PFR - "Linda and Hazel would have kittens if I decided to release/digitise their local performance from all those years ago. "

I don't know these people, but can you be so sure of that...???

Yes totally. I recorded it with permission. But equally explicit was that it was not for anyone else apart from me and them. There is a person who uses this forum who wanted a copy and was explicitly excluded from having a copy. Similarly with Edwina Hayes. I recorded it with permission because my wife couldn't attend the concert and she is the only other person who has heard it.

And I respect that.

I went to see James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt last year and was sitting in the front row. And asked before the gig whether I could take pictures or not - who wants an idiot sitting in the front row taking pictures without an ok - and as it was ok I have some nice pictures.

If anybody has pictures or recordings of anything I have played in then yes it would be interesting to see (when I started playing gigs did they have videos in 1969 or would it be on Super 8 or something and reel to reel? So it's unlikely. I do have some stuff on reel to reel from 1969 - I wonder what happened to the drummer he was very good?). But I wouldn't necessarily want it to be out of my control and for someone else to feel it is "their's to do as they wish".

I played a gig recently which I recorded for us (as I do because I like to see and hear how we are doing) and offered the same to the person we supported. They said 'no' so I didn't. But I did take some photos (allowed) and the person who didn't want something of quality wanted some of my snaps. And then popped them online. They are awful photos because of lighting and all sorts of reasons and I actually didn't want to be put on the world for people to see how bad I am as a photographer. :) Perhaps if he had published them without my name with them I would have been OK.

Historical things are interesting and sometimes they are nice things to have. But not necessarily to share. There is a nice pipe player who played with a very fine guitarist who died some years back. And I did send him a copy of the two of them playing when they played at a session in a pub near here that we organised. And it was a nice thing to have for him. But I wouldn't share it with people generally just because I have it.

Perhaps in 50 - 100 years time it won't matter. But it would also have very little interest.

Scarcity is the thing. Having everything is a curious thing. Either you want facebook or archive.org :) The latter had issues with photos and music though which made, what is the hugest (I think), archive anywhere less useful. But it also (I think) archives the archives which is interesting.

I have a lovely fondness for the days when you could put "the end of the internet" in google and get one response. Now the same joke returns 2.3billion copies.

I realise I'm being a partial Luddite :)