So I've gotten a few flames from people who say that I'm ripping the scene off for selling tape covers. Before you fire one off to me yourself, why not hear my side of the story. Then, if you still have an issue, please email me and I'll certainly listen to what you have to say.

Here is one email I got from someone, and my reply:

>>>>>>

my friends and I think that you are wrong for charging for these things that you

could easily post on the net. Hey man, share the groove

<<<<<<

 

O.K. here we go again. I've addressed this issue many times from a variety of people. Let me ask you - why do you do feel they should they be free?

 

When you go see a Phish concert, what are you paying for? You're paying for access to their creativity. You're paying to be in the same place at the same time as them. By the arguments of most people that say my covers should be free, wouldn't you think that Phish shows should be free too?

 

When you buy a postcard to send to someone, why do you buy it? You buy it because you appreciate the artwork on it. Do you buy postcards? Thought so...

 

There are plenty of great creative covers that are on the net, and are free. That's great, and I've downloaded some myself - I think it's absolutely wonderful that people are willing to share their creativity with others for free. I just don't feel like I have to be one of them.

 

My career is art. I create things, and I sell them. That is my living, plain and simple. People who appreciate the things that I create will buy them, people who don't will just pass them by. I don't mind if you pass them by, but I do mind when people criticize me for trying to make a buck and make a living.

 

Also consider that I've made alot of people happy with these covers. I've never had a single complaint from anyone who has bought them, and in fact a high percentage of people have ordered more and complimented me on the designs at the same time. I've walked around on tour selling them, and seem all the happy faces of people who've bought them from me. Nobody that I've sold them to has ever complained that they felt ripped off -- either you want to spend $2 or you don't, end of story. How is that not sharing the groove?

 

And as far as saying that I'm not sharing the groove goes, you don't know me, and you know nothing about me so how can you reasonably say that? You probably had no idea that I personally taped about 50 Phish shows with equipment that I bought myself, and I trade those same tapes so that people like you can get access to the music. I'm not asking for your thanks, but consider that with what my equipment cost me, each show I go to costs me about $75 between tickets, batteries, blank tapes and a percentage of the $2000 I put into my taping gear. And I make sure that these tapes go to people I know trade on the net.

 

I'm sorry you got such a long winded reply to your comment, it's just that I'm really a good guy, and sometimes I take offense to people labeling me as some kind of asshole just because I choose to sell my work rather than give it away.

 

On top of all that, I've shown my covers to Amy Skelton, Phish's merchandising manager, and she had absolutely no problem with me selling them. I specifically avoided putting anything on them that uses any material that is not totally mine to use, and she specifically made a statement to me that she appreciated that and thought I had gone about things with the right intention. I take this to be Phish's blessing.

 

I hope this makes you think again about your criticism. I'd really like to hear a response of some kind to what I've written. I'm really curious if after reading what I wrote above you still feel like I'm doing something wrong, and if so why.