Arrr... Not Really

[filkertom]

Got an e-mail from someone who was surprised and dismayed by the Avenue Q bootleg video thread the other day. To paraphrase, the person wanted to know what I'd do if it were me -- would I want crappy camera phone videos to be representative of my work? And saying that the person who created those bootlegs was doing the producers and cast of Avenue Q a great disservice, especially given how readily available the soundtrack is. The missive started with, "Well... I guess I won't have to go buy tickets now to the show."

I had to reply:

Well... that would be your decision, not mine.

You ask about doing camera-videos of my songs. Would it be "ok" with me? That depends. Certainly not if they were trying to make any money... which these people were not.

If someone ends up putting up video of me on YouTube, I'll probably talk to them about it then. But, mostly, I like the idea of the publicity. (You HAVE heard my song "I Want My Music On Napster", right?)

I linked to someone posting a bootleg video. Y'know what? He or she or they paid for a ticket, so they promoted the show. They put bootlegs which give you good ideas of the songs but (I think) don't detract from the experience. In fact, they make me want MORE to see the show live. From the comments in the threads on those YouTube pages, that seems to be the general attitude.

Most of the people who commented on my LJ thread, I happen to know, do indeed already have the soundtrack, or have seen the show live, or both.

If you feel so bad about it, here's an easy thing you can do: gift someone you love with a copy of the soundtrack.

But if you think I'm "costing them money" by linking to YouTube, I'm quite sure you're mistaken.

As regards my own income: You may have noticed I give away a couple dozen songs on my web site. I'm about to start a song-a-week thing where I'll give away more, asking people to contribute if they're so inclined.

Yeah, I'd be royally pissed if someone were just haphazardly posting CD images of my albums. But, y'know something? I really can't do much about it if they're determined to do so. So, I try other ways to be paid for my stuff -- like appeal to people's better natures.

And it works.

And, bluntly, if there was an illegal Tom Smith MP3 track on every hard drive in the world, I would be the best known artist EVER. I'm fortunate in that people who hear my stuff tend to want to get more of it... and I'm the source. Most of them are quite willing to pay me, especially when they realize it really is just me.

Which brings us back to you.

If you feel you don't have to buy tickets to the show, then either you didn't like what you saw, or you want to get back at me somehow. I didn't make you click those links, and I'm not making you not go to the show.

Most of all, I didn't make you regard it as theft.

Comments

[kender42.livejournal.com]

Bravo!

I was very very pleased to see those videos. I LOVE the Soundtrack, and it was incredible to see them performed, but for me, the quality was poor - not DVD or live quality, which makes me want to see the real deal even MORE than I had before.

My appetite has been whetted for more Avenue Q - now I must see it all!

[the-gwenzilliad.livejournal.com]

I think you're spot-on, of course. For me, seeing a couple of those was a nice way to remember a fantastic evening: I saw the show not long ago right after it opened in London. Seeing a couple of those was a nice way to remember a fantastic evening-- but it doesn't mean I won't snap a copy of the show up on DVD if it ever gets released on DVD.

Then again, I'm another one of those commie musicians who really felt jazzed when bootlegs of mine or the band's showed up on Napster. ;-)

G

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

I saw various bootlegs of "Wicked."

All it did was encourage me (not that I needed much) to haul my then-month-and-a-half-month-old-son down to his grandparents in Denver, which is where the road tour was playing, so he could see them and I could see "Wicked."

There's a difference, to me, between posting music and movies on sites where they can be downloaded for free, and posting bootlegs of stage performances. A HUGE difference.

Now if I could just find some bootleg footage of "Assassins."

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

The one that I've bought both different soundtracks to? :) Not to mention the two different version I have of The Music Man and the three different versions I have of Sweeney Todd and the four different versions I have of The Pirates of Penzance.

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

Yup. =) I bought the original cast of "Assassins" when I was, oh, 15, maybe? A friend was auditioning with "Unworthy Of Your Love," and I ended up buying the album. For years, when people would find out I'm a Broadway fanatic and think Sondheim is a Gawd, they'd ask, "What's your favorite show?" And when I said, "Assassins," they'd stare at me rather blankly.

So avante garde, that's me. *snork*

[smallship1.livejournal.com]

I've been looking for the filmed version of the Joseph Papp production (with Kevin Kline and Angela Lansbury) for ages. I thought I'd found it, but it turned out to be a recording of the stage show.

As far as my songs go, I've always said that as far as I'm concerned (and subject to the views of any other artists involved in performance) they're public domain. I'm never going to make any serious money with them, so any other attitude would just be being dog-in-the-manger-ish...

[mannoftalent.livejournal.com]

Only place you're going to find the original cast is at Lincoln Center Library. Sigh

[timewalker.livejournal.com]

Exactly! I mean Avenue Q is ONLY available in New York, London, and (in an abbreviated form) Las Vegas. It's not like i can run down to the Orpheum in Memphis and catch the touring company, since there isn't one. And it's not like I can go to Amazon and buy a DVD of the stage show in New York (like they did on PBS for Oklahoma with Hugh Jackman, or The Man Who Came to Dinner with Nathan Lane). This is the only way for a majority of people to see these live bits. And, yes, it makes us want to spend the money on tickets (and airfare and hotels) even more, not less. Thanks Tom.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

I would immediately purchase a DVD of a live performance of Avenue Q, Spamalot!, and especially The Producers. Right now. I have DVDs of that Oklahoma you mentioned, Pippin, Penzance with Kevin Kline (and I want the actual movie!), the Stratford Penzance/Iolanthe/Mikado set, and Sweeney Todd In Concert. Hell, I've got Hasselhoff in Jekyll and Hyde.

[timewalker.livejournal.com]

I'd buy all of those, and add Wicked into it! (Which does have a touring company, but never seems to come closer than three hours of Memphis - St. Louis was the closest and I just realized it was there the week it was in town - no chance to get tickets or to get off work to drive up there!)
And I just added Sweeney Todd to my Blockbuster queue! Thanks!

<i>Spamalot!<i> in St. Louis

[pickledcritter.livejournal.com]

Just as an FYI, the closest Spamalot! is going to get to us in Memphis is also St. Louis - Oct 31 to November 26 according to the press release.

Re: <i>Spamalot!<i> in St. Louis

[timewalker.livejournal.com]

Oooh... thanks! I'm going to have to look into that. Our anniversary is Oct 31, but I'll be teaching a class that night. It's nice to see that it will be around for more than one week though.

Re: <i>Spamalot!<i> in St. Louis

[pickledcritter.livejournal.com]

No problemo! Pickles and mine is Nov. 1st as it happens ;)

[smallship1.livejournal.com]

Oh. Snap, then. I hoped you might have a lead...

[markbernstein.livejournal.com]

Minor correction: While the Vegas versions of most musicals are abbreviated, "Avenue Q" was an exception. I saw it there, and it was the full show. Sadly, it didn't do the business they were hoping for, and it closed. Which, even more sadly, will probably reinforce Vegas' preference for the cut-down versions.

[timewalker.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I had forgotten that it wasn't a cut up show. Sadly, you are probably right about what that means. Cut the time to fit in more shows each night!

[pabsungenis.livejournal.com]

Also let this person know that the songs that were posted are (a) already on the Original Cast Recording, and (2) are only one of THREE storylines in the play. There are whole swaths of plot and entire groups of characters who are not on the OCR or in that footage.

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

Years ago, we got a videotape of Michael Crawford's final performance as the Phantom. Shot from the balcony, not great quality, but fun.

When Phanton finally came to SF, we went. So they didn't lose any money on us.

Oh, and Tom? You are on YouTube. (http://youtube.com/results?search=Tom+Smith&search_type=search_videos&search=Search)

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Kewl. Those two videos are available free at TSO, so it's not even a conflict. On the other hand, the "Five Years" one lists me as The World's Fastest Finker....

[jss]

Wait, you mean you're not
finkertom?

[druidsfire.livejournal.com]

Kinda like downloading the new(er) series of Doctor Who off the internet. I finally broke down and started doing it, because I hate getting the show a year after everyone else. Does that mean that I didn't go buy the series 1/27 DVDs? Heckie no. I have 'em sitting /right/ here. And I'll buy the Tennant ones when they're available too.

So the Beeb ain't losing any money on me either. :)

[joshuwain.livejournal.com]

Simply put, I do the same thing because -as soon as I can get them on DVD- I buy them. That I can't see them right away because of American companies either dragging their heels, listening to focus groups who don't get the series, or just not caring, I download and wait to purchase as soon as I can so I can both enjoy the show and support it, financially.

[realtegan.livejournal.com]

Amen. I download the new Who, and I buy the DVDs, and lately I've been getting other people to watch the show, who buy the DVDs, and it goes on. The BBC isn't losing a cent from my activities, and if the pattern holds true, they may be gaining a ton from the other people who I've got to start watching it. But I'm not going to wait a freakin' year to watch the show that literally changed my life (I found my husband through Doctor Who fandom).

Jim Baen (rest in peace) always said that people would rather be honest than dishonest, and will buy it if it's offered at a reasonable price in a format they can use. The Baen Free Library is proof of that. Even though they gave the books away for free, the sales of the books in hardcopy went up. Cory Doctorow of Boing Boing has noticed the same thing. It seems to be a matter of consumer confidence. Once they've had a sample, they know it's good so they are willing to buy.

I don't have a huge interest in seeing Avenue Q, but the samples did spark a little more interest than I had before. Who knows? Maybe I'll go see it. If I do, it'll be because of the links FilkerTom posted.

There's a new consumer paradigm out there, and the companies that embrace it (like Baen Books) are going to be the ones that have the most loyal customers.

[randwolf.livejournal.com]

"Don't care what you say about me, 'long as you spell my name right."

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

Avenue Q has yet to come anywhere within striking distance of me in the first place. It's like a Blue Man Group show - I've got the music and would get tickets for the show if it came here, but it doesn't. So people like me have to be content with the CDs and downloads until either the DVD comes out or the show comes around.

I was extremely happy when you came through my neck of the woods and did a show.

[technocracygirl.livejournal.com]

My bf and I both have copies of the Avenue Q soundtrack. We watched the bootleg of "The Internet is for P0rn," looked at each other, and said, "You know, we *really* need to see this show." Of course, we live on the West Coast, so buying a ticket at the moment isn't possible. But when it is, we will go. And the bootleg just made us want to go more.

[joshuwain.livejournal.com]

It was either author David Weber or Eric Flint, this past weekend at CONvergence in Minnesota, who said that Jim Baen (who passed away a few weeks ago) had initiated a test to see if giving away free copies of their publications, online, would effect sales. It did. It drove them up.

Now, come to think of it, this story may also have been reported by Steve Eley on "Escape Pod" a couple weeks ago.

My apologies that my attribution is hazy; it's been a con weekend and I'm still getting back on my feet. :)

[kengr]

You can read much the same on the Baen Free Library site.