Lyndahere And Yes Russell Crowe There Are Bootleggers At The Movies (apology)....

Apology to Russell Crowe...The bootlegged song being promoted on his Twitter site is called My Hand My Heart. The legal song on the South Sydney Media Youtube site is called Lover's Hands. My comments stand with an apology for the mistake. I believe as a consumer of videos we should be given a choice of what we consume. Perhaps I am old fashioned but I like legal quality videos where any profits made go to the artists. I am a fan of the Crowe/Doyle songbook.

On your @russellcrowe Twitter site you have retweeted and provided a link to a live recorded concert by Lynda Elstad or @lyndahere. @lyndahere is a full time bootlegger and music pirate known to you and your friends. She operates without a licence to record live concerts or permission to reproduce copyrighted videos.

@russellcrowe Merry Christmas My Hand, My Heart, Russell Crowe and Scott Grimes Crowe Doyle NYC Indoor Garden Party 23 December 2012

@lyndahere MT @proguesofficial @russellcrowe will NOT be performing this song at The Progues’ show tomorrow night at the London 02. 19 December 2012

@russellcrowe @russellcrowe @youtube 26 December 2012

Firstly, I am wondering why you have chosen to provide a link to a bootlegged copy when you have made a legal copy of the same song available on the South Sydney Media site.

Secondly, I am wondering why you think you and your friends need publicity gained through illegal means. I mean aren’t the legal ways and the activities of the paparazzi enough? Surely with the release of the film Les Miserables and the presence of superstars like Sting and Hugh Jackman at your concerts I am wondering why you think you need this illegal type of promotion?

Thirdly, I am wondering why you are promoting someone who doesn’t seem to have any understanding of the concept of a ticket. @lyndahere has this idea that she the consumer deserves more than what your offering for the price of the ticket to a concert or movie. On Twitter @lyndahere wrote “Les Mis time. Slipped into prior showing to catch the film’s end –sniffles and applause. Bodes well” @russellcrowe @alanthomasdoyle 26 December 2012. She always wants more than what you and your friends are offering for the price of a ticket whether it be live recordings of concerts or the screening of a movie.

Fourthly, I am wondering why you are promoting and encouraging illegal activities on your Twitter site. I hope you seriously don’t believe that members of the public believe bootlegging and piracy are victimless crimes. On Twitter @lyndahere wrote to @BevyJean72 “You’re very welcome Beverly, you and anyone who’s enjoyed the videos. I love sharing great shows and great music 21 December 2012. It is illegal under US and Canadian law to record and distribute live recordings of concerts without permission.

Live concerts are not the only activities bootlegged. Movies are also bootlegged as they are screened in a theatre. Research shows bootlegged movies were a phenomenal problem in New York city. That is a problem distinct from being pirated movies. “About half of all the bootlegged films recorded live in a theatre, duplicated thousands of times and sent around the globe originated in New York city according to the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America)” (as sited in ‘Cracking Down on Bootlegged Movies’ by David Caurso in 2009).

In an episode of the American comedy Seinfeld one of the characters Kramer becomes involved in video recording movies in theatres and distributing them on the street. He takes it upon himself to change the original presentation of the movie and in the process becomes a celebrity artist in his own right in that industry. A bootlegged video or cam movie is a video recording of a movie made by a moviegoer while sitting in the theatre. Bootleggers do it for a number of reasons to make copies, distribute it and make money, to make copies so that people who can’t see it can or don’t want to pay the price to see it.

In an article in the New York Times in 1997 titled ‘Bootlegged Videos Piracy with a Camcorder’ journalist Linda Lee investigates the activity of bootlegging movies in theatres, their distribution in New York city and their negative impact on the entertainment industry. The journalist investigated how video recorders were being smuggled into screenings of movies, copies made and released. “Using a $500 videocamera and a tripod and occasionally making use of theatre’s audio jacks a bootlegger can go to the movies and make a $1000 or more…he makes copies and sells them…and that’s tax free” said Bill Shannon, the head of Motion Picture Association of America’s New York anti-piracy office. These activities were thriving in America and in particular New York city. Some of the copies made and released were done by industry employees as well as members of the public however, regardless of who is bootlegging there remains a problem…“The growing sophistication of technology and the cachet of seeing something first are combining to intensify a persistent problem”. Not only seeing something first but missing out on seeing something altogether.

So I gather it would be alright then in your view if someone went into the Les Miserables movie premier, recorded it and put it up on Internet? People could then download and watch it for free. Universal Pictures and its shareholders who finance your creative endeavours do have something to say about these types of activities as they and other movie studios lose millions of dollars per year to piracy of all kinds. Or perhaps you don’t really care as you have your money and quite a lot of it. More money than you and your children will ever need in their live times.

Some people may ask with all the technology around for movie pirating is bootlegging movies in theatres still being done. In a 2009 article ‘Cracking Down on Bootlegged Movies’ the journalist discusses new laws being introduced in New York city to outlaw bootlegging in theatres. In New York it is illegal to film in a movie theatre and offenders can face a fine of $250. New York has been identified as the worst city for bootlegging and has some of the worst penalties for offenders. The Motion Picture Association of America and others have been pushing for tougher penalties. While there is debate on the Internet about bootlegged movies and whether they are still being made there is still an audience for them in particular for people wanting to watch rare or unusual movies will resort to obtaining a bootlegged movie.

While there may be not a consequence for people bootlegging, the person selling or watching it, with little chance of being traced, caught and prosecuted Linda Lee’s ‘Bootlegging Movies with a Camcorder’ finds there are huge threats to the entertainment industry who fund these projects for example financial loses. It is difficult to know how much bootlegging costs the movie industry but it is estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars every year. The article states “One problem is that blasé New Yorker’s tend to see bootlegging, like counterfeiting Rolex watches as, a victimless crime” which of course it is not. From my experience of social media I don’t think that attitude is exclusive to New York but in America in general. @lyndahere is definitely blasé about the impact of bootlegging and music piracy and has no conscience about what she does. Michael Murray in his article ‘Why Pay for Anything?Movie Bootlegging and the Evolution of Media’ writes about the evolution of the media industry. He regularly purchases bootlegged (as distinct from pirated copies) of DVDs “I have to admit to feeling some excitement if the DVD I brought is going to be a dud or not…maybe you are going to beat the system or the system is going to beat you”.

I am wondering if you have thought about what you are saying to your followers by providing links to and retweeting @lyndahere’s videos on Twitter. It is of course up to you what you tweet and retweet but what are you saying to others in particular to children and teenagers about the laws created to protect creative artists and their work. Children and teenagers read your Twitter page. Your children and their friends read your Twitter page. Most people only make a small number of recordings at concerts for personal use and that is okay. However, @lyndahere records everything she attends with no regard for the quantity or quality and puts it on Youtube. And you and your friends are encouraging it. You are trivialising copyright, music piracy and bootlegging laws that protect creative endeavours of individuals and corporations.

What are you saying about the quality of goods people are listening too and peoples creative work being presented? In a tweet to @alanthomasdoyle @lyndahere writes “I thought the nose looked rather familiar. Distinctively Doyle – it’s why I didn’t crop it out of the frame” 20 December 2012. It seems okay to her to make adjustments to others creative work and present them to the public in the way she sees fit. Like live recordings of concerts, live recordings of movies capture a range of activities in the immediate environment for example people talking, eating popcorn and candy interfere with the quality of the sound. Like live recordings of concerts those skilled in editing can alter the original copy of the movie. Michael Murray in his article ‘Why Pay for Anything?Movie Bootlegging and the Evolution of Media’ who purchases bootlegged DVDs as against pirated DVDs writes about the editing of bootlegged movies “The Craziesin which a theatre goer’s shoulder was visible at the bottom of the screen and the copy of Alice in Wonderland I brought curiously devoid of what I would call colour. (Personally I kind of like interpretations of the filmic experience, seeing them as a kind of mash-up or a piece of found if degraded, art’)…

@lyndahere is being encouraged and rewarded for committing illegal activities like bootlegging and music piracy. She is engaged in music piracy and illegally copying DVDs and making them available on her YouTube sites. It is difficult to know how much illegal activity she is involved in. She demonstrates little constraint when bootlegging then why would she show constraint when engaging in music or other types of piracy. Some of those people whose work is being pirated are friends of yours. I am wondering why you are promoting illegal activities on your sites when you have blocked people whose only “crime” is to say something you don’t agree with. They have remained blocked. Yet here is a person who breaks the laws and commits crimes like bootlegging and music piracy whose activities you and your friend @scottgrimes promote and reward.

“Regardless, the experience of attending a movie and seeing it in a theatre cannot be duplicated. To have everything dissolve around you and fade to black, and to see a world-so much larger than life-unfold before you just as the artists intended is unique. And without even knowing it, the mood and expectations of the rest of the crowd, like weather blowing in, passes through you and then a rare but unforgettable moment of shared transcendence might emerge, and for that, well for that we will always return” (Michael Murray in his article ‘Why Pay for Anything?Movie Bootlegging and the Evolution of Media’). And that is why I enjoy paying for goods brought legally whether it be a concert, movie, CD or DVD. I enjoy the experiences offered to me as the artist intended.

References

Caruso, D. B 2009 ‘Cracking Down on Bootlegged Movies’ viewed 23 December 2012 at www.cbsnews.com

eHow Contributor ‘How to Bootleg a Movie’ viewed 23 December 2012 at www.ehow.com

Lee, L 1997 ‘Bootlegged Videos Piracy with a Camcorder’ viewed 23 December 2012 at www.nytimes.com

Murray, M ‘Why Pay for Anything?Movie Bootlegging and the Evolution of Media’ viewed on 27 December 2012 www.pajiba,com/think_pieces/why-pay

Lyndahere, The Paparazzi And The Right To Privacy...My interpretation.

“I truly don’t understand it. It just feels like this kind of gluttonous, horrific sport. It’s like sport. It’s like hunting or something” (Johnny Depp on the Larry King Live October 16, 2011). “We’ve always had our run-ins with the paparazzi. That hasn’t changed. They are very ambitious. They’re looking for God knows what” (Johnny Depp talks about the paparazzi in 2004 on DeppImpact.com)

People like Lynda Elstad @lyndahere and the paparazzi feed the interest in celebrity. @lyndahere and paparazzi stalk celebrities relentlessly around the world to get pictures and stories. There is a slight difference between @lyndahere and other members of the paparazzi. @lyndahere is an amateur photographer and writer and the paparazzi are paid professionals earning large sums of money for that exclusive story and photograph. Like the paparazzi who stalk celebrities @lyndahere stalks Alan Doyle and Great Big Sea. @lyndahere has stalked Alan Doyle around the world including to the film premier in Cannes of the movie Robin Hood and to the Spanish steps to take videos of the merry men performing Beautiful Girl. She has photographs and videos on her webpage Between the Rock and a Hard Place and YouTube site Between the Rock and A Passionate Kisses. So yes I would call her the paparazzi even though she is mostly an amateur.

The paparazzi have been a problem for celebrities for many years. In a Time magazine article “The Shooting Begins. How it all started” outlines the history of the freelance photographers chasing celebrities. The origin of the word paparazzi is disputed but is similar to the Sicilian word paparazzo meaning “buzzing insect” or oversized mosquito. The film “La Dolce Vita” has been credited with term paparazzo borrowed from the character Paparazzo the photographer’s assistant who follow celebrities around Rome. It has now been adopted throughout the world to mean freelance photographers who chase celebrities. In an article by writers Valdes and Conger titled “How Paparazzi Work” they describe their aim “is to remove the distance between the famous target and the viewer, exploiting everything from the stars’ emotional breakdowns to their bad hair days.”… “As always however, the group of photographers and shot callers spoon-feeding the contemporary tabloid culture remains exclusive, aggressive and money-hungry.”

Celebrities want publicity and to make money in their professional working lives. They also want their privacy like the rest of us when they are not working. But there is a demand for information on private lives of celebrities. The paparazzi and those that consumer it cause celebrities major stress and anxiety, embarrassment and personal tragedy including death. The list of celebrities who have had run ins with paparazzi is extensive and include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Nicole Kidman, Michael J. Fox and the English royal family. In 1997 the paparazzi came to the attention of the world after the death of Princess Diana in Paris. The paparazzi were originally blamed after it was found they were chasing her on motorcycles. Within minutes of the crash they were all the wrecked car taking photographs. The photographers were taken into custody by the French police and there was an investigation as to whether they contributed to the crash. After the investigation it was found that other factors were involved in crash that killed her.

“CNN Presents Chasing Angelina: Paparazzi and Celebrity Obsession” is a documentary about the paparazzi and celebrity obsession. The reporter examines the motives behind the paparazzi as they follow them while they work. “I’m in the middle of a pack of paparazzi in pursuit of the red hot actress and my adrenaline is pumping. I have started to realise what drives these guys. It’s the thrill of the chase. Not to mention the huge bounty they can bag with an exclusive photo of a start”(Bud Bultman CNN May 15 2006). The thrill of the chase and a certain amount of fame involved in taking bootlegged videos that are circulated and watched by thousands of people around the world certainly would motivate @lyndahere. Some of the videos she has taken for example, Russell Crowe’s Indoor Garden Party with Sting have had in excess of 50 000 hits on YouTube and the link was tweeted around the world.

Some argue we are all now part of the paparazzi culture. “Creepshots and revenge: how the paparazzi culture affects women” is an interesting article about a subculture of photographing women and men unaware and then posting them on the Internet and then commenting emerging. The article talks about the paparazzi culture we are all living. It is the culture of taking people’s photographs in particular women and using them in a way they wouldn’t authorise. “The throb of surveillance plays out in different ways. On the more benign side are the mild nerves many people feel when an Email pops up to tell them they have been tagged in a Facebook photo or Twitter Pic an image that could be from any moment in their life – recent or historical – now public and open for comments… There is only two pictures of @lyndahere on the Internet one attached to her Twitter page. @lyndahere sends some absolutely dreadful photos she has taken of Alan Doyle and Great Big Sea and circulates them using social media. There is the attitude that celebrities are fair game to be claimed, admired and mocked. While they might not make a negative comment on a website they may do it private. And @lyndahere encourages it by circulating such photos.

The paparazzi have become such a problem that the US has introduced laws that protect celebrities privacy. In October 1998 the California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill to fine members of the paparazzi who invade celebrities privacy and media outlets that purchase them and became effective on 1 January 1999. “Under this bill the socalled stalkerazzi will be deterred from driving their human prey to distraction or even death. The law defines “invasion of privacy as trespassing with the intent to capture audio or video images of celebrity of crime victim engaging in a personal or family activity in circumstances where they had a reasonable expectation of privacy” (CNN News 1998). Laws have also been recently introduced in England. Celebrities sick of being harassed by the paparazzi have been started to take legal action (for harassment and invasion of privacy laws) and taking out restraining orders out against the photographers.

So what can we do to change this? We can avoid media outlets that employ paparazzi to harass celebrities. In @lyndahere’s case we shouldn’t watch her videos, visit her webpage or follow her on social media sites. If the market and attention isn’t there then they may change their way of doing things. “Getting a clear, exclusive shot of an A-list celebrity is nearly impossible when dozens of competing paparazzi and bystanders with camera phones are blocking the way” (Valdes and Conger). The more people who take videos and photographs in public the less value the paparazzi photographs and videos becomes. In fact @lyndahere's oversupply of photographs and videos of concerts undermines their worth.

To be continued…privacy laws and photography

References

Cable Network News articles. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc 2012 viewed on 15 December 2012.

Cochrane, K. 2012 Creepshots and revenge: how the paparazzi culture affects women. Www.guardian.co.uk. 22 September 2012 as viewed on 15 December 2012

Valdes, R and Conger, C How Paparazzi Work in Entertainment, How Stuff Works, viewed on 15 December 2012.

The Lady Gaga song ‘Paparazzi’

We are the crowd

We’re co-coming out

Got my flash on, it’s true

Need that picture of you

It’s so magical

We’d be so fantastical

Leather and jeans

Garage glamorous

Not sure what it means

But this photo of us

It don’t have a price

Ready for those flashing lights

‘Cause you know that baby, I

I’m your biggest fan

I’ll follow you until you love me

Papa-paparazzi

Baby, there’s no other superstar

You know that I’ll be papa-paparazzi

Promise I’ll be kind

But I won’t stop

Until that boy is mine

Baby, you’ll be famous

Chase you down until you love me

Papa-paparazzi

Lyndahere And The Battle Of The Bootleggers...Bring it on.

Lynda Elstad or @lyndahere wrote on Twitter yesterday… “Boner stories? That’s the best you have to give? Did you confuse me with someone else?” 9 December 2012

Not quite sure who @lyndahere is writing about but I’ll take it she means me! They are typical comments. Insults, using reverse psychology on people and pretending not to understand what they are writing about in particular on Twitter who don’t agree with her. People who disagree are obsessed, confused, ignorant, stupid or dumb and even ugly so it’s nothing new.

All is fair in love, war and bootlegging it seems. @lyndahere was pipped at the post yesterday by another bootlegger (sorano916) who got their videos up earlier than she did of the Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe Les Mis performance at the Indoor Garden Party in New York on 8 December 2012. @lyndahere bootlegged yet a fifth concert and she has been loading them up and circulating them on Twitter since Sunday morning. Along with Russell Crowe’s official videos at his South Sydney Media YouTube site that makes six copies of many of the songs with a few extras available on Youtube without all the other bootleggers. Over supply by @lyndahere. I think so.

At previous Indoor Garden events she has been the star of the bootlegging show in particular her video of Sting and the gang. That video was beamed around the world not long after it took place and had tens of thousands of hits. It also made television shows like Entertainment Tonight. At the two other concerts in St John’s she had the monopoly over bootlegged material until Russell Crowe put up his own official versions. At the latest show on 8 December 2012 there seems to be a fair amount of competition from other bootleggers who also got their videos up quickly, some of them well known Great Big Sea fans.

There must have been more bootleggers in that section of the venue than anywhere else. Both videos (from her and sorano916) were taken from pretty much the same angle, had pretty much the same quality of sound and similar shots. Different or same person perhaps one with a phone as well as a camera using a different name. One video starting at a different place and one adjusted, one not. It is difficult to tell as I am not familiar with @lyndahere’s bootlegging style. Then there was news footage as well, also taken from the same area as well. If you work it out please let me know.

As @lyndahere and her loyal band of followers keep telling those of us not particularly fond of her work and activities “if you don’t like it don’t watch it”. I would say the same to her of my blog. I am not really interested in explaining it to her as it my story of discovery. But just remember I have not been a full time music fan or social media expert for over ten years as she has. And I don’t usually watch her videos but was curious about the work of the bootlegger who pipped her at the post.

As celebrity gossip emerged about Russell Crowe yesterday @lyndahere expressed her opinion of wilful liars to @russellcrowe on Twitter @lyndahere “A goddamn shame there’s little recourse against wilful liars, isn’t it? And “just ignore it” doesn’t silence a cruel lie”. 12 December 2012. Like the cruel lie she is spreading that it is a postive activity to record, distribute and watch bootlegged and pirated music free of consequences and as long as your heart is in the right place.  

Lyndahere And Blogging...An unromantic look.

Lynda Elstad or @lyndahere writes a blog titled Between a Rock and a Hard Place documenting her stalking of Great Big Sea. The members of Great Big Sea write blogs that are published on their official Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle sites to keep their fans updated as do other musicians. Fans write about their life and music as a way of sharing their knowledge and connecting with others who share a similar interest. There is an extensive network of music bloggers writing about music happenings in their favourite genres, own local areas and around the world. “Most folks, including those inside the music industry, know that music blogs are now an established layer of the underground music discovery scene, so people genuinely care for whom the blogs are tipping”. ("The Recommender.net” music blog December 2012).

Some groups of bloggers have become very successful (for example mommy bloggers) in the US as like-minded people tune to read an alternative form of media from real people who are not professional journalists. Blogs have become so successful television shows are being made about them examining why they are very popular, the ethics of sponsoring posts and bloggers verses trained journalists as a source of information. Conferences and marketing seminars are being conducted and books and internet pages on bloggers and blogs written to provide people with advice. People write blogs to share their experiences at whatever interests them for example, being a mum and raising children, food, sports or music.

Most of the time writing blogs are positive experiences. Many bloggers write to share their knowledge and experiences doing it because they enjoy it while creating an extensive virtual support community of friends and acquaintances. Then there are those bloggers who write to make money or to get as many free products as possible. Marketing professionals clearly recognise the potential of blogging and the blogger’s ability to tap into their audience whoever they may be. Some blogs have attracted so many readers that products are now choosing to pay for advertising space. There is big money in the US and some bloggers are making well in excess of a million dollars with advertising and sponsorship. They are referred to as superstar bloggers, celebrities in their own right. However, many bloggers distinguish between advertising and a review of a product and many readers do not respond well to this. @lyndahere’s blog Between A Rock and A Hard Place has attracted some advertising.

There is an extensive music network of bloggers around the world. But where do I start gaining knowledge of music blogs throughout the world and in particular in Canada. What makes a great blog and how does the music blog community operate? After a brief Google search I found the results of a poll for the best music blogs of 2012 voted for by 180 bloggers on the music blog page “The Recommender” and took it from there. There was a good interview with the one of the best blog pages about writing successful music blogs. They offered some great advice about blogging in the music world.

One of the best music blogs for 2012 is called Disco Naiviete. The blog page The Recommender.net writes “Disco Naivete is a self-declared buzz blog. There is a fair bit of negative press towards buzz blogs – a style of blog ‘churnalism’, that rattles through a number of updates each day, often racing to be first to the news and chasing hits, with little or no editorial opinions – so the question is, why does Disco Naivete rise above the challenging moniker? Well, we believe it’s because they do it better than anyone else on the planet” December 2012.

On how often does he updates his blog…”This depends on a lot of things: do I have time, do I feel like listening to new music and/or blogging, and so on. Some weeks there’s only like five new posts on the blog, others about 3 per day. Less stuff during the weekend, but then there’s often ‘Introducing’ posts showcasing brand new artists because there’s less industry-pushed news coming through during the weekends. I’m constantly sharing new music via Twitter and Facebook though, so there’s at least one new musical find or share every day of the week”. @lyndahere also regularly updates Alan Doyle and Great Big Sea fans with information she finds on the Internet through Twitter. She has in the past made many announcements before they have.

What’s the best thing about being a music blogger? It’s a combination of things. Most importantly: the music. As a blogger you hear a lot of music, a lot more than most other people do, often some time in advance as well. You have the privilege of having a certain amount of people that rely on you for new musical treats – I sometimes feel a certain responsibility towards readers of DN for keeping them informed and up to date (one I happily carry, though). Besides that, you get the chance of meeting a group of people that also love music, some of which write for other websites or blogs and some that actually work in the music industry. And they’re all amazing, lovely people.

While there are many positive things in reading blogs, bloggers in a certain way contribute to fan’s laziness. They prevent fans from finding things out for themselves. All fans have to do is to click onto a social media site and there is all the information for them. All the latest updates, music and links to the information they want. For Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle fans a lot of the information is located for us by @lyndahere. The information she wants to share is posted on her Twitter and Facebook site and distributed with the attached links. Fans do become too dependent on blogs and social media for information. Bloggers like @lyndahere gain a certain amount of power over people to influence fans in what they read and know. This was evident when Great Big Sea appeared at a Blue Rodeo concert and she never told anyone on her social media accounts. Often fans lack the skills to be critical of what they read which raises the issue that is discussed in the above comments what responsibility do bloggers have towards their readers.

The Recommender asked Disco Naiviete “Do you have any useful blogging tips?” Blog for yourself, not for anyone else. It’s your blog, write about what you want and what you think you should write about it. Don’t write about a singer or band because everyone else thinks they are amazing while you’re not too sure of that: focus on the things you really like instead of trying to gather a crowd of readers by recommending things you don’t really like yourself, be truly honest with yourself. Communicate with your readers (this is something I do as much as possible with DN) and try to build a bit of a “community” around your blog. Don’t underestimate a devoted readership: I’d rather have a small group of people that truly trust on DN than a bunch of people that visit the blog every now and then to grab a free song or something December 2012.

Music bloggers like other bloggers put a lot of time into their spaces and spend a lot time social networking with other bloggers. Some bloggers write two to three posts a day or a week reviewing several albums or music events in their location a week. They are often full time students and employees with careers holding down a job. Like many bloggers that share their views on a range of subjects they are interested in I write about being a fan of a music group and exploring the issues that affect us and the musicians we love and admire but I am not part of a music blogging network. I don’t actively seek members or readers. I tend to focus on the negative experiences rather that the positive. I don’t want to be romantic about music and social networking because it is not.

The Recommender provided a list of music blogs that were highly recommended in 2011 and 2012. After a brief look at who writes these highly recommended blogs I found many of them were written by students, graduates and academics at universities in America and other countries. So what does this say about the view of music being researched, written and presented to the music community, those who consume it and the willingness of these blogs to be inclusive. Drunken Werewolf a music blog writes on their history of contact with readers (although mostly positive). "We’ve had a few nasty emails from people who take our writing too seriously, people who don’t take it seriously enough and industry dickheads (or arrogant fans) who seem to think their opinion is objective. Some of them have a point, but not very often" (6 December 2012).

Bloggers talk about an extensive network music blogging community, their love of music, and even helping people to get signed to record labels. But what happens when someone writes something someone doesn’t like. Wherever there are blogs and social media experiences with large amounts of followers there are potential dangers which people think they could never experience. It can begin by just asking the wrong question or not liking something. There is competition, bitchiness and ambition just as there is in any other activities that involve human beings. Associations with people online bring trolls or groups of people who can be relentless in their attacks on people for whatever reasons from both genders. They can frighten people as I have been and force people shut down their accounts. Blogger’s webpages can be hacked and destroyed and it can take a long time to recover. While there is a written and unspoken form of blogger etiquette and tips that advise people on how to behave and protect themselves people can be extremely liberal in their interpretation. Once attacks have happened it can be too late and quite devastating both personally and professionally.

Lyndahere And Yes You Are Here!...A response to recent Twitter posts.

I wasn’t going to publish this post I wrote but after reading a couple of Lynda Elstad or @lyndahere’s tweets I decided to. Today she wrote on her Twitter page 

“So if I see someone whose been a nasty shithead to me being deceived by a nastier shithead I’ve got no moral obligation to tell them, right?”4 December 2012

@carbonbhoy “No moral obligation, just having a thought about it is more effort than you should put into it…I may try getting a 4.30pm tix”. 4 December 2012

@carbonbhoy ”Thanks for the conscience absolution. I wouldn’t be believed, anyway. I hope you get the tickets! Use 2 phones if you can” 4 December 2012

Having @lyndahere spy on IP addresses of fans and fans who don’t agree with her, spreading nasty rumours behind some fan’s backs who disagree with her, turning fans against each other and calling people names are all part of the music social media experiences. In one tweet today she is writing about moral obligations and then in the other hand she is telling another fan how to beat the system that is in place for tickets to Russell Crowe’s Indoor Garden Party in New York on December 8 2012 with Alan Doyle, Samantha Barks, and Scott Grimes. Russell Crowe tweeted about fair ticket access and tried very hard to make it fair for fans. And here @lyndahere is giving advice about how to beat the system undermining Russell Crowe and all his effort. Moral obligation it seems in @lyndahere’s case is irrelevant. When gaining access to Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle concerts and events moral obligation goes out the window.

@lyndahere "I’m here, right Here. I’m not going away, no matter what – no matter what not. That’s settled. All else is up for debate, all else except leaving." 30 November 2012

Yes @lyndahere you are here as long as you continue to buy a ticket to a concert. You are here as long as you continue to be willing to pay for travel and accommodation. You are here as long as you pay to be here. @lyndahere you are here because US and Canadian customs don’t arrest you when you enter their country with the intent of committing criminal acts like stalking and bootlegging and return to America with contraband (bootlegged material). You are here because you do not declare illegal goods to customs. @lyndahere you are here because you fail to recognise and show respect for the laws of the US, Canada and Newfoundland and the laws of these countries don’t protect the people the way they are suppose to. You are here because there have been no complaints to the Newfoundland police and the appropriate authorities about your activities. You are here because you do not operate within the laws of acceptable fan behaviour and because of people’s ability to ignore you. Your social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook operate because there have been no complaints about you distributing contraband (live recordings) and stalking. You are here because you continue to communicate with Great Big Sea whether they want it or not. You are here because you cannot read their non-verbal communication in the photographs and videos you take or choose to ignore it.

Yes @lyndahere you are here because of your own needs and fail to recognise the abilities and needs of others to do their jobs with considerable success. @lyndahere your here because you are under the false impression they need you. @lyndahere you are here because you do not accept others rights to say no to you. You are here because you are unable to recognise your lack of creativity and skill after years of practice distributing photographs and bootlegged live recordings. You are here because of your own ignorance and other people’s (unconscious) ignorance. @lyndahere you are here because of a desire for power and control over people. @lyndahere you are here because you believe that if someone wont give you what you want then you will take it regardless. You’re here because you have threatened and frightened others. They have decided their priority is not you or your videos. Yes @lyndahere you’re here. It’s not the quantity of here that counts but the quality of here that counts. You are here because you have nowhere else to go and nothing else to do.

Lyndahere And A Post About Fan Behaviour (revised)...

When researching on Google about trading in live recordings I came across a Google search article on Lynda Elstad or @lyndahere’s blog page (August 29 2009) that stated Great Big Sea supported their fans recording their shows and trading amongst themselves. When I checked the cached article “It Soaks Into Your Eyes” Beauty Alight and Great Big Songwriters” the title of her blog page there was no mention of Great Big Sea supporting the trade in their live music recordings amongst their fans or anyone else. The Google search talks about members but does not specifically say who members are. The Google search was also connected to an article written by Ben Kaplan from the National Post August 2009 “What about the voice of Geddy Lee?” about a review of a documentary about Canadian music. This is the copy provided in her blog.

What about the voice of Geddy Lee?

Ben Kaplan, National Post  Published: Thursday, August 27, 2009.

Don't expect to learn about Gordon Lightfoot's love life or Trooper's backstage antics in This Beat Goes On and Rise Up!, two documentaries about the Canadian music scene in the 1970s and '80s made by the team of writer Nicholas Jennings and director Gary McGroarty. The films, which feature a combined 200 interviews and will be airing on CBC on four consecutive Thursday nights, are designed to honour Canadian songwriters, not drag them through the mud.

"When you think about Bruce Cockburn and Wondering Where the Lions Are?, you don't think about if he got drunk one night or threw anything out the window -- there's nothing there," says McGroarty, who managed the Canadian band Cano in the late-'70s and recently made a documentary with David Crosby about activism in music. "Americans haven't been celebrating songwriting for the past 10 years; it's all cult of personality. We wanted to celebrate the Canadian art of writing and recording a song."

The songs that the duo were able to round up include everything from classics by the usual subjects, records by Anne Murray, Rush, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, but also influential, forgotten favourites, singles by bands like The Viletones, Rough Trade, Leroy Sibbles and The Kings. With interviews and live footage, the filmmakers -- whose earlier documentary, 2006's Shakin' All Over, looked at Canadian folk rock in the '60s -- explain how the Canadian music industry was born.

"I want to bring Canadian music back for people who may have forgotten, or introduce it to people who may never have known," says Jennings, whose book Before the Gold Rush, about the coffee shop scene in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood during the '60s, was the impetus for the film series.

Jennings says that he's a fan of huge Canadian records like Takin' Care of Business and Hot Child in the City, but that it's the lost classics such as Willie P. Bennett's 1970s records or a Truth and Rights song from a decade later that make this project so fun.

"Canadian musicians draw inspiration from the artists from Canada who came before them," says Jennings, adding that the team intends to make two more music docs that will cover Can-rock from the '90s to today. "Artists now see themselves as part of an ongoing journey. One of the great revelations for me in making these pictures was how Canadian music is linked."

The documentaries, featuring interviews with Nash the Slash, k-os, Burton Cummings and everyone from Corey Hart to Geddy Lee, highlight the music from all across Canada, from D. O. A to Great Big Sea.

"I think Canadians, more than anybody, are known for songwriting," McGroarty says. "Who wouldn't want to celebrate that?" - This Beat Goes On premieres tonight at 9 p. m. on CBC, and continues every Thursday until Sept. 17.

After skim reading the entire blog for August 2009 I could not find any reference to Great Big Sea saying it was acceptable for fans to trade in live recordings amongst themselves or with anyone else. I haven’t watched the video This Beat Goes On to find out if Great Big Sea said those words. @lyndahere mentioned something in her blog about not raking Canadian music through the mud. However, this blog is not about Great Big Sea, Alan Doyle, or Canadian music but about fan behaviour.

I am no expert in what Google puts up on its search introductions for posts. I leave the display of my content for this blog entirely up to them. They select what will be displayed, where and when it is displayed. The searches are constantly changing. When I publish a post I can either agree with what they suggest the post is about or write my own. In @lyndahere’s case she has allegedly written something that is not mentioned in the post or attached the article for her own reasons. Google to the best of my knowledge cannot write it’s own content for searches just reflect what is written by the author. Blogs (unlike a range of other research material) are not set in stone. They can be altered whenever the writer gets extra information or reflects on things after the event. I keep a copy of things I write from in case the authors decide to alter them later on.

After contacting a couple of long term Great Big Sea fans they were under the impression Great Big Sea does not support fans trading or recording live music amongst themselves or with anyone else. Three members of Great Big Sea Alan Doyle, Sean McCann and Bob Hallett in all the time I have followed them in the past year or so on Twitter have not retweeted nor acknowledged any of @lyndahere’s videos she has tweeted them. They may have unconsciously provided links to her videos on Youtube through friends such Russell Crowe or Scott Grimes. Murray Foster has retweeted one of her videos. His former band supports the trade of bootlegged concert videos by their fans. During my search on trading sites I found videos of live concerts for that band available for trade. As I have stated before I believe Great Big Sea don’t mind fans filming the occasional songs at a concert for personal use. They have often commented on those on Twitter. But stalking them continuously filming and photographing everything they do is an entirely different story.

The rest of the @lyndahere’s blog (minus the photographs)...

The Red Rock country of Utah is a beautiful place, one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. It's a beauty founded on and brought out by light - light and shadow, penetrating warmth and constant change. For all the beauty that we've seen thus far - and this morning we are in Bryce Canyon, one of my personal favourite places of all, a place I love with all my heart, just getting ready to head out to see the loveliness that awaits us - still, I find myself thinking of another striking beauty, one which is also founded on and brought out by light - light and shadow, penetrating warmth and constant change. And thinking of another one of those personal favourite places of all…

We've been travelling long days - great times, but long days - and by the time we get back to the  room  (usually long after sunset), the bed has looked more appealing than has the laptop, which has been pragmatic enough since most of the "free WiFi" connections at the lodges in these remote places have been wonky at best. We're here at Bryce for the next three nights, however, staying at what can legitimately be termed as a "resort," so I'm hoping to finally get caught back up. Still after sunset, though. There are some amazing trails just waiting to be hiked and I do not intend on keeping them waiting for long. As I said, beauty awaits. Who am I to keep beauty waiting?

I will linger long enough to put up this very interesting link I found in my overstuffed email box. Be sure to notice the highlighted paragraph near the end.

After I published the post I found these on a similar Google searches today...

August 2009 - Between The Rock And A Hard Place :Newfoundland
11 Aug 2009 – And every time I hear it, recorded or live (or via video made by a kind friend), it has the .... The number one thing you can do is write new great music to bring your crowd. ... members to tape their shows, but to trade bootlegs freely among themselves. .... Posted by: Stephen | 13 August 2009 at 05:41 AM ...

 August 2009 - Between The Rock And A Hard Place :Newfoundland

therockandahardplace.typepad.com/between_the_rock.../2009/.../ind...Cached

You +1'd this publicly. Undo

Between The Rock And A Hard Place: Newfoundland, Great Big Sea, Alan Doyle, ... Ben Kaplan, National Post Published: Thursday, August 27, 2009 ..... And every time I hear it, recorded or live (or via video made by a kind friend), it has the .... members to tape their shows, but to trade bootlegs freely among themselves.

Lyndahere, Bootlegging And Cultural Preservation...A fan responds.

“These Boots Were Made For Burning. The Bootlegger’s Obsession” is an interesting article written by Rick McGrath in August 2002 about bootlegging from a bootlegger and collector’s perspective. It is an honest account of his feelings and experiences in a subject that is very close to his heart the recording of live music. There are many reasons why McGrath is passionate about live music recordings. He describes his experiences of opening a package, putting the CD in the player and reliving the recorded concert experience. He could almost be there. There is the thrill of obtaining illegal or contraband material with little risk of ever getting caught, the hunt for obscure concerts of his favourite artists, the ins and outs of trading, a bit about the history of bootlegging and even the bootlegging law.

McGrath describes some of the pitfalls of trading and how to tell a good recording from a bad one. McGrath is like a food critic writing about a restaurant he has been to. “You think, maybe you should send a copy of this to your friend out west. He likes these guys. But he also likes pristine sound, you remember, and this bootleg suffers from the primitive recorders of the 1970s. Muffled drums, too much bass, wonky mixing... nahhh, he ain't gonna like this one”.

So why do people prefer bootlegged material of live concerts. McGrath offers many explanations for example, the thrill of being caught up in the performance of a live tape and owning something that no one else has. McGrath writes about his love of bootlegged material “For me, that's what it boils down to, man. I think the fun is finding the oddball stuff, or tracking down the boot of a concert you attended, or listening to the concert version of an album you particularly liked, and not falling for the seduction of the collector's obsession: the thrill of ownership -- the actual physical possession of a keepsake as a function of "consuming" the artist”.

McGrath writes a kind of how to guide for bootlegging and how to trade with other collectors. During his early twenties McGrath recorded many concerts on tapes. He writes about altering the sound of tapes to trade, finding a trader group on the Internet and advertising and trading goods. Within seconds of placing an ad for his material he had willing traders. He made a list of all his material and kept a copy of the originals. Within 15 months of starting trading he had over 15 000 bootlegged CDs.

So how does this apply to Lynda Elstad or @lyndahere? What was interesting was McGrath writing about how he adjusted the sound of his original recordings to sell bootlegged copies. “…so I digitized my old cassettes, cleaned up the sound with some audio software, and burnt those ancient concerts onto silver discs of plastic. Now, when I say "clean up", I mean maybe add a little filtering to boost the treble, or mute the bass a bit... you really can't fiddle with it that much... and like furniture collectors, many boot collectors want the sound as pristine as possible... just as the original tape recorder captured it”. It would be interesting to know how much @lyndahere fiddles with the original sound of concerts she records prior to them being placed up on YouTube. There is no dispute that the sound is dreadful on many of her videos. Whether this is how the original concert sounded or her interpretation of how the concert sounded only she knows.

There is no disputing McGrath’s position on bootlegged material. McGrath like others believe there was a huge potential for musicians and groups to tap into the bootlegged live recording market. Some musicians and groups have come on board with this. They have allowed fans to record and trade in live recordings of their concerts as this decreases the value of live recordings. Some musicians and groups even record their own concerts and sell them to fans. McGrath writes “An official bootleg of each show would be snapped up by the legions of acolytes who would normally be happy with a crappy audience recording, if that's all there was. Soundboards today are all computer-run, digital master manipulators of sound, and a very good recording could easily be made and stored of each concert. You want a copy? Go to a web site, buy it and download it... Then burn it on your own cd”. It would be interesting to know in 2012 how many of the millions of live recordings on Youtube have been made by the musicians and groups.

McGrath concludes “In the biggest picture, what is being created is a vast collection of cultural artifacts, nurtured, analysed and maintained by an army of devoted priests, keepers of the faith, fertilizers of the truth”… “Because when those groovy graduate students at Jetson U. go looking for raw material to grist in the mill, they won't have far to go. And it will all be organized for them. This, of course, is yet another rationalization”. Any student at university doing original research will use a number of sources such as live recordings from a variety of sources and then decide if the bootlegged material is reliable. There is a good chance @lyndahere has adjusted the sound deliberately to give consumers whatever interpretation she feels like providing good or bad. Whether this is a true interpretation only she knows. @lyndahere has the masters of these concerts. 

A considerable amount of Newfoundland folk music recordings therefore are in foreign hands. If she does share her videos it may be whatever interpretation she wishes to share, not an interpretation that is determined by the custodians of the music, the musicians from Newfoundland whose cultural heritage it is. Thank goodness for organisations like CBC Newfoundland who record live music legally, in cooperation with the musicians with quality equipment and professional operators and Memorial University who preserve cultural heritage.

Lyndahere And Team Great Big Sea...A fan interpretation.

“If only there were a way to give Alan 24 hours a day in the spotlight at centre-stage edge. Right where he belongs." (Between the Rock and a Hardplace 17 November 2012) And he clearly is in Lynda Elstad or @lyndahere’s world.

In her two most recent posts at her blog page Between A Rock and a Hardplace (“…And A New One Begins Days of Future Past and Embraceable Contradictions Danforth GBS Show Conclusion and Beginning 17 November 2012 and the first part of the post “A New One Begins” Part One Great Big Sea XX tour, First Show (Danforth Music Hall Toronto 14 November 2012). @lyndahere talks about the first Great Big Sea show for Great Big Sea XX. I predicted I would not read a lot about the team that is Great Big Sea. In other words I would read about the Alan Doyle show with four other guys whose name and contribution get a brief mention if any. 

@lyndahere writes a lot about her beloved Alan Doyle, his showmanship and the music he writes and plays but not much about the team that is Great Big Sea and their contributions to the successful twenty years they have been together. @lyndahere talks about how she measures the best shows “My own Great Show standard of measure is twofold. I love shows in which Alan gets to shine brightly and I love shows in which just about everyone present on and off the stage feels grateful to be exactly where they are”.

@lyndahere loves to go on and on about gratitude in her blogs and on Twitter. I read a lot about how much she admires people who are grateful. Most people are grateful for their family, friends, job and career, their health and wellbeing, to live in a community relatively free of violence and civil war, to have clean water, food in constant supply and a health and education system. But to be honest people pay to be entertained. It is their job to be entertainers. It is a reward for the hard work during the week not a way of life. That is not to say that Great Big Sea are not a part of their lives and bring great pleasure as they do mine. The blog has the usual flood of Alan Doyle pictures, videos and the Alan Doyle moments and memories. I am still waiting to read about team Great Big Sea.

So it is within this context @lyndahere writes about what a kind and thoughtful soul she is towards Great Big Sea and their fans while bootlegging the whole show and forgetting about the contribution of each member. “ I am going to still hold off a bit more before writing in depth about the XX Box Set. Two reasons for that, the first (and most important) being that a few folks are still waiting some patiently, some a bit (understandably) less so – for their orders to be delivered, and it seems more polite to wait a bit longer before I go blathering on about what they’re still waiting to see for themselves”. The second reason is that because I have never been a Box-Set Purchaser (this is the first one I have ever brought though there a least several dozen of the things to be found on various shelves in my house) I’ve asked a few friends who have much more expertise than I have to take a look at XX and tell me how it stacks up in satisfying the Diehard Fans’ desires. I’m still waiting to hear back from a few of them but so far the responses I have gotten have been impressively positive (“…And A New One Begins Days of Future Past and Embraceable Contradictions Danforth GBS Show Conclusion and Beginning 17 November 2012).

The diehard fans have spoken. The horse has bolted. @lyndahere failed to mentioned in her blog posts a significant detail that the Great Big Sea XX album had gone Gold in Canada within two weeks which says to me that people loved it. The special edition boxed sets also sold out pretty quick as well. On the 14 November 2012 the members of Great Big Sea announced on Twitter that Great Big Sea XX had gone Gold in Canada (40 000 albums).

@alanthomasdoyle Just got a note from Louis our manager. GBS XX has gone Gold in Canada. In less than two weeks it seems. I am Humbled and Grateful. 14 November 2012


@bobhallett GBS XX is gold! Thanks to the fans who still believe in us after 20 years 14 November 2012 

I did not read a congratulations Alan Doyle, Sean McCann, Bob Hallett, Murray Foster, and Kris MacFarlane in her blog post 17 November 2012. Hopefully in her reviews she will remember that Great Big Sea consists of five members including Bob Hallett, Sean McCann, Murray Foster and Kris MacFarlane not just Alan Doyle who is the first to recognise Great Big Sea is a team.

Lyndahere, Bootlegging And Trading...Some interesting research.

“Bootlegging. The Underground Pipeline Is Live Music’s Lifeline Page 2” by Jason Schneider provides an overview of the bootlegged trade in Canada in 2000. 

The article outlines the establishment of laws around bootlegging, the arrests in the US and Canada for sale and trade in bootlegged material and the establishment of the Canadian Bootleg Trader's Index.

The Canadian Bootleg Trader's Index provided people interested in trading bootlegged material within Canada in a range of forms including cassettes, CD and MP3 with an avenue to do so.

“The same argument for promotion first emerged more than 30 years ago when bands like the Grateful Dead realised the value of letting their music circulate; their openness to tape-traders was one reason for the band's enduring popularity. Many bands have followed that example - Phish, Dave Matthews Band, U2, R.E.M. and Pearl Jam are among the biggest - encouraging fans to trade recordings as long money was kept out the transaction” (Schneider 2000).

"It's clear that a handful of bands dominate the CBTI list - that's the general nature of tape-trading - but it's not just the old-school traders who are hip to the netd trading scene now. I've added way more lists from women in the past year than ever before, and likewise I'm getting longer and more diverse lists, especially with collections branching out into jazz and other more experimental music that hasn't been traditionally big with traders,".

The Canadian Bootleg Trader's Index no longer exists. There is still however a community of traders on the look out for bootlegged material. They insist they do not do it for money but for the love of the music. I am sure that the trade has continued for serious traders as well despite the emergence of YouTube and the Internet but I am not exactly sure...

Lyndahere, Bootlegging And A Reason Why...My interpretation.

"Well, when I met you at the station, you were standing with a bootleg in your hand ..." (from the Wings song "Hi Hi Hi" by Paul McCartney, 1972 as sited in G.W.Melton 1991).

Some interesting quotes as to why fans prefer bootlegged material from a 1991 article written by G.W. Melton. Titled An examination of the bootleg record industry and its impact upon popular music consumption’ in Soundscapes.info (vol 3 November 1991) Melton conducted research and examined the impact of bootlegging with specific reference to the Beatles.

This quote comes from the book by L.R.E King. L.R.E. King (1988) provides an explanation as to why some fans may like bootlegged material.

"Trying to understand the Beatles' music only through their authorized releases is like trying to understand an automobile by admiring its paint job. They are only the surface, the end product, and they say little on applying craftsmanship to basic creative genius. The final product gives great pleasure, but we have the responsibility to find out how things work and only by studying the processes of creativity can we demystify it and derive useful knowledge. Beyond that, study of their abandoned projects and failures helps keep them in perspective. We can see that they weren't godlings, but merely four human beings whose talent, skills, and chemistry, combined with hard work, and the luck of being in the right place at the right time gave them unprecedented artistic and commercial success. Today's art historians x-ray important paintings to see the rough sketches beneath. Studying the Beatles' unreleased recordings is our way of doing the same thing."

“In summary, Bootleg recordings exist because such fulfill fan needs. And, in some instances, the fan will buy the "boot" version rather than the commercial source. As Fenick (1982) concluded, as long as fans like to follow a song's progression and gain a deeper insight into the musical workings of the Beatles, the bootleggers will continue to enjoy the challenge — and profit — of competition with each other and the commercial record industry for the leisure time of fans”.

Thirty years ago researchers on bootlegging are writing about “profit and competition with the record industry for leisure time of fans”. The way music is distributed, purchased and consumed is considerably different today than it was back then and the technology available to produce, distribute and consume illegal material is also different. But I think this best applies to Lynda Elstad or @lyndahere as I have never read about her writing about the evolution of the material of Great Big Sea or Alan Doyle (To the best of my knowledge). “Fenick (1982) argued that the most obvious reason why fans want to own bootlegs when they can buy all the legitimate recordings of the Beatles is because such fans want to own material that is just unavailable in any legal form”.

@lyndahere tweeted to @alanthomasdoyle Finalising travel plans of the Gramercy’s Alan Doyle Cheering Section. Don’t worry - we’ll be discreet And discrete. 9 October 2012

@alanthomasdoyle Seattle/St John’s/Rochester chapter of AD cheering Section present & accounted for. New Hampshire reports in tomorrow. 12 October 2012. 

@lyndahere leaves her unique impression on every live recording of Great Big Sea, and concerts by Alan Doyle and Sean McCann she attends. There is a unique scream and cheering I would like to allege belongs to @lyndahere. It grates on me like nails on a chalk board. Another reason I don’t particularly enjoy some live recordings. But for her she is immortalised in sound with her beloved Alan Doyle with millions of people over the world hearing her. The sixth member of Great Big Sea.

References

Fenick, B. (1982), Collecting the Beatles. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc., 1982.

King, L.R.E. (1988), Do you want to know a secret? Tucson: Storyteller Inc., 1988.

Lyndahere, Bootlegging And Bullying...My interpretation.

On her Twitter page Lynda Elstad or @lyndahere wrote “Did a good deed for a little boy today. Before any arseholes respond with bullying Emails, I’m referring (as before) to Christina’s nephew”. 

If it is true that she is receiving Emails then there are a range of people who do not agree also with her behaviour. I would like to make it perfectly clear if she is receiving Emails then they are not from me. I do not contact her in any form including Email, Facebook, Twitter or her blog Between a Rock and Hard Place or leave comments on her YouTube page under this name or any other name. It seems time to revisit the concept of what is bullying, the cycle of bullying and the role of bystanders because even as adults we forget about how actions can affect others.

@lyndahere wrote on her most recent post on a Between a Rock and Hard Place details of her accomplishments in stalking Alan Doyle, Great Big Sea and some of their friends across a range of countries including America, France, Canada, Italy, Spain and Australia and at various events including concerts, video shoots, public appearances, music awards, television appearances, charity events, public and private corporate events over last ten years. The only time Alan Doyle and Great Big Sea have had any peace from her constant filming and being photographed is when they have been on some overseas excursions and for charity events or on holidays with their family and friends. It is unfortunate that this kind of behaviour seems acceptable and encouraged by many people on Twitter and social media sites.

Researchers write about bystanders “But bullies often have ‘henchmen’ reinforces or an outer group of audience participants who shore up their confidence and act as obedient colluders…when the bystanders understand the harm they do and no longer encourage the perpetrator, a powerful step is achieved in changing the behaviour…I do not think @lyndahere has ever really been challenged and as a consequence her behaviour is seen as normal and acceptable and is encouraged by many fans of Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle. In some cases I think @lyndahere has been able to create an illusion she has the support of the of fans and perhaps even the friends of Alan Doyle and Great Big Sea who by providing links to some of her bootlegged material on her YouTube site for their own publicity encourages her to continue. Then there are the bystanders, people who support her stalking and bootlegging efforts. Those people that don’t support it are quickly shut down with attacks from fake social media accounts. Not only are those people attacked but their social media friends too.

There has been a lot of confusion about what is bullying and cyberbullying that it is a term which has been misunderstood. It can be used to describe a range of behaviour some of it extremely hurtful. Some behaviour such as lightly teasing someone, engaging in banter or has an opinion different to their own has been referred to as bullying but in fact is not. Researchers refer to bullying as “Bullying is the persistent intentional harming of another person within an unequal power relations”. There are several elements to this “an imbalance of power so that the victim/s can not defend themselves, an intention to hurt, humiliate or embarrass and repetition, a campaign to hurt”. Researchers argue that a disagreement among people of equal power is not bullying. People on social media accounts offering a difference of opinion are called bullies by some. Comments like @ddrocked “you two are *bullying* a GBS band member for RTing a VID?Cheeky! o_O” when people express an opinion about the quality of the bootlegged material being provided by @lyndahere.

@lyndahere is not in a powerless position to defend herself against anyone who disagrees with her. @lyndahere has social media accounts with followers and anyone who disagrees with her is ignored. @lyndahere has written in her blog about her experiences with fans who object and in some cases borrowed their arguments and words and used them as her own. She has contacted my Internet Service Providers and is not shy to threaten a person’s employment if they send comments to her via a work computer. In fact @lyndahere is more powerful than me because I do not have any social media accounts or followers. There are avenues she can take to defend herself including blocking people and reporting offenders to Twitter and other social media and they in turn can terminate their accounts.

Researchers describe several types of and different forms of bullying. They include verbal (threatening or intimidating behaviour name calling, put downs and sexual and racial), physical, coercion (forcing someone to do something they do not want to do such as giving up something) emotional (rejection and isolation, taking away friends, remarks about their physical appearance) indirect (spreading lies and rumours, talking about someone behind their backs and spread hatred about someone), and prejudice drive. Much of this is directed at the people who express an opinion about her videos. They have been threatened and intimidated, been put down (comments about their physical appearance) and had rumours spread about them behind their backs.

There is no campaign to hurt, humiliate or embarrass @lyndahere from me anyway. @lyndahere reacts badly to anyone who tries to engage in a conversation about the impact of her stalking and bootlegging. @lyndahere is unable or unwilling to recognise her behaviour of stalking and bootlegging maybe hurting people like Great Big Sea, their friends and their fans. There are hundreds of poor quality videos and blurred photos loaded up on the Internet. There is no selection of videos based on creativity, quality and uniqueness. Whole concerts are bootlegged and are just put up. There is no recognition that some Great Big Sea fans and perhaps Great Big Sea do not want this as this is not the best way to get new fans and to sell songs and records and seats to concerts. The bootlegging and stalking activities are based entirely on what she wants and maintaining her own lifestyle.

There is a campaign to change her behaviour to work within the laws that protect the musicians we love and admire and get the permission of the people involved. I hope that she would respect their decision to say NO. I tried to talk to her but she was not willing to listen to any kind of criticism of her videos or activities. I am trying to present an argument supported by research and law that will hopeful influence others and perhaps @lyndahere herself.

Reference

Health@health.com Bullies, victims and bystanders viewed 5 November 2012

Katz, A. 2012 Cyberbullying and E-Safety What Educators and Other Professionals Need to Know. Jessica Kinsley Publishers

Patchin, J.W. Hinduja, S, 2012, Cyberbullying Prevention and Response. Expert Perspectives. Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, New York