I was a little nervous when I heard that Rhino records was going to replace Grateful Dead Productions. I had a feeling that they were going to try and squeeze every little penny of profit out of one of the most important musical archives of all time. This still remains to be seen, but I feel a little bit better about it after checking out the new Dead.net. They have a new feature called the Tapers Section which is updated weekly with free mp3 downloads and bits of information. Its sort of a “this week in Grateful Dead” thing. Its great to see Rhino embracing the Dead community and giving a little something for free. I’m looking forward to future enhancements to the site which I plan on visiting weekly for my free downloads! Here is the skinny:
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Welcome to the Tapers Section.
In this space, every Monday, you will find information on the recorded history of the Grateful Dead’s music as it pertains to that week, specifically focusing on the shows for that week, through the band’s 30 year performing history, that reside in the Grateful Dead’s storied tape vault. Although not everything is in there, with more than 1,600 of the band’s 2,400-odd shows represented, there is plenty about which to talk. Check back weekly for new entries and insight into the vault, as well as exclusive audio clips relating to that week in the Grateful Dead’s recorded history.”