Can someone explain to me how bootlegs like the Parade Demos, Box of Chocolates, The Bird, etc. surface? A lot of these recordings existed in poor quality years ago, but how does someone get their hands on the source recording? I assume that technicians that were either working in the studio or that working the gig steal the recordings, but why didn’t they surface earlier? Most people say that Prince had nothing to do with it, but I have to think that we don’t get Montreaux unless Prince was
pissed about the DVD deal and he put it out there to spite the organizers.

Can someone explain the process? Regardless, I just hope that we get more stuff in 2012 because 2011 was a great year to be a year where we did not get an official Prince release.
Parade Demos, BOC, The Bird, Montreaux, etc., FDeluxe and Condensate made it one of the best years for me in a very long time. Condensate is so good that I actually have to try not to play it so I don’t wear it out. I haven’t had that much fun with a CD in six years when 3121 came
out.

Sure can... first you have to know the right people and then you just....

ABSOLUTELY NO SOLICITING FOR BOOTLEGS.You want to discuss them? That's fine - but NO OFFERS TO COPY, NO REQUESTS TO COPY, NO "WHERE CAN I GET", etc. NO POSTING OF LINKS TO THESE SITES EITHER. Please be aware that the moderators here strictly enforce this rule.

ABSOLUTELY NO SOLICITING FOR BOOTLEGS.You want to discuss them? That's fine - but NO OFFERS TO COPY, NO REQUESTS TO COPY, NO "WHERE CAN I GET", etc. NO POSTING OF LINKS TO THESE SITES EITHER. Please be aware that the moderators here strictly enforce this rule.

ABSOLUTELY NO SOLICITING FOR BOOTLEGS.You want to discuss them? That's fine - but NO OFFERS TO COPY, NO REQUESTS TO COPY, NO "WHERE CAN I GET", etc. NO POSTING OF LINKS TO THESE SITES EITHER. Please be aware that the moderators here strictly enforce this rule.

ABSOLUTELY NO SOLICITING FOR BOOTLEGS.You want to discuss them? That's fine - but NO OFFERS TO COPY, NO REQUESTS TO COPY, NO "WHERE CAN I GET", etc. NO POSTING OF LINKS TO THESE SITES EITHER. Please be aware that the moderators here strictly enforce this rule.

ABSOLUTELY NO SOLICITING FOR BOOTLEGS.You want to discuss them? That's fine - but NO OFFERS TO COPY, NO REQUESTS TO COPY, NO "WHERE CAN I GET", etc. NO POSTING OF LINKS TO THESE SITES EITHER. Please be aware that the moderators here strictly enforce this rule.

ABSOLUTELY NO SOLICITING FOR BOOTLEGS.You want to discuss them? That's fine - but NO OFFERS TO COPY, NO REQUESTS TO COPY, NO "WHERE CAN I GET", etc. NO POSTING OF LINKS TO

THESE SITES EITHER. Please be aware that the moderators here strictly enforce this rule.

...and that's all there is to finding boots out there in this kind of qualty

Hope that helps!

[Edited 1/9/12 9:18am]

[Edited 1/9/12 9:18am]

[Edited 1/9/12 9:19am]

The clean sources you hear now were often the same sources for the bad ones earlier, but they were either deliberately mucked up so they could be sold again, or were a copy of a copy of a copy on cassette originally.

People are getting older and more generous, and the internet has opened up all kinds of communication with people that used to work for Prince or worked at studios that might have had copies.

The Montreaux stuff was bought by bootleggers from Montreaux sources.

No Prince involvement in any of this. He hates when he loses his stuff and doesn't make a cent off of it. Not that this stuff makes even a small percentage of what he makes with one concert appearance.

It's none of your business, just enjoy the music.

And Prince has got fuck all to do with putting out bootlegs......seriously!

I'll be fat, dumb and happy as long as they keep coming. I just want to understand the process as a fan because I want to be hopeful that there are more surprises out there.

ufoclub said:

The clean sources you hear now were often the same sources for the bad ones earlier, but they were either deliberately mucked up so they could be sold again, or were a copy of a copy of a copy on cassette originally.

People are getting older and more generous, and the internet has opened up all kinds of communication with people that used to work for Prince or worked at studios that might have had copies.

The Montreaux stuff was bought by bootleggers from Montreaux sources.

No Prince involvement in any of this. He hates when he loses his stuff and doesn't make a cent off of it. Not that this stuff makes even a small percentage of what he makes with one concert appearance.

how do u know so much?

It's kinda public knowledge that some of his former employees used to tape stuff from rehersals or live shows and they may be letting some of that stuff out now....

[Edited 1/9/12 9:42am]

Farfunknugin said:

ufoclub said:

The clean sources you hear now were often the same sources for the bad ones earlier, but they were either deliberately mucked up so they could be sold again, or were a copy of a copy of a copy on cassette originally.

People are getting older and more generous, and the internet has opened up all kinds of communication with people that used to work for Prince or worked at studios that might have had copies.

The Montreaux stuff was bought by bootleggers from Montreaux sources.

No Prince involvement in any of this. He hates when he loses his stuff and doesn't make a cent off of it. Not that this stuff makes even a small percentage of what he makes with one concert appearance.

how do u know so much?

I just read stuff on the internet... so it must be true! I've been collecting boots since 1987, and you hear stories,talk with other collectors, and then also if you pay attention to posts and threads that deal with this stuff, you start to get a picture. Maybe a cloudy picture.

I'm not connected to any bootleggers in any way though. So I can't tell you specifics because I don't have them, and my picture of the way it's been working might not be 100% accurate.But you hear stories, back when housequake.com was going, there was all kinds of good info there.

But Montreaux (which is widely put out there all over and can be googled for discussions) is not Prince involved, because it doesn't make business sense for him to be involved. The only time I can remember Prince tried to mimic bootleggers was with printing the word "bootleg" on his official Crystal Ball CD's and also putting out the horrible quality VHS tapes of the Beautiful Experience TV special and the Undertaker (or was it the Sacrifice of Victor after show concert?)

[Edited 1/9/12 10:19am]

donnyenglish said:

I'll be fat, dumb and happy as long as they keep coming. I just want to understand the process as a fan because I want to be hopeful that there are more surprises out there.

there isn't any one process. There are a lot of them as people have pointed out above.

The City Lights live bootleg tapes were reportedly bought from a former band member. And other things leak from someone who worked at a record company or for Prince, etc.

[Edited 1/9/12 9:59am]

2011 was an incredible year for boots. If only Prince has a music club or website from which he could sell OFFICIAL copies of some of these things.

my mate dave from the car boot sales knows prince personally, and meets him from time to time to play darts and have a pint and when prince nips to the toilet for a piss he goes in prince's pockets and steals tapes and then he sells them to the bootleggers for beer money and then you get them

and dave wouldn't lie. he knows tom cruise and all that and gets all the latest movies on dvd before they are in the cinema

unique said:

my mate dave from the car boot sales knows prince personally, and meets him from time to time to play darts and have a pint and when prince nips to the toilet for a piss he goes in prince's pockets and steals tapes and then he sells them to the bootleggers for beer money and then you get them

and dave wouldn't lie. he knows tom cruise and all that and gets all the latest movies on dvd before they are in the cinema

Looks like an amazing friend!

haha

TheDigitalGardener said:

It's none of your business, just enjoy the music.

And Prince has got fuck all to do with putting out bootlegs......seriously!

Exactly. Just enjoy the music.