wow... very informative...THANKS!

Scon · 09-09-2003, 02:47 PM

I was hoping it would be. Anytime [img]smileys/smiley1.gif[/img]

kavu478 · 09-09-2003, 05:53 PM

well...with that new found knowledge, anyone know of good trading sites?

Scon · 09-09-2003, 06:11 PM

http://db.etree.org/etree_shnlist.php is definitely your first choice like I said. It lists a lot of artists that have shows available for download.

If you want a bigger selection, that includes shows that can be traded for aswell as downloaded, have a look at http://www.archive.org/audio/ which is basically run by the same company.

Thirdly, go to popular discussion boards for the artist you're interested in and ask there.

Lastly, type the name of the artist plus trading and/or shows; which should give you some people's trading lists and details of how to contact them.

09-09-2003, 12:23 PM	#1
kavu478 Eskimo Regular Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: United States Posts: 236	Okay, I must confess, I don’t know jack about tape trading or taping live shows for that matter. I’ve looked at the taping thread which made it a little clearer but I’m still in the dark here. I have some questions and it’d be great if I could get some answers… 1) Is tape trading or purchasing it legal? 2) Are the recordings legal? 3) How does tape trading work? Is it really trading or can someone just buy one? 4) How do you know you are getting a good recording? How does one measure the quality? 5) Where would one go to trade or buy? I know this may sound stupid but man I want to get my hands on some shows that I’ve been to but I want to be legit when I do it. So if you know how…I could use your help. __________________ "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." -Albert Einstein

09-09-2003, 02:05 PM	#3
kavu478 Eskimo Regular Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: United States Posts: 236	wow... very informative...THANKS! __________________ "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." -Albert Einstein

09-09-2003, 05:53 PM	#5
kavu478 Eskimo Regular Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: United States Posts: 236	well...with that new found knowledge, anyone know of good trading sites? __________________ "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." -Albert Einstein

09-09-2003, 01:40 PM	#2
Scon Eskimo Regular Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ireland Posts: 398	1/Tape trading is legal yep, as long as the artist allows it. Purchasing never is. 2/Same as above. If the artist allows it they're fine. Where artists don't allow it, people do what are known as 'stealth' recordings (hiding the equiptment). Often the band will know about them, but not go out of their way to do a lot about it after their recorded (U2 for example, who have hundreds of shows available). 3/ There's 3 main ways it works: (a) You trade a show you have with someone who has a show you want. (b)You send blank CD's and stamped, addressed packaging to someone who has a show you want. They'll burn the show to the CD's and mail it back (costing them nothing). (c) You can download them off the internet (not in the sense of mp3s, which are frowned upon in trading. Etree.org and other sites cater for this, usually as 'shn' files. So the first is trading, as the word meant it. The second is almost, and the third isn't. I tried to explain how to set up a trade before, see the link at the bottom. 4/ Usually by the information the person gives with the recording. If a person just gives the date of the show, and number of CDs it'll take; you won't have a clue. A rating (like A+) helps, but is subjective. If they give the full setlist - info on who recorded it, using what equiptment, together with a rating - you can usually tell the person knows a good show from a bad and you can trust their rating better. Any problem's in the show (such as static, cracks or pop's) should always be written somewhere. Also, look for warnings from the person, insisting on recieving shows recorded only with a thing called 'DAO', this is a good sign that they're trustworthy on rating. All the above is pretty widespread in the US, but unfortunately not here in Ireland. So most Damien shows out there have little or no details with them. I've no idea who recorded most of the Damien shows I have with what, and can't list it. It's a pity, but hopefully will change. 5/ Never buy. You're letting the person who bought it profit from someone elses work. 95% of the shows available for sale you can get for free. The best way to get shows is to go to a popular forum for the artist and request. Try some trading database sites aswell, such as http://db.etree.org Some of this might sound complicated, but trust me, it's easy to get your head around. There's some seemingly weird rules out there, but they're only to ensure standards are kept in the quality. I tried to write up the basics on my trading page thingy ( http://jtol.jaggedpath.com/trading/ ), though I'm not the best at writing. Follow the 2 links at the top. Hope this helps [img]smileys/smiley1.gif[/img]

09-09-2003, 02:47 PM	#4
Scon Eskimo Regular Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ireland Posts: 398	I was hoping it would be. Anytime [img]smileys/smiley1.gif[/img]

09-09-2003, 06:11 PM	#6
Scon Eskimo Regular Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ireland Posts: 398	http://db.etree.org/etree_shnlist.php is definitely your first choice like I said. It lists a lot of artists that have shows available for download. If you want a bigger selection, that includes shows that can be traded for aswell as downloaded, have a look at http://www.archive.org/audio/ which is basically run by the same company. Thirdly, go to popular discussion boards for the artist you're interested in and ask there. Lastly, type the name of the artist plus trading and/or shows; which should give you some people's trading lists and details of how to contact them.