@whart
Nicely stated whart.
My main frustration is buying a release that looks 100% official from a reputable dealer, only to discover that it is a counterfeit.
It's pretty easy to spot bootlegs, as they are usually live recordings, most of which have circulated in tape trading circles for decades.
An example is Grateful Dead's Cornell show. Before the official release of this show on vinyl, you could only get the inferior sounding bootleg.
The packaging and graphics of bootlegs are typically not as sophisticated as official releases, making them pretty easy to spot.
I never buy bootlegs these days but in the past, when it was difficult to find them (pre-internet) I coveted them, so I am not against them. I just want to know that what I'm buying is officially released by the artist/label in making buying decisions. There are also some famous jazz titles I have bought on vinyl and later discovered they were unauthorized versions pressed overseas. Simply Vinyl is a label that has pressed a number of famous rock titles that look identical to the originals, all sourced from CD. I view these labels as rip-offs that are very hard to discern from the real thing. Vinyl collecting requires more diligence in researching before buying, and unfortunately many online sellers provide less than thorough info on specific releases. Sometimes it's a crap shoot.
Nicely stated whart.
My main frustration is buying a release that looks 100% official from a reputable dealer, only to discover that it is a counterfeit.
It's pretty easy to spot bootlegs, as they are usually live recordings, most of which have circulated in tape trading circles for decades.
An example is Grateful Dead's Cornell show. Before the official release of this show on vinyl, you could only get the inferior sounding bootleg.
The packaging and graphics of bootlegs are typically not as sophisticated as official releases, making them pretty easy to spot.
I never buy bootlegs these days but in the past, when it was difficult to find them (pre-internet) I coveted them, so I am not against them. I just want to know that what I'm buying is officially released by the artist/label in making buying decisions. There are also some famous jazz titles I have bought on vinyl and later discovered they were unauthorized versions pressed overseas. Simply Vinyl is a label that has pressed a number of famous rock titles that look identical to the originals, all sourced from CD. I view these labels as rip-offs that are very hard to discern from the real thing. Vinyl collecting requires more diligence in researching before buying, and unfortunately many online sellers provide less than thorough info on specific releases. Sometimes it's a crap shoot.