Armitage said:
floppybootstomp
You're my man.
Okay then, let me put it this way. As I know it, it is not illegal to form a band, do gigs and play cover songs of other bands, provided you're not making money from it. Now let's pretend, just pretend, that you make bootleg recordings of a cover band which play exclusively other groups' songs. Is that illegal then? Because the original bands, whose songs are performed, are obviously not going to receive any royalty. In this case, who owns what? And as I said, bootlegs do not exist officially.
Good question, and one I had not considered.
I know that working as a DJ, I had to have a licence from some organisation or other, paid for annualy. British Phonographic Industry or some such body.
And, tbh, I have not a clue, perhaps ask a music industry lawyer
Very true, especially this particular band I've got in mind. Moreover, they encourage fans to enjoy their boots. But, does that mean that record companies, official authorities and all are not going to prosecute you?
Again, I not sure, out my depth here. A band named The Grateful Dead used to encourage fans to make bootlegs, presumably they instructed their record company not to prosecute anybody, but, again, I don't know.
I once asked Steve Harris, Iron Maiden bassist, what he thought about bootlegs. He said he'd take legal action if they were poor quality, but would turn a blind eye to good recordings that showed the band in a good light.
It's a grey area and I don't think a band would necessarily prosecute, but the UK version of the American RIAA might do. Even now, random prosecutions are being made against some file sharers using p2p networks, so be warned.
I may have to do some more investigation on this, I'm quite intrigued now