Revised on 2/5/2003
Please read my new trading rules and disclaimer!!
Since much of my site discusses the known recordings of Black Sabbath, I decided to include this section to help people find the specific shows they are looking for. It is important to note here that I DO NOT endorse the sale of unauthorized recordings of Black Sabbath! So DO NOT ask me where you can find or purchase bootlegs! I am not in the business of distributing those sort of recordings
However, I do obviously see the historical significance of these unreleased private recordings and have participated in non-profit trading over the years. It is most often the people that have already purchased the bands complete commercial catalog who take the next step into collecting their unreleased shows. While I encourage people to buy CD's that will profit the band, I also do not see the band losing money on live shows that they will never release commercially. It is my hope that someday the members and management of Black Sabbath will realize these things and give us their official blessing to trade live shows, like other bands such as The Grateful Dead, The Black Crowes or Phish have done for their fans. They would also be savvy to consider "officially" releasing some of the better live shows that have been in circulation, which is something that Deep Purple has done with great success.
I have enjoyed collecting "bootlegs" for over 16 years, for the fact that I am able to listen to concerts that I would have otherwise not had a chance hear. There are some real gems out there in circulation and it is the "fans" that are allowing this music to be heard. Tape trading has become a very common custom for music lovers around the world and has only blossomed thanks to the Internet.
But in the year 2003, it is a sad fact that organizations like the RIAA are resorting to Gestapo-like tactics to punish people for the free exchange of music, when they should be blaming themselves for what has become of the Record Industry. And for this reason, I would caution each and every one of you to use your best judgment when trading music from this point onwards. While the main focus seems to be upon MP3's and file sharing on public networks, it is doubtful that they will make any real distinctions about 'what' the music is or 'how' it is being swapped. In other words, you may even find yourself defending your right to post a recording of yourself in MP3 format, since it is the format itself that is being demonized! And with fines of up to $150,000 per song, you could stand to lose everything over your collection of MP3's that you were sharing on Kazaa. Isn't this absolutely ridiculous?
I know that this sort of talk puts a huge "bummer" on the subject of trading, but I feel that it's important to caution people as to the risks of swapping music, ESPECIALLY over the Internet. I would caution you to avoid sharing files on the larger file sharing networks (such as Kazaa or mIRC), since these are being closely monitored by different groups of individuals who are looking for someone to prosecute. If you insist upon trading MP3's over the Internet, I'd recommend doing it selectively with people via private (and preferably encrypted) FTP.
And in some countries, I've even heard of people being reprimanded for sending CD-R's to one another through the U.S. mail! This information came from a Belgian trader who was shipping some discs out of his country.
I do believe that people should be able to exchange music with whoever they please. Especially when this music is NOT owned by the record companies who claim to have rights to it! And so it is for that reason that I continue to host this section as a service to like minded people who enjoy sharing their unreleased rarities. As long as the music that you are trading is not commercially available, you may join the Sabbath Trading Registry. However, if it is brought to my attention that either (1) you are trading commercially available music or (2) you are SELLING any of these titles, you will be removed from the list.
Robert Dwyer, Black Sabbath Live Project (2/5/2003)