For those of us who can't go to TapeOpCon...

[MichaelG]

...how's about a DVD with the sessions? That'd be cool.

--Michael

[jca83]

i'd like to have that even if i attended!

[joeysimms]

Make sure you take lots of pictures, I need another picture of Steve Albini standing in front of a podium to complete my collection! Make sure it's so far away that you can barely tell who he is.

[Electricide]

this way, no one will want to go in person. Perfect! why spend $600 when you can spend $20

[TapeOpLarry]

$600? We're not charging that much!

[junokane]

$600? We're not charging that much!

WHAT?? Yer not??!!

Damn scalper.

[Electricide]

$400 registration today, plus $99 a night for hotel, and then the plane ticket.

At least $600

[MichaelG]

this way, no one will want to go in person. Perfect! why spend $600 when you can spend $20

Why go to a concert then? A DVD is cheaper than most nose-bleed seats and you can pause it anytime you need to go to the bathroom or get some nachos. [I'm guessing you're being facetious here.]

I'm sure a few folks would still attend TapeOpCon even if a DVD were available.

[wing]

$99 a night for hotel

that's why there are motels, youth hostels (for anyone), and cardboard boxes on the street. $99 a night? come on. i can stay on the street for $0 a night.

[andrew embassy]

That is actually a really good idea. Maybe even just a few of the sessions on the DVD, then some music, etc. It could be a great way to drum up support plus it's kind of a consolation prize for the folks who can't make it.

[TapeOpCraig]

OK, I feel like the Obvious Man here. A DVD of TapeOp would make the conference cost beyond anybodies reach. Seriously, do you think you could possibly capture an event like this on a single DVD? I see people complaining about the price of the conference but they think a DVD would be $20.00? Whose going to bankroll this production? As it is we audio tape the entire conference for our internal use so we can evaluate how well any given panel went. We do have great video from year one which actually is floating around on a server somewhere by the guy (Steve Mack) who shot it. We hope down the road to put out some of the content but we would still need to get permission from anyone who was ina shot. Also, there is the small matter of how to compensate the panelists if we start using their appearences as a commercial venture which is what you would need to do to make a DVD. As for pictures, we let attendees take pictures and record the panels so it still seems that you have to go to the conference if you want any archives. And when we do start offering any "official" TapeOpCon video or audio it will be offered to the paying attendees first and possibly only them as a reward for their loyalty. So, you see, once again, you have to go to the conference to get the benefits. We are DV taping the ATR alignment workshop this year as our first real TapeOpCon educational program. That is the kind of DVDs that we can realitically produce and offer so we are trying to offer something post con to those who can't make it. In an ideal world, we would find some super rich sponsor who had a couple of hundred thousand dollars to throw at this thing and it would be free for everyone - but then how would it have any vibe if all 40,000 tape op subcribers showed up?

[MichaelG]

I see people complaining about the price of the conference but they think a DVD would be $20.00? Whose going to bankroll this production? ... In an ideal world, we would find some super rich sponsor who had a couple of hundred thousand dollars to throw at this thing and it would be free for everyone - but then how would it have any vibe if all 40,000 tape op subcribers showed up?

Just get that "super rich sponsor" to bankroll the DVD production. End of problem.

Is audio a possibility? A buddy of mine attended this and came away with a CD-ROM with audio of all the sessions. A nice idea if it could be pulled off. As for price, it wouldn't be unreasonable to charge $50-$75 each (assuming you can cover your costs and clear it with the panelists). Or release it through iTunes or some such thing.

Again, just an idea.

--Michael

[TapeOpCraig]

At this stage I would hesitate to say what a reasonable price would be for any post conference content. Given that there are 40,000 subscribers and we hope for just under 1% of the readership to actually register for the conference and even that is a stretch, I don't feel the average Tape Op reader wants to spend money on anything. Again, this conference operates on a no profit margin and adding in something as costly as audio or DVD production and reproduction is just not economically feasible at this time. Also. all of us who run this thing (Larry, John and I) have studios to run as well and that is how we make our living. We can always find some volunteers to organize the audio post conference and we in fact have done that. Matt Boudreau came to WaveLab last August and has archived all of 2003 panels and workshops audio onto a Firewire drive. So, we are taking steps towards someday putting out conference content and this year all the panelists will hopefully agree to a release so we can use the DV taping we will do.
The real problem is that the audio and even video do not capture what really goes on. The actual panel discussions are great but the real benefit comes from the "Ah Ha" moments that happen at any given time during the weekend when you get to talk to someone and you are geeking out. For me, in year one, it was the late night up all night in a hotel room with Eddie Cilletti, Jack Endino, and Wes LaChot discussing all matters of sound and wave mechanics. The friendships that are made because you meet someone and share a beer and a good chat is something that cannot be replicated and sold on a CD or DVD. The benefits of actually attending TapeOpCon 2004 can only be described as amazing because it will change the way you think about recording and make you a better recordist and those moments when you get fired up and can't wait to get home and try out this new idea or application you learned about does not always come out of the actual panels. It could be in the sponsor exhibit room talking to Johnathan Little as he explains how is phase correcting boxes work or it could be in the lobby of the host hotel coming home late from the music and bumping into Don Zientara and having a lengthy discussion about making passionate records. These are all things I have experienced I have the least ammount of time for anything during the conference cause I'm running the whole damn thing. I can't even imagine how much someone who has the entire weekend for just the conference can learn given the openess and sharing that TapeOpCon has come to represent. Music has become cold and impersonal enough. It does not mean we should be and I think that is the main reason we are not that eager to reduce the conference to bullets, clips, and soundbites. Finally, ask your friend who has the CD ROM if that content would mean as much to them had they not attended.

[MichaelG]

I don't feel the average Tape Op reader wants to spend money on anything.

LOL!

It'd be curious to know who the "average Tape Op reader" is (as I'm sure you guys would like to know as well, given the survey that's currently being conducted). Though you've got a certain share of professionals, I suspect there are a lot of hobbyists and home-recordists (like myself) who would feel, well, out of place at something like TapeOpCon. I'm sure there are a lot of folks who do recording in their spare time and can't justify the time or expense associated with attending TapeOpCon but who nonetheless have a desire to learn how to become better at the craft.

The real problem is that the audio and even video do not capture what really goes on. The actual panel discussions are great but the real benefit comes from the "Ah Ha" moments that happen at any given time during the weekend when you get to talk to someone and you are geeking out. For me, in year one, it was the late night up all night in a hotel room with Eddie Cilletti, Jack Endino, and Wes LaChot discussing all matters of sound and wave mechanics. The friendships that are made because you meet someone and share a beer and a good chat is something that cannot be replicated and sold on a CD or DVD. The benefits of actually attending TapeOpCon 2004 can only be described as amazing because it will change the way you think about recording and make you a better recordist and those moments when you get fired up and can't wait to get home and try out this new idea or application you learned about does not always come out of the actual panels. It could be in the sponsor exhibit room talking to Johnathan Little as he explains how is phase correcting boxes work or it could be in the lobby of the host hotel coming home late from the music and bumping into Don Zientara and having a lengthy discussion about making passionate records.

Right! And that's why you'll always get your share of "hardcore" (in the best sense) guys and gals attending the conference. No doubt it's a great experience and, sure, I'd love to hobnob with all those knowledgeable folks but, honestly, I wouldn't even know who 80% of them were (the other 20% I'd know from having read TapeOp ). As a hobbyist with limited time and resources for recording, I've got no business, at this point, attending TapeOpCon. But a guy like me could probably learn a lot from just hearing the panel discussions, and hearing them could stir an interest to attend a future TapeOpCon.

I can't even imagine how much someone who has the entire weekend for just the conference can learn given the openess and sharing that TapeOpCon has come to represent. Music has become cold and impersonal enough. It does not mean we should be and I think that is the main reason we are not that eager to reduce the conference to bullets, clips, and soundbites. Finally, ask your friend who has the CD ROM if that content would mean as much to them had they not attended.

Right again, Craig, and that's why any post-conference materials (whether audio or video) would surely be considered supplemental, not as a replacement for the "real thing." They could, however, serve as a nice introduction to the "spirit of TapeOpCon" for those of us wallflowers at the recording prom.

I'm not trying to twist anyone's arm on this; I simply think there would be legitimate interest in (and a market for) an audio and/or video archive of the conference. Heck, run a straw poll here on the forum to see what folks would pay for audio or video of the conference (or whether there's any interest at all).

FWIW--

--Michael

[mattb]

I'm the guy who is archiving the audio for Tape Op Con. While I think the DVD or CD audio concept is cool and would be great to have, I have to agree with Craig, It would drive the cost of the conference way up. I can tell you that doing the audio is very time consuming and doing a DVD would be even more so. A CD set itself would be huge and expensive. There is so much audio for this thing. Maybe someday there could be a best of Tape Op Con on DVD or audio. Who knows.

I will say that some things are better experienced in person. A DVD of this conference would be informational but I can't say it would be as inspirational as the event itself. Having the opportunity to talk with some of your musical/recording hereos is amazing. These people at the event are very apporoachable. Ian from Fugazi & Steve Albini are two people I was able to sit and talk with at the 2003 Con. I could have never done that by buying a DVD.

Money is tight for many people. Somehow those same people figure out how to buy the things that matter to them most. If you really want to go.....save your pennies. I live in the Bay Area where a night at the Fairmont here is $169.00 on the cheap and $250.00 at the top end. $99.00 a night split between 2 people is dirt cheap for a 5 star hotel.