YTSEJAM digest 2850

From: ytsejam@ax.com
Date: Mon Aug 11 1997 - 18:09:48 EDT

  • Next message: ytsejam@ax.com: "YTSEJAM digest 2852"

                                YTSEJAM Digest 2850

    Today's Topics:

      1) Beside A Horrible Roit(BahrContent)
     by caber1@concentric.net
      2) Re: Bahr
     by eckie@asu.edu
      3) Bahr Bells
     by Christopher Ptacek <someone@enteract.com>
      4) Bahr
     by Lars Hellsten <lars@shaw.wave.ca>
      5) MIKE BAHR!!!
     by Brian Cox <lerxst@metronet.com>
      6) NETCOM
     by Lars Hellsten <lars@shaw.wave.ca>
      7) Re: Mike Bahr's important CD-related stuff
     by Gary Cleghorn <gary@tequila.demon.co.uk>
      8) proof
     by jsj@ix.netcom.com (J. E. James)
      9) Mike Bahr
     by Eric John Marlett <gt7262a@prism.gatech.edu>
     10) Re: In Defense of Mike Bahr
     by durnik <durnik@goodnet.com>
     11) Re: Beside A Horrible Roit(BahrContent)
     by Eric Rodger <erodger@fore.com>
     12) Dammit!
     by Eric John Marlett <gt7262a@prism.gatech.edu>
     13) Re: YTSEJAM digest 2848
     by durnik <durnik@goodnet.com>

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 15:56:28 -0700
    From: caber1@concentric.net
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Beside A Horrible Roit(BahrContent)
    Message-ID: <33F0EA1C.2ED6@concentric.net>

    Hi everyone,

    SPOILER NDTC###SPOILER NDTC

    Okay, if you're new to the list you probably haven't heard of Mike Bahr.
    He produces bootlegs on CD. He charges about $25(and now $20, I think).
    Some of his CD's are better than others. But, they're pretty good for
    bootlegs. He doesn't run off with your money. He only asks you to be
    patient, while he gets your CD produced & shipped.

    If you don't like him posting to the jam, tough luck. People talk about
    stuff here that I don't like. People on here talk about a lot of stuff.
    Period. Usually we won't accept spam of any form, but, Mike has been
    part of the jam for longer than most of us. He doesn't say YNM sucks, he
    doesn't bash people for thinking FII is going to be good, and he has
    never implied that the Spice Girls were bad. He's okay in my book!

    If you think that he should just trade stuff, and not ask money for what
    he does, think about this. You have all of DT's offical releases. You
    want some bootlegs, but, since you don't have any you can't get any. So,
    what do you do? Pay some rip-off CD dealer on the internet? But, he
    might steal your money, or worse get your order messed up and give you a
    2 disc bootleg of MM. Hmm, you could do a dub trade, right? But you'd
    have to wait about the year of it's return. So, what's the only other
    reasonable option? You go into the bathroom and cry!

    If you think he charges waaaay too much for a CD. Here is something to
    think about. Other than the actual CD stuff what else is there? Well,
    there's the planning(what he doesn't just throw any old "John Bon Jovi"
    song on there?), the throw aways(huh, it doesn't come out picture
    perfect everytime?), oh there's the electric bill(what you mean he
    doesn't still live with his parents like me?), and other stuff that I'm
    not thinking about now like shipping/handling, liners, gas for driving
    to a couple of different post offices...Stuff like that.

    Hmm, what else is there to say about Mike? He is the only bootlegger
    that DT approves of. It's not only 1/5 of the band, too. From what I
    understand MP doesn't represent what DT says as a band. The band as a
    whole looks the other way with Mike's stuff. That means JP and the rest
    of those sell-out bastards, too.

    John McCabe
    caber1@concentric.net

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 14:02:41 -0700 (MST)
    From: eckie@asu.edu
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Cc: Multiple recipients of list <ytsejam@ax.com>
    Subject: Re: Bahr
    Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.970811135243.2390C-100000@general5.asu.edu>

    I'm not too clear on the costs of all the equipment, like the CD writer
    and the blank disks, but I don't have a problem with it. I think
    Precious Things was WELL worth the $25 I paid for it, as well as When
    Today and Dream Unite. They're both great bootlegs! And since Mike is
    the one with the connections to get these quality recordings, he is the
    one producing these CD's, the person putting the time to make/keep
    records/ship out the CD's to all his customers, he can put whatever damn
    price he wants on those discs! Would you sit at a computer most of the day,
    testing hundreds of CD's for flaws for no profit? I sure as hell wouldn't.

    If ya don't like the price of the bootlegs, then make your own bootlegs.
    I sure wouldn't wanna be in Mike's shoes though, first his equipment
    breaks down, now he's getting shit about his business on the jam...ick.

    But then again, that's just MY take on the whole shibang,

    ~Eckie puts PT in the spinner

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 16:08:45 -0500 (CDT)
    From: Christopher Ptacek <someone@enteract.com>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Bahr Bells
    Message-ID: <199708112108.QAA02284@enteract.com>

    > Just a request for anyone to upcoming Fates shows if anyone talks to Zonder
            
            Seeing them for the first time TOMORROW! I'll ask him for ya!

    > From: "Adam Cook" <acook@tiac.net>
    > Subject: Bahr

    > Brian Wherry said:
    >
    > > Okay, so not only does Mike Bahr take music that is not his own, put in
    > > on CDs and sell them to ytsejammers for about ten times what they cost
    > > to make, he makes and sells *copies* of products made by other companies
    > > whose products consist CDs of music that is not *their* own. Am I
    > > missing something?
    >
    > Oh goody! Somebody finally has the balls to stand up and say something
    > against Mr. Bahr even though is a long-time veteran of this list. Thanks

            Well, there have been times during which I've felt that he's been very misleading. I
    hope Mike understands the frustration and thinks about it before he responds.

    > Brian. Now that I'm out of the closet as well I totally agree with you :).
    > I wouldn't mind if Bahr was making these cds and trading them, or even
    > making them and selling them at no profit. That would be the cost of the
    > CDR at maximum $7 or $8, but I don't see where the fuck he gets up to $25
    > and has the nerve to tell us he's barely making a profit. I guess he's not
    > a very good business man.

            Okay... there are a few issues to take into account. Some of Bahr's source is NOT
    cheap. Some of it is readily available on other boots, but some of it is just plain expensive
    stuff. If you pay $300 for your source, $7 per disc, $2-3 for inserts and jewel boxes (which
    don't cost $2, Vince :) and then pay for shipping, it can get a bit hairy. Still... he's
    making enough to afford an apartment or a house on, and I know I don't make that much on my
    music... I'm sure someone's going to resent that.
            The Equinox post really pissed me off, but I have always really trusted Mike, and he's
    always been a nice guy... I have never had a reason to get on his case.

    > Even MORE appalling is the fact that he's copying OTHER bootlegs and making
    > a huge profit!

            I think the greatest thing about bootleg cds is fucking over whoever sold you your
    copy, buy making and trading your own versions of the product. I personally think that
    bootlegs should be a tradable comodity, but not a profitable one. I don't think anyone should
    be able to make a living off my music, unless they're part of my organization or record
    company, etc. I find that to be unethical.
            Bootlegs, however are free promotion for a band. They do help people to get into your
    music... but I don't think people should be paying more than cost for em. When someone
    charges $25-50 for a bootleg video... that's just not cool. Portnoy himself digs bootlegs...
    but I bet he feels the same. TRADE bootlegs... even seel them for what they cost you to make.
    But once you start making a profit off them, in my opinion, you've crossed the line.

    > Well, Mike Bahr is not the only one that does this. And a lot of
    > people think that his work is worth the money. In this case they pay him
    > the money for the service. Capitalism works very simply.

            There's no question that most of his boots are worth the money... Awake and Images and
    Words are worth hundreds of dollars to me. But I don't have to pay hundreds for them... that
    would be too exorbitant a fee.
     
    > From: "Vincent G. LuPone" <vgl@syspac.com>
    > Cc: durnik@goodnet.com

    > You just hit the key word. Ytsejammers. We're a family of sorts here.

            My family doesn't sell me stuff. They give it to me, or in rare cases, we trade for
    it. That's how family works. If you're selling for a profit, you're not so much looking out
    for your family as you are for yourself. I don't think Bahr's making enough of a profit off
    his business to really call it harmful or even wrong... but all businesses start out slow.
    The more cds you make, the less they end up costing your a piece. Bahr is dropping his prices
    as his overhead decreases, so hopefully he won't turn into a KTS type thing.

    > He's a bootlegger. What's the problem? If you don't like bootlegs,
    > especially ones that the actual musicians say is okay, don't buy them.

            I specifically asked this of Portnoy on the interview. I think someone beat me to it,
    because it came out in different words. Anyways, he said that he like bootlegs of all sorts,
    but the rest of the band does not approve of them, if I remember correctly. So it's not "the
    musicians" saying it's okay.

    > profit off of each CD. If you can do it better for less, then do it. If
    > not, go fuck yourself and get off Mike's back. He's doing us all a great

            That's a good argument. I think you really persuaded Adam and Brian to go jerk off in
    the corner, listening to Scenes from a Memory.

    > >If somebody could explain the morals to me here or if any of my math is
    > >incorrect I'd be glad to re-think my conclusion....

            What needs to happen, is someone has to come by and reproduce all of Bahrs better
    material on cds for less money. He's got almost a monopoly here. No one else markets
    bootlegs to this list. If someone would compete with him or even reproduce the exact same
    material, things would balance out as they should.
     
    Chris Ptacek at EnterAct, L.L.C -- (773) 248 8511
    http://www.enteract.com (business)
    http://www.prognosis.com/madsman/ (my contribution to
    --------------------------------- the vast wealth of
    "To err is human... to suck out | underdeveloped
     one's brain with an orally | web sites)
     deployed flesh tube is not."-MS| ****************
    ---------------------------------

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 17:15:02 -0400
    From: Lars Hellsten <lars@shaw.wave.ca>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Bahr
    Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970811171502.006a0434@mail.tor.shaw.wave.ca>

    >Even MORE appalling is the fact that he's copying OTHER bootlegs and making
    >a huge profit! CDR discs can be bought for around $5 these days and he's
    >selling these copies for $20. Let's see...he has to open his cd case and
    >put it in the drive, put in the CDR disc , wait a few minutes, put the disc

    And didn't he recently say he was now doing this for a living? (Somtehing
    to the effect of "I don't have any intention of getting a real job"...)
    Anyway, $5 is expensive for a CDR disc these days - I can get them for
    $4.50 Canadian, individually. And if I were to buy over 1000 of them bulk,
    I'm sure I could get them for under $3.00 apiece.

    If you set aside $2 (generuos) from each CD for the cost of the burner and
    misc hardware, it would pay for itself after half a print run. An the
    leftovers as well as what's made from future print runs could go towards
    misc expenses such as lost CD's and whatnot. Factor in another $4-5 per CD
    for shipping, packaging, etc. and he's still gota be making at least $15
    profit per CD. If he's not making at least that, then he's doing a poor
    job at running his operation.

    3000 CD's a year, and that's $45k profit... I dunno... that's one of the
    reasons I don't buy his CDs anymore - not only can I not afford the $35-40
    CDN the cost amounts to, but I certainly can't afford to line the pockets
    of someone who just sits around all day changing CDs. Granted, I'd buy
    Mike's CD's in a heartbeat before I'd even think of buying bootlegs by
    anyone else, but it still doesn't seem right that he's making such a big
    profit off something a 10 year old could do.

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 16:29:38 -0500 (CDT)
    From: Brian Cox <lerxst@metronet.com>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: MIKE BAHR!!!
    Message-ID: <199708112129.AA17374@metronet.com>

    well i am a veteran of this list for over 4 years now..some of you
    may remember me from the tape tree of the birch hill 12/95 show.

    i dont post anymore, and rarely read the digests, but i skimmed over
    one today complaining about mike bahr and i read it. i went to go check
    out his cd page and saw the "ad" for the darkest of winters cd.

    this cd contains material that i personally taped. mike bahr sent blank
    DATs to me and i copied the shows for him *at no cost to him*, because
    he wanted the 4 shows.

    now that he is putting them out on cd and profiting off my tapes i am
    quite pissed. i have never said anything publicly about him in the past,
    but now i feel i must. from the beginning he has been charging inflated
    prices for illegal cd's (they are illegal mike, why do you think 800,000
    cds were confiscated last month in orlando?)

    mike even told me when i stayed with him back in '95 that he bought a new
    truck off all the money he made from the cd's.

    i just wanted to let everyone know that i had nothing to do with this cd
    being put out, and i didnt even know about it until today. since the
    band is aware that i taped these shows (i sent DATs to portnoy) i feel
    that i must protect myself by informing dt's management about this
    project and letting them know that i had no part in it.

    for the new tour i am going to do everythign possible to get high quality
    copies of shows to everyone for free. dont support mike's illegal
    activities. 90% of the material on the darkest of winters cd is from
    my DATs. i will let anyone copy the entire shows onto CD-R for free.

    mike, this is pretty low. the least you could have done is told me
    about this..

    .disgusted.

    <><><><><><><><><> Brian V. Cox (lerxst@metronet.com) <><><><><><><><><>
    <>rush\dreamtheater\kingcrimson\phish\moe.\toriamos\echolyn\queensryche>

     "The man or woman who is insensitive to the spell of this performance
            really isn't fit to live in civilized society for it is one of
            the wonders of the world" -Frank Granville Barker
                          
    <><><><><><><><><>DAT Taper/Trader - Email me for list<><><><><><><><><>
    <><><><><><><><><><> http://www.metronet.com/~lerxst <><><><><><><><><><>

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 17:29:32 -0400
    From: Lars Hellsten <lars@shaw.wave.ca>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: NETCOM
    Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970811172931.006e9084@mail.tor.shaw.wave.ca>

    > Well, I've just sent an e-mail to Netcom. Let's see if they are
    >more interested in the money or in having users of high intelectual level
    >(it is a pitty that money doesn't show anything about the person that is

    I too sent an e-mail to Netcom when I first saw his message. But now I
    feel like a complete idiot (I don't get the Jam in ACK mode, so I don't get
    full headers, and didn't stop to think about the fact the addrses may have
    been forged).

    This Dr.D guy is NOT Justin. He's impostering him <sigh>... I guess it's
    the same wee.wee loser. (Did you notice he said "please don't shut down
    the netcom account"?) I don't mean to continue this on the Jam, since it's
    really something that should be dealt with in private with Skadz and this
    guy's postmaster, but DO NOT COMPLAIN TO NETCOM!

    Mark Bredius wrote:
    > I'm sure some people will be interested in this. Someone on the
    > Marillion mailinglist started a fund, to help pay for a US tour.
    > Every donor of $25 and over will get a *free* limited edition CD
    > recorded during the US tour. Only 1000 copies will be made, and
    > there are still some left (about 100-200, I think). Marillion's
    > record company recently went chapter 11, and *now* the Tour Fund

    3 perfectly justified messages in a row? Someone needs to get a fucking
    life. :)

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 22:18:49 +0100
    From: Gary Cleghorn <gary@tequila.demon.co.uk>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Re: Mike Bahr's important CD-related stuff
    Message-ID: <R$bchAA5G47zEwtY@tequila.demon.co.uk>

    In article <33EF2F65.275B@mathworks.com>, Brian Wherry
    <bwherry@mathworks.com> writes
    >
    >Mike Bahr wrote:
    >>
    >> This price cut makes Prism Records order prices standard across
    >> the board, whether it's for one of my custom releases or one of the
    >> Italian boot replicas.
    >
    >Okay, so not only does Mike Bahr take music that is not his own, put in
    >on CDs and sell them to ytsejammers for about ten times what they cost
    >to make, he makes and sells *copies* of products made by other companies
    >whose products consist CDs of music that is not *their* own. Am I
    >missing something?

    <lots of shite snipped>

    You haven't been here very long have you? If it Mike hadn't taken
    the time (no pun intended) to make the various cd's i would never
    have heard many of the rare tracks and one offs.

    Unlike you, i and many others have no interest in swaping tapes so
    Mike's cd's provide a service to the non-trader by putting everything
    on one(or two) cd's.

    I have never met Mike , but from all of his posts i can honestly say
    he comes across as very honest and sincere (and i have no reason to
    think otherwise).

    I have no problem buying a cd from Mike or the reason he makes
    them because i know he does it as a hobby and not as a full time
    job.

    You have your opinion and i have mine.

    p.s Mike , how about a photo for the gallery?
      Gary Cleghorn
      
      Ytsejam Photo Gallery at http://www.tequila.demon.co.uk/

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 16:36:46 -0500 (CDT)
    From: jsj@ix.netcom.com (J. E. James)
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: proof
    Message-ID: <199708112136.QAA27352@dfw-ix13.ix.netcom.com>

    Dear Jammers,
        I can prove that I am not Dr. D. Look at the email address at the top of all
    my messages, at the header or whatever its called, they say:
    ]From: jsj@ix.netcom.com (J. E. James)

    but if you look at the ones where Dr D is impersonating me, they say:
    ]From: jsj@ix.netcom.com (Justin James)

    see the difference? this is because although I am the one that uses the internet
    at my house, my dad pays for it, so his name is there, not mine. Now can
    somebody tell me how it is possible to catch this Dr. D guy and prosecute him, if
    what he is doing is indeed illegal?

    Lord Mutilo
    jsj@ix.netcom.com

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 17:43:23 -0400 (EDT)
    From: Eric John Marlett <gt7262a@prism.gatech.edu>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Mike Bahr
    Message-ID: <199708112143.RAA11194@acmey.gatech.edu>

    > 12) Mike Bahr's important CD-related stuff
    > by Brian Wherry <bwherry@mathworks.com>

    [huge rambling about a personal dislike of Mike's post deleted]

    You know, there are hundreds of people on this list who think Mike's
    projects are excellent collectible items and invest in them accordingly,
    but even if you don't feel that way, does it really bother you that much
    that he updates this list? You don't have to read everything....I don't.
    Just take what you want from the list and let others do the same.

    Mike, thanks for the update.

                    
                                                            Eric

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 14:45:24 -0700 (MST)
    From: durnik <durnik@goodnet.com>
    To: vgl@syspac.com (Vincent G. LuPone)
    Cc: ytsejam@ax.com, durnik@goodnet.com
    Subject: Re: In Defense of Mike Bahr
    Message-ID: <199708112145.OAA04452@goodnet.com>

    Wow, another reply...

    > is Vince LuPone
    >> is Brian Wherry
    > >> Okay, so not only does Mike Bahr take music that is not his own, put in
    > >> on CDs and sell them to ytsejammers
    >
    > You just hit the key word. Ytsejammers. We're a family of sorts here.
    > Bahr has a link to the band (that even GIVES him material!!), approval from
    > the members of the band, and his boots are all rare stuff and high quality.
    > He's giving some of us on the outer circle some of the stuff only
    > available on the inner circle. It's cool.

            Shhhh! Quiet!! :) Can't let them know we know they know that we
    know. You know? :)

    > My guess is that he's buying excellent CDs for the CDR. There are some
    > really cheap CDs out there, ones with only one thin gold layer, but Bahr's
    > CDs are double-layered so that they're stronger and they last longer. Plus

            Well, plus the cost of the equipment to make the CDs with. Plus,
    it takes an entire day's work to create the master on the hard drive, plus
    the cost of obtaining music (I paid $700 for the digital masters for
    Critical Mass, and I'm paying $400 for E2E) and so forth. And yes, you're
    quite right Vince, I eschew the generic CDRs becuase they fail too often.

    > service, and I thank him for that. Besides, most bootleg CDs out there are
    > $20-$40 anyway, so what's your problem?

            Oh yeah, thats a salient point I forgot to mention. I'm at or
    lower than the market standard, so I guess all is well.

    > >Even MORE appalling is the fact that he's copying OTHER bootlegs and making
    > >a huge profit!
    >
    > Compiliations rule. Sometimes there are parts of bootlegs that are
    > superior to others. I see no fault in compiling the best of several
    > bootlegs into one great CD. I think it's great.

            Well, I think he meant my CD replicas of foreign boots. I am
    starting those becuase the originals are getting hard to find, and lots of
    people ask me if I offer them. So I figured I would.

    > CDR discs can be bought for around $5 these days and he's
    > >selling these copies for $20. Let's see...he has to open his cd case and
    > >put it in the drive, put in the CDR disc , wait a few minutes, put the disc
    > >in the mailbox....instant $10-$15 profit.

            And that drive costed how much? And the computer it's attached to
    costed how much? And it's costing me how much to stay home and do this all
    day, compared to working out of the house? Etc.

    > On a related note...Mike, my check for $45 for the Megadeth CD and the two
    > Savatage (YEAH!) videos will be in the mail VERY soon.

            Cool!! Thanks man.

    - Mike Bahr - durnik@goodnet.com - http://www.goodnet.com/~durnik

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 17:49:57 -0400
    From: Eric Rodger <erodger@fore.com>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Re: Beside A Horrible Roit(BahrContent)
    Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19970811174957.00f93790@pophost.fore.com>

    John McCabe wrote:
    >
    >If you think that he should just trade stuff, and not ask money for what
    >he does, think about this. You have all of DT's offical releases. You
    >want some bootlegs, but, since you don't have any you can't get any. So,
                               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    >what do you do? Pay some rip-off CD dealer on the internet? But, he
    >might steal your money, or worse get your order messed up and give you a
    >2 disc bootleg of MM. Hmm, you could do a dub trade, right? But you'd
    >have to wait about the year of it's return. So, what's the only other
    >reasonable option? You go into the bathroom and cry!

    I'm certainly not against bootlegging, or collecting bootlegs, but this is
    one of the worst arguments I've heard, short of "I don't see you putting
    out a better album." Most of us veterans started our DT bootleg
    collections by trading for blanks, not paying some rip-off dealer or crying
    in the bathroom. Also, I never paid more than $20 for a single disc boot
    from a dealer (doubles were always $40), so the fact that Mike's prices
    have come down from $25 to $20, still only puts his discs at the same price
    as most Imported bootlegs. So your arguments here aren't really relevant.
    And again, I'm not trying to come down on what Mike's doing (if it really
    bothered me, I would have spoken up 3 years ago when he first proposed the
    idea), but I'm having a blast disputing these unsound arguments.

    KAI (still trying to figure out how I can get rich quick by bootlegging
    Bahr's bootlegs)

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 17:51:47 -0400 (EDT)
    From: Eric John Marlett <gt7262a@prism.gatech.edu>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Dammit!
    Message-ID: <199708112151.RAA12754@acmey.gatech.edu>

    Ok, this is just pissing me off. As an always satisfied Mike Bahr
    customer, I have to come to the guy's defense. First of all, how can his
    projects hurt the band? The people who buy his CD's are the same people
    who have every official release and who go to DT concerts whenever they
    can. These are the die-hard fans, so it's not like they're spending money
    that would otherwise go to DT. They've already done that.

    And my main point....
    > making them and selling them at no profit. That would be the cost of the
    > CDR at maximum $7 or $8, but I don't see where the fuck he gets up to
    > $25 and has the nerve to tell us he's barely making a profit. I guess
    > he's not a very good business man.

    > Even MORE appalling is the fact that he's copying OTHER bootlegs and
    > making a huge profit! CDR discs can be bought for around $5 these days
    > and he's selling these copies for $20. Let's see...he has to open his cd
    > case and put it in the drive, put in the CDR disc , wait a few minutes,
    > put the disc in the mailbox....instant $10-$15 profit.

    I don't where you're getting your info, but every CD Bahr produces is not
    CDR. He creates commercial grade CD's identical to the ones you buy in a
    store. He sends them away to a CD printing plant, and he gets artwork
    pressed onto the CD, then there's the liner notes. All that ain't
    cheap.....Don't criticize things you know little about.

                                                                    Eric

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 14:57:22 -0700 (MST)
    From: durnik <durnik@goodnet.com>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Re: YTSEJAM digest 2848
    Message-ID: <199708112157.OAA06032@goodnet.com>

    > Brian Wherry said:
    >
    > > Okay, so not only does Mike Bahr take music that is not his own, put in
    > > on CDs and sell them to ytsejammers for about ten times what they cost
    > > to make, he makes and sells *copies* of products made by other companies
    > > whose products consist CDs of music that is not *their* own. Am I
    > > missing something?
    >
    > Oh goody! Somebody finally has the balls to stand up and say something
    > against Mr. Bahr even though is a long-time veteran of this list. Thanks

            Why would it take "balls" to say something against me? Am I some
    kind of internet bully? Like I'm gonna give you a swirly or a wedgie when
    I find out you posted out against me? :) Actually, that's kinda funny.

    > Brian. Now that I'm out of the closet as well I totally agree with you :).
    > I wouldn't mind if Bahr was making these cds and trading them, or even
    > making them and selling them at no profit. That would be the cost of the
    > CDR at maximum $7 or $8, but I don't see where the fuck he gets up to $25
    > and has the nerve to tell us he's barely making a profit. I guess he's not
    > a very good business man.

            Well, I don't just paint the music onto the blank media. It takes
    powerful computer systems to reliably produce these products. I would go
    more into detail here, but the version of this post that did go into
    detail got rejected by the Jam due to length! :) Plus you're forgetting
    the liners, jewels, packing, shipping, electricity (trust me, you know
    you're using your electronic stuff too much when you get an electric bill
    of $170 a month for an apartment... and you don't run the A/C much). I
    make personally about the same as I would working a part time job. I also
    work part time with Equinox. Put the two together, and the rent is paid.
    Presto! :) (Hey, you got your chocolate in my peanut butter! Hey, you got
    your peanut butter in my chocolate! Hey, say, this is pretty good)

    > Even MORE appalling is the fact that he's copying OTHER bootlegs and making
    > a huge profit! CDR discs can be bought for around $5 these days and he's

            Well, people asked for them, so I provide them. Etc. And oh yes,
    you might want to know that CDR discs often _fail_.

    > If somebody could explain the morals to me here or if any of my math is
    > incorrect I'd be glad to re-think my conclusion....

            If you have moral problems with bootlegging, talk to a priest. I
    don't, and I made that decision long ago, so I literally would not be able
    to grasp your angst in this situation.

    Rogerio Brito writes...
    > Well, Mike Bahr is not the only one that does this. And a lot of
    > people think that his work is worth the money. In this case they pay him
    > the money for the service. Capitalism works very simply.

            Thanks for the backup, Rogerio. And he's right. If nobody wanted
    what I was selling, it wouldn't sell.

    - Mike Bahr - durnik@goodnet.com - http://www.goodnet.com/~durnik

    ------------------------------

    End of YTSEJAM Digest 2850
    **************************



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