What can be done to stop bootlegging?
I have a tendency to view bootlegging as I do religion and abortion and many other potentially controversial things. I don’t have a problem if it’s there for people who want it, and if you don’t want it, you don’t have to get (buy) it. Unlike other illegal substances like drugs, I don’t see any permanent harm that would be caused by them. People who have additional records in their record collections are not damaging themselves or others (unlike, say, people who drive when high on drugs). If you disapprove of bootlegs, then boycott them. That is your right. Some bands like the Grateful Dead encourage people to tape their shows, so that in itself does devalue Grateful Dead bootlegs, simply because there’s so much live material floating around that could be of better quality than bootleg discs. Grateful Dead fans prefer to trade tapes instead. At various times, members of Yes have shown the good sense to release selected live shows legitimately on small record labels. For example, An Eve
