A reader writes,
Archive.org has been
forced to take down over 1000 soundboard recordings of
the Grateful Dead by Jerry's wife and a few (perhaps
one) remaining member of the band."For years, Archive.org has served as the repository
for the Grateful Deads copious electronic recordings.
Now, the site will be limited to streaming
"audience-recorded" shows."The reaction from the very large global Deadhead
community has been very interesting, sociologically.
People are confused, angry, depressed, grateful for
the time they had, and more."
This is pretty disappointing. Deadheads made the Grateful Dead some pretty substantial fortunes over the years by acting as unpaid, volunteer evangelists for their commercial offerings. This is a genuine betrayal of the audience from a couple of greedy people who would line their pockets at the expense of the memory of the generous, mutually beneficial relationship between the band and its supporters.
