This just in, from Relix:
Grateful Dead Downloads Likely To Be Restored at Archive.org
Complete recordings of Grateful Dead concerts should once again be available at the online Internet Archive (archive.org) – perhaps as early as tonight.
According to Grateful Dead spokesman Dennis McNally, the removal on November 22 of all downloadable Dead recordings from archive.org was the result of ‘a great communication snafu.’
‘It is my understanding that by the end of the day, the audience tapes will be restored to archive.org,’ McNally said by phone.
… read the rest …
Update: New York Times followup story (as noted by randybr below):
Downloads of the Dead Are Not Dead Yet
In the face of anger among its fans and divisions within the band itself, the Grateful Dead on Wednesday said it was reconsidering its decision to disallow downloads of the band’s concert recordings from a large Internet archive.
With more than 4,200 signatures on an online petition calling for a boycott of Grateful Dead products – from tie-dyed T-shirts to kitsch emblazoned with the band’s dancing bear and skeleton icons – the band’s spokesman said the members were still working out an official position on the controversy.
“The band has not fully made up its mind,” the spokesman, Dennis McNally, said. “Things have already changed, and God only knows if they’ll change some more.”
… read the rest …
Update – Almost ALL THE WAY back: Matt Vernon falls on his sword here.
We at archive.org now realize that our mistaken attempts to move quickly were based on what we thought the Grateful Dead wanted. For this we apologize both to the Grateful Dead and their community. There has been a great deal of reaction, our actions have caused more than necessary.
We believe these changes will be more appropriate for both the Grateful Dead and its community:
* Audience recordings will be restored as they were before– for download and streaming.
* Soundboard recordings will be available streaming only.
Thank you all for helping guide this process. There may be changes in the future, but for now there is access to great concerts, and the audience recordings may be downloaded from here freely.
This will take a day or two to fully implement.
-brewster
Founder, Digital Librarian Internet Archive
-Matt Vernon
Volunteer Archive.org
Update: E! Online covers it.
Update:Mickey Hart’s statement:
The last several days have been a whirlwind of activity and commentary regarding the Grateful Dead and archive.org. I am posting this message due to the fact that despite news stories to the contrary, I have been one of the earliest backers of the taping and sharing of Grateful Dead music. I fully support the position taken by Phil in his message and always have. Being a field recordist myself, I stand united with the taper community and always will notwithstanding anything in the media to the contrary. Efforts have been made by Grateful Dead Productions and archive.org to rectify the situation and I hope our loyal fans, friends and family will continue to enjoy and participate in Grateful Dead music.
Another NY Times update on this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/01/arts/music/01dead.html
The backpedaling is predictable yet as always full of itself. People build community around the music, not around tape trading. Get the music out there so people are exposed to it, and community will follow as like minded people meet in real life.
But pretending that having two people in different states swap stuff in the mail somehow builds community is laughable. They don’t even have a show to meet at. These empty rationalizations only serve to push me away from the organization.
Not that this decision was ever about community.
I’ll put it bluntly – I’m not going to pay $16 to support Deborah Koonz. I’m not going to pay $16 to support the aging road crew. Simply put I’m not going to throw good money after bad.
OK. Official news is now out from the band and
links up on Dead.net. Here is update link:
http://www.archive.org/iathreads/post-view.php?id=49553
David,
Phil Lesh really stepped up to the plate. I mean I cannot thank him enough. When you compare his comments with your “howling by the entitled deadheads” comments is it so striking. When the band was touring there was always a class structure when it came to access to soundboards etc. For all I know your were the source of much of this music so for that thank you. The LMA was the great equalizer. Giving mere mortal deadheads a chance to remember SPAC or the Greek or Deer Creek or whatever all over again was a wonderful thing. You think being pissed about losing that access was just whining by dead heads.Many of these people would have given their left one to be sitting listening to music as you must have with Dick and Dan Healy.Your Holier than thou approach and now backtracking to be like the common man is predictable. Long live the Grateful Dead and Thank you Phil Lesh for standing up…maybe all of us could use a near death experiance to know right from wrong
What a wild ride this week has been eh? The most important question I have for those that know more than I is:
Who owns the rights to the grateful dead concert recordings? When someone buys a digital download where does that money go? I think this is a key question to all of this.
Also I think the seemingly reversal of this movement still leaves many unanswered questions for us. Are they saying that SBDs are fine to download and trade, just not on archive.org? What about rumors of taking all shows off the internet? Where was that leading exactly? If they are going to have the vault for people to buy and download can they use shows that were not in the vault but were made by Deadheads that plugged into the boards?
I have been listening to Grateful Dead shows more this past week in many years, it’s been great. The music IS what it’s all about to me. So many youngin’s learned about the power of Grateful Dead concerts via archive.org and I’m glad to see that to continue.
I still think if GDM does their part and provide solid releases for us that Deadheads will pay cash for them. Assuming they do their part in letting us spread and enjoy the music outside of official releases. And I’m talking about meaningful releases like that Fillmore run – which I saw the three CD set in a store yesterday, tempted to buy it, but of course not doing so because of my frustration with GDM.
Thanks to Phil Lesh for speaking up. Thanks to David Gans for all of his work in the community and spreading the music and exposing so many people to it. And thanks to all the Deadheads who have spoken so clearly to GDM that this is a complex relationship and both sides (Deadheads and GDM) need to maintain that relationship.
And hey, we made CNN!!!!
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/01/gratefuldead.download.ap/index.html