Easytree bittorrent site shuts down

Tom Storer · April-6th-2005, 03:44 PM

The Easytree bittorrent site, the whirling hub of web-sharing of unreleased concert recordings in lossless compressed formats, has shut down following a request by their ISP, which had been threatened with lawsuits.

The message now up on the site says:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Easytree closing announcement

April 6, 2005, 16:00 GMT

Hello gals and guys,

We're very sorry having to tell you that we had to shut down EZT just a couple of minutes ago.

We got a call from our provider, they had received a few letters from a couple of lawyers. They requested EZT to be shut down immediately, otherwise we and the hosting service would be sued.

As you may imagine, we do not have the funds to fight a battle we most probably can't win anyway.

We would like to thank everyone here for their contributions to EZT, one way or the other, for sharing the music, sharing an ideal, for all your mails, rants, praises...

To say it with Joan Armatrading:

We had fun, fun, fun, fun
fun, fun, fun, fun
we had fun -- while it lasted...
--"Tall in the Saddle"--

You all take good care!

This is sobering news for bittorrent addicts. The noncommercial nature of the shows that were shared was what convinced many otherwise law-abiding people like me to partake... after all, it wasn't like you could buy these shows anywhere. [sigh]

Anyway, all those bittorrent aficionados are bound to fetch up somewhere on the web eventually. If you find out where, let me know!

groover · April-6th-2005, 05:10 PM

I posted a link to a Pat Metheny concert on GDLive in "The Way Up" thread. I'm pretty sure that all the content on GDLive has the artists approval.

If you have any other still available links for legitimate free concert downloads, please share 'em here!

Tom Storer · April-6th-2005, 07:28 PM

I will if I find any. In the meanwhile, there's the slow but satisfying vine method.

Captain Hate · April-6th-2005, 08:06 PM

Yeah, I joined easytree at Gordon's advice but never snagged anything from it; the emails from that joint would fill up my inbasket daily. I knew today was something major since I had 396 messages, most of them bitching about the shutting down.

I love how the RIAA, or whatever their stupid initials are, come down heavy sporadically. It's like Wile E. Coyote trying to keep up with the Roadrunner. The genie is out of the bottle, jerkwads. Keep using those ACME products; they're so retro.

Pete C · April-6th-2005, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by groover

I posted a link to a Pat Metheny concert on GDLive in "The Way Up" thread. I'm pretty sure that all the content on GDLive has the artists approval.

If you have any other still available links for legitimate free concert downloads, please share 'em here!

There's a thread I started about free downloadable mp3s--artist sites with studio & live tracks.

Gordon B · April-6th-2005, 08:32 PM

I came out of an 1.5 hour meeting to find a slew of emails about the shutdown. What a bummer! Tom, I just did some searches and found a site called "The Traders Den" but it's been deluged by Easytree refugees.

Unfortunately, due to high traffic, the server can't handle the load. Please stand by while we try to figure out what to do to fix the problem. The site should be online again later today.

I'm playing a Bar Kokhba concert from 5.6.2000 now for the first time that I got from easytree just a couple of days ago. I recorded about 50 shows from Easytree. I'll miss that site a lot. There was a lot of good music. The BBC3 shows in particular, were excellent and well recorded.

dizmonk · April-6th-2005, 09:51 PM

I am SO Bummed!!!!!!!!!!! First sharingthegroove.org went down now... easytree....

Tom Storer · April-7th-2005, 01:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Hate

I love how the RIAA, or whatever their stupid initials are, come down heavy sporadically.

They didn't say who the lawyers represented. It could just as easily have been the lawyers of some rock band or country singer as the RIAA.

Quote:

It's like Wile E. Coyote trying to keep up with the Roadrunner. The genie is out of the bottle, jerkwads. Keep using those ACME products; they're so retro.

Alas, those jerkwads with their ACME products (lawsuits) seem to have captured, cooked and eaten the Roadrunner in this case.

Captain Hate · April-7th-2005, 05:58 AM

It'll just morph into something else. Even if it didn't (which I think is an absurd assumption) what's already been grabbed will be supplying vines for a long time.

efrendv · April-9th-2005, 06:36 AM

There are already 108 jazz shows posted here:

http://www.dimeadozen.org/

Captain Hate · April-9th-2005, 07:30 AM

beep-beep {zooooooom}

Dr Dave · April-9th-2005, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by efrendv

There are already 108 jazz shows posted here:

http://www.dimeadozen.org/

Carla Bley live in Cambridge MA, 1982! Recorded from the front table! Yay! Download time: SEVENTY ONE HOURS. boo to you, too.

Captain Hate · April-15th-2005, 05:46 PM

The downside of this site is that if you make yourself available to receive emails, like in the hope of finding out some Ayler/Coltrane tape has been located, plan on having your inbox overflow daily as the gibbering monkeys prattle endlessly about getting a Yes or CSN concert, or needing help downloading a Skynyrd date. These yoyos just don't know when to STFU.

Tom Storer · April-15th-2005, 06:17 PM

Is that any different from EZT? EZT had an associated Yahoo group that was no doubt identical and had hundreds of messages a day. If you opt to receive all that in your mailbox you have to be crazy. I disable mail altogether and just go to the site to see what's going on. That's what I do with all Yahoo groups or similar sites.

Besides, if those gibbering monkeys were prattling about jazz dates, would you be saying they should STFU? ;-)

Captain Hate · April-15th-2005, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Storer

Besides, if those gibbering monkeys were prattling about jazz dates, would you be saying they should STFU? ;-)

I'd be forwarding them to you to join the vine.