SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facing a revolt by its famously faithful fans, The Grateful Dead backed away on Thursday from a move to block "Deadheads" from downloading the jam band's concert recordings for free.
The San Francisco Bay-based band had asked an independently run Web site to stop making thousands of the group's recordings available for free download.
But the founder and director of the Web site (
www.archive.org), Brewster Kahle, said in an online posting on Thursday that bootleg audience copies of the band's concerts had been restored for free downloading.
That reversal came after fans, known as Deadheads, reacted angrily to reports the group had asked the site to halt swapping of Grateful Dead shows.
Many saw that request as a betrayal, since the band had always encouraged fans to tape its concerts and then trade the tapes for free. Some also threatened to stop buying merchandise in an online petition that quickly garnered more than 5,000 signatures.
"It appears doing the right things for the fans has given way to greed," the fan petition said.
Bass player Phil Lesh posted an apologetic message on his own Web site saying he did not know the band had asked operators of the site to take down the recordings.
"I do feel that the music is the Grateful Dead's legacy and I hope that one way or another all of it is available for those who want it," Lesh wrote.
