How Do You Report Someone Selling Bootlegs?

I don't mean this has a typical BWW b1tch. And I also don't like the practice of selling bootlegs.

But,

one rests better at night and has a generally more peaceful life when one learns to only be concerned with the problems that directly affect them and let the problems that don't directly affect them be solved by the people that the problem directly affects.

Honestly I've alerted producers to their work being on youtube or being sold on dvds and they don't seem to care. Many seem to be okay with it because of the publicity? I don't know. But there's not much you can do since you don't own the IP

As one with more than a handful of friends working in the Broadway community in different capacities, the stigma regarding bootlegs doesn't exist anymore. This explains the countless full show bootlegs posted on YouTube that exist. The show creators don't care and see them as free promotional advertisements to their shows. This has been told to me by numerous people. Actors actually are thrilled especially if their performances are captured as its a personal document of their work. Also, these have become invaluable to countless understudies who have admitted to viewing these bootlegs as homework.

Your complaint will go nowhere. Anyone is free to try to sell whatever they want. Its up to the consumer to pay for product, regardless of their personal belief.

Updated On: 3/6/18 at 11:40 AM

I helped someone ensure no bootlegs of their stuff appeared initially, but then their take was like, once the OBC was gone, it was less of an issue giving people a chance to see the third replacement, etc.

As far as selling bootlegs, the way it usually works is the person who records it tends to sell it for a fixed period of time, and during that time, it can't be traded, only purchased. The idea being that they are recouping costs of the show, the equipment, etc., and it helps them buy more tickets to keep doing it, etc., and then after a specific date, it can be traded, and I doubt they ever make that much money on it again.

All that said, only someone associated with the show can lodge a DMCA complaint with Google (to get something off of YouTube), or whatever cloud storage provider is hosting the files.

Updated On: 3/6/18 at 11:51 AM

Personally, I don't know any actors who feel that they have enough money (I'm not sure that I know anyone who feels that they have enough money, and I know a few very wealthy folks).

So of course, actors and (struggling) writers hate the thought that bootlegs = money "taken" from them. But it's a specious idea; the money in question ($5-10 per sale?) would never go to the actors and writers anyway, because no one commercially sells videos of closed theatrical productions (except for those very few that have been professionally [and often terribly] filmed for television).

We live, it seems, in The Age Of The Victim, where we're all being done down by someone. But we can all ask ourselves (and probably get different answers): which is more important? Paltry sums of cash changing hands between a minuscule number of rabid theatre fans, or having some record (amateurish as it may be) of that most ephemeral of art forms for people to enjoy?

Or we can put it in perspective by comparing it to mass murders in schools, the persistence of poverty, opioid deaths, climate change, nuclear threat, etc., etc., etc.

Updated On: 3/6/18 at 12:01 PM

Some of the biggest buyers of bootlegs are equity actors.

Brian07663NJ said: "Have you ever purchased and listened to a bootleg...it is one of those experiences you do once and realize - This is SH*T quality, don't do that again."

Yeah, the need to see a bootleg has to be very high to sit through the experience of seeing one.

Broadway Joe said, "Nobody likes a rat."



I hate these kind of comments. While I don't personally feel like THIS is something to rat on, that sentiment is why the Harvey Weinsteins get away with what they do. (And many other instances, people,. etc.)

Nobody likes a rat is commonly heard as snitches get stitches and it's one of the main reasons why some communities cannot break the cycle of violence---the minute anyone speaks up, they are either shouted down, killed, or like the OP, intimidated into silence.

I surprised so many on here are saying "well my friends don't mind it so why should you?" argument with bootlegs. I hope you all get to sit next to a bootlegger with his cam out at every show you attend.

JSquared2 said: "dramamama611 said: "Broadway Joe said, "Nobody likes a rat."

I hate these kind of comments. While I don't personally feel like THIS is something to rat on, that sentiment is why the Harvey Weinsteins get away with what they do. (And many other instances, people,. etc.)

So I take it you nowintend to highjack EVERY thread and somehow turn it into a #METOO moment?


"

Sure, because that's how I roll. I didn't hijack anything...I responded to a comment. I could have used any number of examples, but kept to one that was involved in the arts.

NOT what I was trying to do at all. Sheesh.