[ ERRNINE'S Dave Matthews Band CDR List ]

GETTING STARTED ::

ISO = in search of
DAO = disc at once ( continuous music track to track)
TAO = track at once ( gaps in between tracks :: NEVER USE WHEN TRADING)
ASBD = analog soundboard
DAUD = digital audience recording
IEM = in ear monitor (what the band hears during a show)
ALD = assisted listening device
DSBD = digital soundboard
MATRIX = mix of 2 sources, usually IEM or DSBD & DAUD
STEALTH = audience recording that did not use a mic stand. Usually because taping was not technically allowed
IEM = in ear monitor (what the band hears during a show)
FM *source* = recording from a radio broadcast
MIX or MMX = either a mix of an IEM & AUD, or SBD and AUD
B&P = blanks and postage
SASE = self addressed stamped envelope

Also, ASK QUESTION, really. There are many people that will help you on your quest. Email someone. Normally people love to help newbies.

The B/P Blanks and postage. You see a pulic B/P offer, you follow their directions and get accepted. What then? Well, tell them out front you dont know what you are doing. They will help. but here is a quickie

Get the amount of CDs the show(s) are, a bubble package, a larger envalope. Put the CDs in the bubble package with a nice note telling the person whay they are doing for you. Write Your Address on the bubble envalope. Put postage it on the bubble package, but leave the package open. The B/Per is going to send this back to you with your now-burned discs. Put the bubble package into the larger envalope and close the outer envalope. Write Their address on the front. place postage and drop in the mail. And wait a couple weeks and you shall have your shows.

Other things

NO MP3s. Never trade them! For a detailed explanation, ask and someone will post a rather lengthy, technical reply. Or you can just listen and hear for yourself. Mp3s are watery, tinny and inferior. It is worth the wait for a flawless AUD

WAIT TWO WEEKS TO ISO A SHOW At least. This has been stressed recently because it has gotten a bit ridiculous how many people are breaking this rule. This is standard. It is polite to the tapers and to everyone to wait. I know people are excited, but hold your horses.

Never, ever, ever, ever pay for shows You dont have to. Dont do it. Also, you should never have to do two for one b/ps or anything like that; in a B/P the b/per gets no monetary or discary gain (but karma).

When a B/P offer is closed, it is Closed It is not cool to post after it is closed. It is not fair to the traders who are generously giving their time to B/Ps. One out of 15 may not seems a lot, but that is an extra 20 minutes....or hour...or three...there will be more

and ASK QUESTIONS Lots of them.

Becoming a better trader ::

Well, here are some rules for actually trading. Again, these are not mine persay but pretty standard

1. Be honest. Rather to be honest and late than to lie and still be late. Who cares if its one day late? Just be honest.

2. If you are gettig a B&P from someone, it is ok to email them to check on the status. Emailing them the next day to say "where is my package, why don't I have it back yet?" is not ok. Just don't be a pest.

3. When you get a B&P from someone, email them back to say you got it and to say "thank you". I have gotten those emails, they feel good, and you never know when they might offer you that show you really need because you were nice the first time. Everyone likes thank you's, so as my mother said, use your pleases and thank you's very liberally.

4. If you see someone has a rare or just released show and everyone is attacking them for it, please be patient. It will be spread.

5. Please wait two weeks before asking for a show that was just played. Don't ask for a show the next morning. Or the next. Or even the next after that. Wait.

6. Ask questions like crazy if you are new, confused, lost, or just wondering if what is happening is stardard procedure. You will be helped. IM, email, post, anything. People here will help you.

7. Offer B&P's whenever you can. Don't get in over your head, do whatever you can to help. If you can give 10 a day or 1 a year, do it. Every little bit helps.

8. Never publicly post about a trade, B&P, or trader until you have given them a full chance to fix the deal. Everyone deserves time to fix something. Please have patience. If in doubt, ask someone else on this board privately first to see what they think. Patience is a great thing.

9. When arranging a deal, iron out all specifics first before finalizing, such as type of cd or tape, what shows exactly, # of discs total, addresses, and date shipped. Have one email where all those things are listed, and save it for later verification if there is a problem.

------------------------------

ADDENUMS ::

1.) Right off the bat, before you request or sign up for a B&P, take 5 minutes or so to think about what you're asking for... To me, it was amazing that total strangers were willing to take time out of their lives to do this for me and others all out of the goodness of their hearts... And it's not just burning the show... they then take on the responsibility of making sure the show(s) get back to you and are error-free... Pretty big stuff if you ask me. And if you take a few minutes to think about that first, your communications with the trader may take on a more gratious tone. And you'd be surprised how far a little gratitude will get you. SE is so right about the please and thank yous... Very important advice...

2.) If you're burnerless and have to rely on B&Ps to get all your shows, sign up as a leaf every chance you get... Being a leaf on a tree is nothing more than a pre-arranged B&P with the added benefit of administrators if something goes wrong... Also, shows that are tree'd are usually better quality... Not always, but often...

3.) Read all the posts you can... Even if you don't understand it all right away, eventually all that information will begin to make sense. In addition, you'll begin to get a good sense of who the better or more ethical traders are. Certain names will start to come up over and over again... And it can be understandably scary to just put your trust in total strangers to not rip you off... And while I believe 99% of the traders here are good and honest etc, it still requires a leap of faith of sorts... So reading all you can will help you get to know who the better traders are... And while that in itself is no guarantee, if someone has more of a presence on the board, they're less likely to want to stick it to someone on that same board... I can't speak for everyone, but most of us care about our reputations...

4.) Communicate all you can... As SagaciousEye said, ask tons of questions... I know that I would rather answer the same question 100 times than have someone be afraid to ask and thus make an error... Furthermore, the more you communicate, the more you get to know the people you're dealing with... (Personally, that's been my favorite part... Lots of really great people here and some have become really good friends, not to mention valuable resources when looking for shows or tickets or advice or whatever... but I wouldn't know them if I didn't take the time to communicate...)

5.) If you sign up for or get approved for a B&P, for goodness sake, send your stuff! That's my personal pet peeve... I've now gotten to the point where it's hard for me to keep track of what deals I have pending that I'm responsible for... And out of consideration for all, I won't take on more until I complete what I've agreed to... But I actually have 5 or 6 B&Ps "out there" that I've not received discs for and no followup emails to let me know if they're coming in or not... Meanwhile, I can't in good faith offer to help others knowing that perhaps tomorrow I'll receive 5-6 B&P packages, in addition to other commitments, that could take quite awhile to complete... So if you've been given an address, either send, or let the trader know that you won't be able to until _________ (fill in the date)

And just a note to those DOING the B&Ps--- While it is true that you ARE doing the recipient a favor, it doesn't, IMO, give you liscence to push it aside and get annoyed if someone is upset or concerned that the shows are taking more than a few weeks... Yes trades and personal lives come first... No one would argue that... However, if you are too busy to get to a B&P within a couple of weeks, don't take it on... It's not fair to the recipient. Just my opinion...