From: Thrasher <kbonney@cais.com>
Subject: HH: Why the Dave Matthews Band is in Trouble
Date: Mon, 5 May 1997 14:38:06 -0400 (EDT)
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Ditchers: I know I promised to keep quiet on this until August, but hey, suppress me. Many of you may have heard that the Dave Matthews Band (DMB) has gotten into hot water recently with its fans. As background, DMB has allowed taping since their beginnings in Charlottesville, VA. The DMB has long realized its strength is its fans. Their policy allowed taping and discouraged bootlegs - to an extent. Of course, the DMB's band tapes became bootlegs. Over the past several weeks, label reps for DMB & others have been raiding small independent music retailers around the country. The raids have confiscated DMB boots and threatned owners with legal action. The upshot of this is that the DMB fans are raising hell, because these independents stores are on the verge of closing. Fans are supporting the stores - not the boots. Why? because these same stores were the only stores carrying DMB's first releases before being signed by the majors. Without these same stores support, the DMB band phenomenon may not have ever started. These stores feel like now that the DMB is big, it has forgotten its roots. Also, many music minded fans are apalled at what Best Buy, Circuit City, BMG & Wal-Mart are doing to small, independent retail stores. At the rate things are going, the only way you'll be able to buy small independent label music will be directly. And we'll far poorer for it. SO, the bottom line on this. Now DMB is backtracking on the legal actions. They have a PR nightmare on their hands. DMB knows its the fans that make their living. We've had a lot of good comments on this issue - Anne, Locator, Cutlass Supreme and all the others. Too bad Randy's missing this. Thrasher
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