Overview of Archive Controversy & Short History of GD Trading

By SLC Library Boy:

No two Grateful Dead shows were the same. Not only did the setlists vary from concert to concert, but individual songs were interpreted differently every time played. Since the Dead’s sound and repertoire evolved dramatically over the years, their 30-year concert legacy has produced a diverse body of work that is unparalleled.

Tape Trading

Early in the band’s existence, Stanley “Bear” Owsley began the taping tradition by obsessively recording their concerts. By the time the Grateful Dead first organized a fan club, the value of these recordings was quite apparent. The Dead contemplated creating a system where fans could purchase concert recordings directly from the band. But since this was realistically unfeasible in that era, they began allowing fans to record the concerts themselves. The Grateful Dead allowed trading (and giving) of these tapes as long as no monetary transaction was involved. The practice, nearly unheard of at the time, evolved into a trend-setting taping culture that eventually resulted in a special “taper’s section” at the Grateful Dead concerts. Deadheads built collections by copying tapes from friends, exchanging recordings with long-distance trading partners, and by joining well-organized “trading trees.” Magazines, newsletters, and large reference books grew out of the Deadhead trading community.

When the digital age arrived, finding shows and being able to copy them became exponentially easier. The Grateful Dead’s mp3 policy mirrored their original tape trading policy.

Archive.org

In 2000, a group of dedicated collectors began organizing all known shows in circulation into one complete collection on a single server. This collection became available to the public for free on Archive.org.

Without warning, Archive’s hosting of the shows suddenly ended on November 22nd, 2005. The online reaction by deadhead collectors was immediate and explosive. Little explanation as to the reason(s) for the action led to rampant and often nasty rumors and speculation. At one time or another, every band member was held responsible by upset fans (including one message board poster blaming “Bob Weir’s the Money”). A common target for their anger was Deborah Koons, the already unpopular widow of Jerry Garcia.

Beyond Archive.org’s original vague statement, the first official word came from Grateful Dead spokesperson Dennis McNally. He told the Associated Press, “When we discovered [the archive], we decided to take a wait-and-see approach. Eventually, it was the band’s conclusion, after a long discussion with them, to request that they change their policies.”

But the confusion was compounded by two negative reactions from the band itself. “You have no idea how sad I am about this. I fought it hammer and tong…This is just the beginning of the backlash, I promise you” wrote John Perry Barlow, a lyricist for the band and, ironically, an advocate of a free and open internet. The next day, Phil Lesh, singer and bass player of the Grateful Dead, told viewers of his website “I was not part of this decision making process and was not notified that the shows were to be pulled. I do feel that the music is the Grateful Dead’s legacy and I hope that one way or another all of it is available for those who want it…We do love and care about our community as you helped us make the music.” He went on to offer some hope by saying “Your concerns have been heard and I am sure are being respectfully addressed.”

Within days, a compromise was found. Audience recordings (those made by fans on their own equipment) will again be available for download. But fans can only listen to Soundboard recordings through streaming technology. It is likely that the new policy will not end the controversy because, even though there is freeware that can rip a broadcast stream to mp3, Deadheads valued the easy access to Soundboard files.

Soundboards

Continuing the practice that Owsley started, the Grateful Dead recorded their concerts until disbanding in 1995. These recordings, called SBD’s (SoundBoarD’s) are reel-to-reel tapes made from the band’s mixing console. They are stored at “the Vault” and organized and maintained by an archivist. Before his death in 1999, archivist Dick Latvala made a name for himself in deadhead circles by choosing what shows would be released in the popular live CD series “Dick’s Picks.” David Lemeiux is the current archivist.

Besides contemplating it in the early 70’s, the Grateful Dead has attempted to offer access to the Vault several other times. Around the turn of the century, there was a plan to build a Grateful Dead museum in San Francisco called Terrapin Station. Among other offerings, the plan included an on-demand listening room with CD burning capabilities. Over the last few years, it has been reported that the Dead were working on a plan where online music distributor Apple's iTunes would host the entire Vault. Neither plan has reached fruition.

Over the years, many of these recordings made their way into the trading community. At one point, a large stash of them called “Betty Boards” (because they were recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson) was sold to private collectors. Recently, another large batch was found on a houseboat. Though the Grateful Dead’s trading policy referred to “live recordings made by fans,” these SBD’s have always been an important part of any collection. It now appears that the Dead will enforce a policy against downloading SBD’s for the first time ever. Regardless of how this controversy ends, there will be no way the band can stop the trading of these recordings. As Barlow said, “They might as easily put a teaspoon of food coloring in a swimming pool and then tell the pool owner to get it back to them.”