The band recently asked the operators of the popular Live Music Archive to make the concert recordings, a staple of Grateful Dead fandom, available only for listening online, the band’s spokesman, Dennis McNally, said Tuesday.
In the meantime, the files that previously had been freely downloaded were taken down from the site last week. Dissent has been building rapidly, however, as the jam band’s fans, known as Deadheads, have discovered the recordings are, at least for the time being, not available. Already, fans have started an online petition, threatening to boycott the band’s recordings and merchandise if the decision is not reversed. In particular, fans have expressed outrage that the shift covers not only the semiofficial "soundboard" recordings made by technicians at the band’s performances, but also recordings made by audience members.
To the fans, the move signals a profound philosophical shift for a band that had been famous for encouraging fans to record and trade live-concert tapes. The band even cordoned off a special area at its shows, usually near the sound board, for "tapers," a practice now followed by many younger jam bands.
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