A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. Making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging. Recordings may be copied and traded among fans without financial exchange, but some bootleggers have sold recordings for profit, sometimes by adding professional-quality sound engineering and packaging to the raw material. Bootlegs usually consist of unreleased studio recordings, live performances or interviews without the quality control of official releases.
Who's Zoo compiled early singles and B-sides by the Who, which had not been commercially released in the U.S. Like several Trademark of Quality bootlegs, it featured cover artwork by William Stout.
Kum Back, a collection of recordings by the Beatles in early 1969, appeared before the official release of Let It Be.
The Pink Floyd bootleg The Dark Side of the Moo collected early singles and B-sides. When released, it was the only way to hear the studio version of "Astronomy Domine" in the U.S, as it was not included on the U.S. issue of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
The Black Album by Prince was withdrawn from sale shortly before its official release date in December 1987, becoming a popular bootleg.
Live'r Than You'll Ever Be
Live'r Than You'll Ever Be is a bootleg recording of the Rolling Stones' concert in Oakland, California, from 9 November 1969. It was one of the first live rock music bootlegs and was made notorious as a document of their 1969 tour of the United States. The popularity of the bootleg forced the Stones' labels Decca Records in the UK, and London Records in the US, to release the live album Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones in Concert in 1970. Live'r is also one of the earliest commercial bootleg recordings in rock history, released in December 1969, just two months after the Beatles' Kum Back and five months after Bob Dylan's Great White Wonder. Like the two earlier records, Live'r's outer sleeve is plain white, with its name stamped on in ink.
This double-Compact Disc has become the standard release of this bootleg
The Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena was built three years prior to the recordings featured on Live'r Than You'll Ever Be and has continued to host sports games, concerts, and other events since.
A review of the bootleg by Greil Marcus of Rolling Stone helped to promote and legitimise the bootleg