Closing Wolfgang’s Vault?

By now I’m guessing Jerry Garcia’s corpse is pretty well decomposed. But his skeletal remains must be rolling over in the grave today.

His famous “When we’re done with it, you can have it” quip isn’t penetrating the Dead’s remaining organization like it should, nor has his advice been shared by the folks from Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Santana and others. It’s always nice to wake up to the news that peace, love, dope is dead. Litigation is the new Cosmic Harmony: “Rockers sue over sales of memorabilia.”

Strangely, it’s the rockers we all know and love, the ones that have made their livings on the road — they’re the ones trying to put the kibosh on Bill Sagan’s extraordinary effort to share Bill Graham’s archives with the masses.

I’m no lawyer, unfrozen caveman or otherwise, and I have about as much knowledge of intellectual property rights as a Chinese pirate (not what I intended but that’s a funny image), but what did Sagan buy from Clear Channel if not the ability to stream historic shows and sell the merchandise he contractually owns? That’s not a rhetorical device, I’m really asking a legit question here.

Here’s to hoping the situation between Wolfgang’s Vault and the artists can be resolved peacefully, amicably, and perhaps without Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty’s brightly colored outfits and high-flying ring antics. This…is a fuck.

Related link: Before the feds come and shut this place down. head on over to Wolfgang’s Vault and the Concert Vault and play around for awhile

Previously on Hidden Track: Opening the Concert Vault