Phish Tapes

Last Updated: Monday, 18-Nov-2002 06:19:25 EST

There are three main sections to acquiring Phish Tapes.

1. Getting Phish tapes

2. Taping a Phish show

3. Why Bootleg CDs are a Bad Thing

For more complete discussion of Phish Tapes, check out the Taping Section of the PhishFAQ.

1. Getting Phish tapes

You can trade for live tapes.

Join a Tape Tree

A tree works like this: one person makes copies for a few people, and those people make copies for a few people, and so forth. If you don't have anything to trade, you can join the tree as a "leaf" which means you get a copy of the tape but you don't have a responsibility to get copies to other people on the tree. (Of course you can make copies for other people any time you want.) You can find tree signups on rec.music.phish on on the Operation Everyshow web site. For full details, see the Tape Tree section of the FAQ.

Respond to a Newbie Offer

Generous people post offers to the Phish.Net often, offering to dub copies of shows in exchange for blank tapes. Look for the offers on rec.music.phish, and don't forget to thank these generous people! They're going out of their way to get you, a stranger, the music, so please treat them with the respect they deserve.

• what brand and type of tapes to send
• when the tapes will be mailed (to some a "fast trade" means a day, to others, 2 weeks)
• whether to include return postage on the envelope or to send cash (in a blanks for return postage deal)
• an alternate way of contacting your trading partner in case email communiation fails

Phish tapes are readily available. Please do not sell or buy tapes, buy bootleg CDs, or in any way encourage profit making from Phish's music.

Paul Hemmer's Guide for Newbies is full of important information. Anyone interested in getting Phish tapes should read it carefully!

Dan Mielcarz has written an extremely thorough set of guidelines outlining How to Trade Tapes. This is definitely a must-read for any Phish fan who is interested in getting started trading tapes!

2. Taping a Phish show

From Shelly Culbertson, circa fall 1995:

As most of you know, Phish has always made an effort to allow taping to be a part of the show. We feel that the proliferation of live tapes has helped spread the music to new fans, and tapers have always been very co-operative with our requests to keep the situation in control.

Now Phish has started playing in some larger venues where the staff is unaccustomed to permitting taping, and we have had some difficulties regarding reserved seating, blocking sight lines, fire lanes, etc. Because the band is committed to allow taping, we are taking steps to standardize the way it happens, so there won't be so many surprises for all of us.

One point is essential: as a group, tapers must take it upon themselves to keep the situation in control. Please remember that most people at the show are there to experience the moment, and we have to think of them first. There will always be some tapers who will try to ignore our guidelines in order to get what they think are better tapes. No-one in our organization is going to bust people for overstepping these guidelines; but if problems mount to a point where people's enjoyment of the show is compromised it will endanger the future opportunities of all tapers at Phish shows.

1. Please tape in designated areas only. Usually this will be directly behind the soundboard riser.
2. Keep mic stands at a reasonable height, 10 feet or so.
3. Be considerate of those around you. Don't demand that people be quiet around your microphones.
4. Plan on providing your own power. Come prepared. We can't lend you extension cords, blank tapes, adapters, etc.
5. Don't talk to Paul (sound) or Chris (lights) during or immediately before the show.
6. Please pack your equipment in a timely manner. House security people get all worked up trying to hustle everyone out the door. Let's not antagonize them.
7. Don't go overboard with equipment. Large mixers, racks of gear, large reel-to-reels, etc. won't be allowed in the venue.
8. Let other tapers know when they are stepping over the line. Be polite; maybe they don't know what the rules are.

Thank you for your co-operation. We hope that these guidelines will benefit everyone involved. Please remember that audience taping is for non-commercial purposes only; any sale of tapes is completely prohibited and will endanger the future of taping at Phish shows.

3. Why Bootleg CDs are a Bad Thing

Bootleg CDs are illegally produced and imported (mostly from Italy). The band and Elektra have been kind enough to allow us to tape shows legitimately, and this should be the means of enjoying this great music.

Neither the band nor Elektra receives any profit for the CDs, which are a blatant copyright infringement. This alone should be enough to disuade any real Phish fan from this purchase.

In at least one specific case, the availability of illegal bootleg CDs has meant restricted ability of fans to record high quality copies of a show. Ultimately, continued availability of bootleg CDs may end fan taping priveleges altogether.

Also, it is unlikely that an illegal CD can top the sound quality of tapes, because of the crummy sounding tapes they start with. For every CD netters have seen available, higher quality copies are available, often as the result of one of more tape trees being run of high quality tapes of the same material.

Note that the word "bootleg" is an old, old word referring to illicit activity. If you're talking about Phish tapes which are recorded with the permission of the band, they're not bootlegs. The tapers are the ones who make all this wonderful Phish music available to us and we certainly don' t want to imply that they're criminals!

If you're talking about illegal CDs, bootleg is definitely the correct choice of words.

For more complete discussion of Phish Tapes, check out the Taping Section of the PhishFAQ.

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