"Instant Live" - anyone heard of this compay?

Ramstl

Obviously feels strongly about this subject. To clarify my points

My praise was not for Clear Channel, but for the IDEA of recording concerts and selling them to concert goers. Some people actually go to concerts to listen/watch/enjoy, and don't have the time, equipment or inclination to record them. We still would like to have a copy of the show. Don't know/care who started it, the first time I ever heard of it/saw it was at a Dead show.

I too am not a big fan of Clear Channel and their business strategy of running out the small independents. Which is why I ASKED if the division was started by Clear Channel or bought by them, and suggested that it was probably bought.

Regardless of all the "legal stuff" behind it all, I love the Instant Live recordings that I have and I am thankful that a company exists to allow these live, on the spot CDs to take place.

burke,

I hope I didn't come across as nasty but rather I attempted to give a larger perspective of what is really occurring with Instant Live.

The idea of instant music is great and being that I have recorded concerts and live music for 22 years or so, one I really appreciate. When done properly it is a win/win for everyone. However, the method it is being done by Clear Channel is ultimately not in the best interest of anyone but Clear Channel.

BTW, The Dead only started offering live versions of their shows during the summer of 03 and in doing so their turn around rate has been 2-6 weeks. They have never offered instant recordings. Rat Dog, on the other hand, Bob Weirs band, offered instant versions during the Spring of 04. Phil and Friends were posting free down loads of selected shows starting in 02 but again, they weren't available for sometime.

Most of the recordings I've heard that come from such source are "just" okay! They offer the purchaser or fan a copy of the show they attended with FM level sound. What I mean by FM is that for the most part the sound is compressed with washed out timbres, often less than engaging sound. Listener fatigue usually sets in quickly.
The concert goer maybe able to over look this in an attempt to relive the enjoyment of the show but if you weren't there or your not a hard core fan of the band you may not give them many listening. The learning curve for quality sound is still leaning to quantity for sales instead of quality of sound.

To be honest it is difficult since for the most part they are mixing an 80% board with a 20% ambient. The Board mix is usually mixed for the house, which often means that the Board feed is not very well suited for direct playback, thus the ambient mix. However, for ambient they usually place either 2 omni's on stage or two Cards at DIN or ORTF at the board and the board is not usually placed in the best spot for sound. Sometimes the mix has little to no ambience, which makes for a very dry sound.

That being said, though, if I'm unable to record the show myself, which has happened only a few times over the last 22 years, I would be glad to buy whatever was being offered. Yes, I may have a strong opinion but I do love the music I go out to see.

For clarification, of course over the years the Dead have released selected and historical concerts and in doing so one might have to wait 15-30 years for a chance of having a concert they atteded be officially released. It wasn't until 03 that concert tours were made available.

Ramstl

Not sure what or how it was done but it seemed that String Cheese Incident put out a lot of Live CDs right after the shows. Do you know if they used something like InstantLive?

Does the patent that InstantLive has prevent people/bands like Dave Mathews from allowing taping at their shows?

As I said, I'm not a fan of Clear Channel, just the opposite. I've stopped listening to Clear Channel Radio stations because of the restrictive nature of their programming. Of course they're so big I may be listening, watching, reading a clear channel item and not know it.