Archival discovery of importance.

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   Info from jazz rock site Fusenet:


> Music Stash Recalls When Rock Was Young

>

> By ETHAN SMITH

> Staff Reporter of THE WALL   STREET JOURNAL

> December 13, 2005; Page B1

>

> Two and a half years ago, a Minneapolis entrepreneur named Bill Sagan

> spent more than $5 million to buy a treasure trove of rock 'n' roll

> memorabilia: millions of T-shirts, posters, handbills, photographs,

> concert tickets and other items from the archives of Bill Graham Presents,

> the legendary San Francisco rock promoter that virtually invented the

> modern concert business in the mid 1960s.

>

> But what neither Mr. Sagan nor the seller, Clear Channel Communications

> Inc., realized at the time was that the archives contained an even more

> valuable bonus: more than 5,000 live audio and video recordings made

> between 1966 and 1999, featuring artists varying from the Doors to

> Nirvana. The recordings were made at rock concerts that the late Mr.

> Graham ran or promoted. They were uncataloged and collecting dust when Mr.

> Sagan acquired the archive.

>

> Today, the 55-year-old Mr. Sagan controls what may be the most important

> collection of rock memorabilia and recordings ever assembled in one

> business. Called Wolfgang's Vault -- from Mr. Graham's given name,

> Wolfgang Grajonca -- the company has a staff of 14, projected sales this

> year of $3 million, and nearly 20 million separate items in its San

> Francisco warehouse.

>

> Having set up a business selling vintage rock T-shirts and concert posters

> on the Web, Mr. Sagan is only now turning his attention to the audio and

> video assets, where he faces a tremendous challenge. He is in the early

> stages of complex negotiations with artists, their representatives and

> record labels over the rights to sell the recordings on discs and as

> downloads. In the meantime, Mr. Sagan plans to begin streaming some of

> these recordings as Internet radio feeds on his company's Web site, which

> involves little more than paying royalties to organizations that represent

> songwriters.

>

> The performances, many of which are professionally recorded and extremely

> high quality, amount to a sweeping, unheard history of rock during its

> seminal years and beyond. The archives include performances by artists

> including Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Pink Floyd, the Who, Tom Petty, Stevie

> Wonder, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Emmylou Harris, Aretha Franklin and

> Tracy Chapman, all of whom played shows put on by Mr. Graham. The are

> videotapes of early performances by Crosby Stills Nash & Young and from

> 1978, the Sex Pistols' last show for nearly 20 years, before their reunion

> in 1996.

>

> Though some of the recordings have leaked as bootlegs over the years, they

> contain some revealing moments that may surprise fans. For example, a

> recording taken from Led Zeppelin's first U.S. tour, in 1969 -- when the

> band was opening for Country Joe & the Fish -- finds lead singer Robert

> Plant displaying little of the rock-god swagger that would eventually

> become his trademark. Instead, he makes nervous small talk to the audience

> as guitarist Jimmy Page changes a broken string.

>

> I don't know if [Mr. Sagan] really knew exactly how much rich material he

> had, says Bill Thompson, the longtime manager of Jefferson Airplane and

> Jefferson Starship, which played Bill Graham events frequently during the

> heyday of the San Francisco rock scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

> This is a goldmine.

>

> Mr. Graham's company mounted more than 35,000 concerts world-wide between

> its inception in 1966 and its sale, earlier this decade, to Clear Channel,

> which bought up a number of regional concert promoters during that era.

> Mr. Sagan bought the archive from Clear Channel, which had little interest

> in sifting through the thousands of items that were jammed into the

> company's warehouse.

>

> Mr. Sagan and his staff spent their first six months in business doing

> nothing but organizing and cataloging the vast collection, much of which

> had been thrown haphazardly in cardboard boxes, and some of which had been

> damaged in a warehouse fire.

>

> Today, on WolfgangsVault.com1, shoppers can find individual tickets to the

> Yardbirds' July 25, 1967, show at the Fillmore West for $51 each (a $48

> markup over the face value). Prints of photographer Joe Sia's blurred shot

> of a police officer arresting Jim Morrison on stage in New Haven, Conn.,

> go for $550 to $750. Even the Rat Pack gets the collectible treatment: A

> black faux-tuxedo T-shirt commemorating a 1988 concert starring Frank

> Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., costs $82.

>

> But the music and video recordings are the most intriguing and

> commercially promising. Mr. Graham's company made the recordings partly

> for posterity's sake, and, in some cases, for a more base motive: adjacent

> to the Fillmore West was a restaurant owned by Mr. Graham. Rather than

> lose customers when concerts started next door, Mr. Graham installed a

> closed-circuit video system that let diners watch the show live -- and

> also captured it on videotape.

>

> When, or even if, the general public will ever hear or see many of these

> recordings is unclear, however.

>

> The recordings were made legally; Mr. Sagan has a filing cabinet filled

> with documentation to prove it. But selling them will require various

> permissions and revenue-sharing deals -- not only with the artists

> themselves, but often, too, with whatever record label they were signed to

> at the time of the show, or its corporate successor. In the case of dead

> performers, permission is required from their families or other heirs.

>

> Mr. Sagan's employees have already digitized more than 1,000 audio

> recordings and sent them to engineers to have the sound quality cleaned

> up. Now they are in the process of seeking clearances to release the

> music. Mr. Sagan says he is in active discussions with two major record

> labels, and believes he is close to a deal for at least some music with

> one of them, although he declines to name either.

>

> Is it easy? he asks. No. But in some cases they're excited as hell they

> might be able to make some money of old bands.

>

> Even with clearances, much of the material in the archives is simply not

> up to snuff for commercial release. I don't think a large percentage of it

> will end up on CD, or in any monetized form, says Gavin Haag, who oversees

> the company's music-licensing efforts. For instance, he adds, there may

> never be an appetite for dozens of separate concerts by acts like Eddie

> Money.

>

> Mr. Thompson, the Jefferson Airplane manager, says he is in early

> discussions with Wolfgang's Vault and Sony BMG Music Entertainment to sell

> the dozens of live recordings made of his clients at Mr. Graham's various

> venues. Sony BMG, a joint venture of Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann AG,

> controls the rights to distribute the band's recordings. Sony BMG and

> Wolfgang's Vault declined to comment on the continuing licensing

> negotiations.

>

> URL for this   article:

>   http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113443205766020664.html

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Dick Heath Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Jazz-Rock Specialist Joined: April 19 2004 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 12815	Topic: Archival discovery of importance. Posted: December 18 2005 at 11:56
	Info from jazz rock site Fusenet: > Music Stash Recalls When Rock Was Young > > By ETHAN SMITH > Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL > December 13, 2005; Page B1 > > Two and a half years ago, a Minneapolis entrepreneur named Bill Sagan > spent more than $5 million to buy a treasure trove of rock 'n' roll > memorabilia: millions of T-shirts, posters, handbills, photographs, > concert tickets and other items from the archives of Bill Graham Presents, > the legendary San Francisco rock promoter that virtually invented the > modern concert business in the mid 1960s. > > But what neither Mr. Sagan nor the seller, Clear Channel Communications > Inc., realized at the time was that the archives contained an even more > valuable bonus: more than 5,000 live audio and video recordings made > between 1966 and 1999, featuring artists varying from the Doors to > Nirvana. The recordings were made at rock concerts that the late Mr. > Graham ran or promoted. They were uncataloged and collecting dust when Mr. > Sagan acquired the archive. > > Today, the 55-year-old Mr. Sagan controls what may be the most important > collection of rock memorabilia and recordings ever assembled in one > business. Called Wolfgang's Vault -- from Mr. Graham's given name, > Wolfgang Grajonca -- the company has a staff of 14, projected sales this > year of $3 million, and nearly 20 million separate items in its San > Francisco warehouse. > > Having set up a business selling vintage rock T-shirts and concert posters > on the Web, Mr. Sagan is only now turning his attention to the audio and > video assets, where he faces a tremendous challenge. He is in the early > stages of complex negotiations with artists, their representatives and > record labels over the rights to sell the recordings on discs and as > downloads. In the meantime, Mr. Sagan plans to begin streaming some of > these recordings as Internet radio feeds on his company's Web site, which > involves little more than paying royalties to organizations that represent > songwriters. > > The performances, many of which are professionally recorded and extremely > high quality, amount to a sweeping, unheard history of rock during its > seminal years and beyond. The archives include performances by artists > including Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Pink Floyd, the Who, Tom Petty, Stevie > Wonder, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Emmylou Harris, Aretha Franklin and > Tracy Chapman, all of whom played shows put on by Mr. Graham. The are > videotapes of early performances by Crosby Stills Nash & Young and from > 1978, the Sex Pistols' last show for nearly 20 years, before their reunion > in 1996. > > Though some of the recordings have leaked as bootlegs over the years, they > contain some revealing moments that may surprise fans. For example, a > recording taken from Led Zeppelin's first U.S. tour, in 1969 -- when the > band was opening for Country Joe & the Fish -- finds lead singer Robert > Plant displaying little of the rock-god swagger that would eventually > become his trademark. Instead, he makes nervous small talk to the audience > as guitarist Jimmy Page changes a broken string. > > I don't know if [Mr. Sagan] really knew exactly how much rich material he > had, says Bill Thompson, the longtime manager of Jefferson Airplane and > Jefferson Starship, which played Bill Graham events frequently during the > heyday of the San Francisco rock scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s. > This is a goldmine. > > Mr. Graham's company mounted more than 35,000 concerts world-wide between > its inception in 1966 and its sale, earlier this decade, to Clear Channel, > which bought up a number of regional concert promoters during that era. > Mr. Sagan bought the archive from Clear Channel, which had little interest > in sifting through the thousands of items that were jammed into the > company's warehouse. > > Mr. Sagan and his staff spent their first six months in business doing > nothing but organizing and cataloging the vast collection, much of which > had been thrown haphazardly in cardboard boxes, and some of which had been > damaged in a warehouse fire. > > Today, on WolfgangsVault.com1, shoppers can find individual tickets to the > Yardbirds' July 25, 1967, show at the Fillmore West for $51 each (a $48 > markup over the face value). Prints of photographer Joe Sia's blurred shot > of a police officer arresting Jim Morrison on stage in New Haven, Conn., > go for $550 to $750. Even the Rat Pack gets the collectible treatment: A > black faux-tuxedo T-shirt commemorating a 1988 concert starring Frank > Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., costs $82. > > But the music and video recordings are the most intriguing and > commercially promising. Mr. Graham's company made the recordings partly > for posterity's sake, and, in some cases, for a more base motive: adjacent > to the Fillmore West was a restaurant owned by Mr. Graham. Rather than > lose customers when concerts started next door, Mr. Graham installed a > closed-circuit video system that let diners watch the show live -- and > also captured it on videotape. > > When, or even if, the general public will ever hear or see many of these > recordings is unclear, however. > > The recordings were made legally; Mr. Sagan has a filing cabinet filled > with documentation to prove it. But selling them will require various > permissions and revenue-sharing deals -- not only with the artists > themselves, but often, too, with whatever record label they were signed to > at the time of the show, or its corporate successor. In the case of dead > performers, permission is required from their families or other heirs. > > Mr. Sagan's employees have already digitized more than 1,000 audio > recordings and sent them to engineers to have the sound quality cleaned > up. Now they are in the process of seeking clearances to release the > music. Mr. Sagan says he is in active discussions with two major record > labels, and believes he is close to a deal for at least some music with > one of them, although he declines to name either. > > Is it easy? he asks. No. But in some cases they're excited as hell they > might be able to make some money of old bands. > > Even with clearances, much of the material in the archives is simply not > up to snuff for commercial release. I don't think a large percentage of it > will end up on CD, or in any monetized form, says Gavin Haag, who oversees > the company's music-licensing efforts. For instance, he adds, there may > never be an appetite for dozens of separate concerts by acts like Eddie > Money. > > Mr. Thompson, the Jefferson Airplane manager, says he is in early > discussions with Wolfgang's Vault and Sony BMG Music Entertainment to sell > the dozens of live recordings made of his clients at Mr. Graham's various > venues. Sony BMG, a joint venture of Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann AG, > controls the rights to distribute the band's recordings. Sony BMG and > Wolfgang's Vault declined to comment on the continuing licensing > negotiations. > > URL for this article: > http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113443205766020664.html

Garion81 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 22 2004 Location: So Cal, USA Status: Offline Points: 4338	Posted: December 18 2005 at 20:45
	WOW!! That is all I can say.
	"What are you going to do when that damn thing rusts?"

sbrushfan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: November 07 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1177	Posted: December 23 2005 at 13:09
	Whoa...
	Some world views are spacious, and some are merely spaced...

Heptade Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: May 19 2005 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 427	Posted: January 03 2006 at 13:44
	This all sounds wonderful, but I have a couple of points to add concerning this guy's retail operation: I bought a shirt from Wolfgang's Vault. It was advertised as vintage, but when it arrived: 1) it was plainly NOT an original shirt from the early 80s, which I was led to believe - it was a reproduction sold to me for 30$ 2) Much worse, the shipping fee charged was at least 4 times what, from my experience of buying from the U.S. on the internet, it should have been. When I inquired why, they said they had no choice, which was nonsense. There is no excuse for gouging on shipping. Just in case anyone gets interested in buying memorabilia from this business- that was my experience. I'm sure the discovery of footage is great, though.
	The world keeps spinning, people keep sinning And all the rest is just bullsh*t -Steve Kilbey

Jim Garten Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Retired Admin & Razor Guru Joined: February 02 2004 Location: South England Status: Offline Points: 14693	Posted: January 04 2006 at 07:49
	One hell of a resource for downloading great photos, though...
	Jon Lord 1941 - 2012