Can I purchase 930 concert videos from the archive ?

[brianmayeux]

I remember the many shows I attended at 930 F street from 1983 to about 1990... And I do recall somone video taping all the shows... It was usually some freaky looking chick caged up into the shallow ceiling of the club... Anyway... Are any of these videos for sale ? I would love to get my hands on some old 9353 shows... or that Suicidal Tendencies show I went to in 1985...

[sweetcell]

i've never heard of anyone selling videos from the old 930.  it's never been mentioned on this board as far as i know. 

[hutch]

shit ya! open up the vaults!!!!!


I'll take the Jeff Buckley show I was at for starters...

[brianmayeux]

Where are all the viedoes ? Lost in a fire ?... Someone must know the answer to this question

[Bombay Chutney]

I thought I read somewhere that there weren't nearly as many videos as you'd think.  Most of the video was just for the in-house tvs and not really archived.    I find that a bit hard to believe, but that's what I remember hearing.   

[brianmayeux]

I thought I read somewhere that there weren't nearly as many videos as you'd think.  Most of the video was just for the in-house tvs and not really archived.    I find that a bit hard to believe, but that's what I remember hearing.   

wow... whoever owned the 930 in the 80's missed out on a huge oppurtunity..

[twangirl]

Unfortunately there is no lost video archive. The video person in the camera chair was shooting a live feed, not a recording, so the show could be seen on the TV screens placed around the club, to improve visibility since the sightlines weren't great. We offered the bands the opportunity to purchase a video tape of their show, for the cost of the tape and with the understanding that whatever the camera person shot was what they got...psychedelic effects, sideways camera angles and all. So any recordings of shows on F St that may exist are in the hands of the bands who purchased them. Personally I would love to see a video of that Bad Brains "I Against I" tour show, but we don't have one.

[brianmayeux]

Well I guess I will contact bruce merkle to see if he has any those 9353 videos lying around...

[Relaxer]

That sounds like a threat brianmayeux.

[Relaxer]

A big horny sexy threat.

[hutch]

terribly shortsighted of artists not to have paid for blank videotape.. what did that cost? $2?


I wonder what percentage of acts paid for a copy.. pretty priceless footage

[twangirl]

it was a 3/4" tape not a VHS. Or a Beta for that matter. The video feed ran through the 3/4 tape deck. Those tapes cost more like $50, which was a lot for bands on the road back then. You also have to remember, video was a new technology and was not ubiquitous like it is now. I don't think anyone really realized how thoroughly video would permeate our society. Also the sound was crap on those things, there was no audio production set up since it was strictly for visual purposes, so you got whatever the camera mic picked up from the PA.

[sweetcell]

wow... whoever owned the 930 in the 80's missed out on a huge oppurtunity..

it wasn't the club's opportunity to take.  they would have needed the band's permission to keep a copy, i.e. would have had to pay the band and work out distribution rights.  which club owner would fork over hundred or thousands of dollars for the rights to mostly unproven bands?  while you might be willing to pay a lot now, i don't blame club owners back then for concentrating on more immediate concerns.  the home video market was emerging at the time, it was not the behemoth that it is today.

terribly shortsighted of artists not to have paid for blank videotape.. what did that cost? $2?

I wonder what percentage of acts paid for a copy.. pretty priceless footage

bands have an interest in not allowing too much of their show to leave the venue - it depresses the value of future performances, according to some.  same reason why you can't video record (and sometimes even photograph) shows today.

and even if a deal was made - club sells tape to band, or band sells tape to club - it would be a court case waiting to happen unless they signed a contract, which i doubt they were doing at the time.

[hutch]

thanks twangirl (and the original poster)

very interesting for sure

[brianmayeux]

sweetcell... thanks for the response... its a shame because now everyone is losing out... 930, the bands, and most of all the fans...