Why do Producers hate Bootlegs?

Why would it motivate people to buy tickets when they can sit at home and watch it for free? I mean, yes, maybe a few people decide to buy tickets as a result, but far more would say "well, I can watch it for free from the comfort of my own home, no need to buy tickets to the real thing now". Plus it's illegal and every single actor, writer, designer, musician, director is technically owed royalties from it, which they obviously will never get.

zainmax said: "I read in this article that the producer of HAMILTON hired someone full-time to look for and takedown bootlegs of the show. Why do producers hate bootlegs so much? I know that its illegal, but doesnt it actually motivate people to buy tickets, which means more $$$?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marchershberg/2020/05/29/copyright-office-urges-congress-to-curb-broadway-bootlegs/"

Hamilton was making $300 million a week for more than 3 years! Hamilton's producers can definitely hire someone full time to do that.

If that's their full-time job, then they're horrible at it, considering that there's a not-hard-to-find bootleg that's been on YouTube for over 4 years.

Broadway61004 said: "Why would it motivate people to buy tickets when they can sit at home and watch it for free? I mean, yes, maybe a few people decide to buy tickets as a result, but far more would say "well, I can watch it for free from the comfort of my own home, no need to buy tickets to the real thing now". Plus it's illegal and every single actor, writer, designer, musician, director is technically owed royalties from it, which they obviously will never get."

Oh I don’t disagree. I was simply wondering about whether it really takes away from ticket sales.

Do people choose to watch bootlegs instead of seeing the shows in person?? I don’t think so..

CT2NYC said: "This thread is unnecessary. Here's the link to the most recent bootleg thread (also unnecessary)

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1122012&page=1"

Will read.. thanks!

Hamilton was making $300 million a week for more than 3 years! Hamilton's producers can definitely hire someone full time to do that."

Hahaha... That would be almost $47 BILLION dollars. It MIGHT have been making $5-10m/week at the highest points (including all productions + tours).

Updated On: 5/29/20 at 06:24 PM

zainmax said: "Btw, I was more curious in the producers’ argument that it reduces ticket sales, which is mentioned in the article. I don’t buy it, although it obviously steals $$$ from the creators.."

If you click through to the announcement from the Copyright Office mentioned in that article, you'll find that they don't mention Broadway or theatre at all. That particular blogger at Forbes is known for being misleading and using clickbaity headlines. That being said, if you don't enforce your copyright, you can be at risk of losing it. A recap here: https://www.varnumlaw.com/newsroom-publications-enforce-your-intellectual-property-or-risk-losing-it



TL;DR

"If you don't take adequate or sufficient, reasonable means to protect and enforce your IP, then you run the risk of losing your IP rights. What is sufficient and reasonable action is not always clear; it depends on the situation. But, suffice it to say, if you know someone is using your IP without your authorization, you should promptly look into it to determine what, if anything, should and needs to be done so that you don't lose one of your most important business assets – your valuable intellectual property."

I can't imagine a world where producers encourage bootlegs. A theatre full of camera lens like at a concert, and hundreds of versions of bootlegs show up every day on YouTube. No.

Fossee, this is what I wanted! Thanks so much..

Saw David Stone saying bootlegs are a good marketing tool and was confused about the whole “they see bootleg and don’t see show” argument.

What is your opinion on the bootleg recording debate?
I hate it, but I think it’s a good marketing tool because audience members know that if they’re only seeing something on YouTube, it makes them more excited about the material. A bootleg recording might whet your appetite for a show, and audiences are smart enough to realize that a bootleg recording is just an approximation of what is happening onstage.

Source: https://operateen.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/the-producer-a-conversation-with-broadways-david-stone/

Updated On: 5/29/20 at 11:16 PM

Call_me_jorge said: "David Stone is ahead of his time and we truly don’t deserve him.

There are so many bootlegs on YouTube, it’s kind of curious why none of them have been taken down. Like why are the several bootlegs of An*thing Goes not being copyrighted by Roundabout or how come you still see the Ca*rie video? I just think, producers don’t care/are complicit to the illegal videos."

A lot of it has to do with the way shows are set up. When a show is running the GM or Producer's office often takes care of that. When a show closes, there usually isn't anyone left on the payroll to monitor those things or respond to reports of bootlegs.