The debate over proshots and bootlegs has been going on since the 80's, and has heated up substantially in professional musical theater spaces in the last couple years. I, for one, as a theater artist myself, am pro-bootleg, WITH some caveats. Bootlegging is a lot older than the popular "slime tutorial" culture, and there are many rules of respect in those circles that aren't really known by newer fans. There's a bit of barrier to entry, so I want to talk about bootleg culture, and hopefully expand people's acess (as long as they are willing to respect the current community).

Written with help from Semi-Robotic Person! Ty!

And no I'm not going to directly tell you how to bootleg.

Terms & Definitions:

• Bootleg
  • A recording, audio or visual, of a live theatrical performance taken without permission
• Slime Tutorial
  • A bootleg posted to YouTube. The name originates from fake / clever names given to YouTube bootleg uploads to mask the fact that they are illegal recordings. In bootleg communities, this term is associated with leaks, and is usually derogatory.
• Archive Recording
  • Video taken by the theater company itself to preserve evidence of the show or use for press. While authorized by the theater, they are usualy acting against their licensing agreement, this is a sort of unspoken knowledge that all theaters do this. These recordings are occasionaly made avaliable to the cast, but are not meant to be public. Vary in quality and are rarely edited. Can be viewed on request from some theaters and archive institutes.
• Soundboard
  • An audio recording taken directly from the microphone feed, through the theater's sound equipment. Sometimes taken as a form of archive, sometimes recorded unauthorized by the techs or cast.
• Proshot
  • Shortening of "proffesionally shot", proshots are videos authorized by both the theater and the licensing to allow for distribution. Usually high quality, edited, and otherwise prepared for release.
• Demo Album
  • An album that was recorded by the cast/company for the purposes of press, rehersal, and investors. Not licensed for sale, but occasionally posted for free or added to a publicly acessible portfolio.
• Master
  • The person who originally recorded a bootleg.
• Leak / Leaked
  • Made public without permission. Any bootleg posted without permission from the master, including small clips, images, or gifs.
• List
  • A trader's list of what bootlegs they own and/or have avaliable to trade. A list will include important information
• NFT
  • Not for Trade. This does not mean that the bootleg cannot be traded at all, but that the master holds exclusive permission to trade it. Anyone else who has it got it directly from the master, and cannot give it to anyone else.
• Gifting
  • When a master offers a bootleg without asking for something in return. Gifts can also be offered to groups, added on to existing trades, or asked for directly.

In the beginning, bootleg traders were physically copying VHS tapes, and later DVDs, to mail. Bootleg trading is still a very personal interaction, you are directly reaching out to people. While there are sites that act as ways to display your list and connect to people, the actual trading is done through email, discord, etc. The most important thing is just to remember you are talking to people, in a community, who all want theater to be more acessible and are working together to keep people safe.

Some Guidelines

• Do not leak
  • Even in gifs, screenshots, or short form videos. This is pretty much the biggest rule, and the number one thing that will get out ousted from trading communities. Leaking bootlegs calls attention to the communities, and can get masters banned from theaters. Don't betrey the trust of people who are risking themselves to provide you with entertainment.
• Do not out yourself
  • If you are engaging in illegal activity, do not post about it on social media. Even something as seemingly small as bootlegging. Do not post about which masters you trade with or where you plan to bootleg. If you do post your own videos, use an acount with no connection to your personal information. Unlike Facebook or Tiktok, bootleg communities do not need or want to know your real name.
• Respect Not For Trade
• Yes, sometimes they ask for money
  • I understand that people can get a little up in arms to hear someone charging money for something they recorded illegally, but I can promise you that no master is making profit. While masters are no longer buying and mailing physical media, the cost of travel and tickets, good video equipment, it all adds up.
• The person who initiates a trade is the person who sends their bootlegs first.
• There are high quality recordings out there
  • If you've only seen slime tutorials up to this point, let me tell you there are some really good masters out there! There are videos that will be so well taken, you forget you are watching a bootleg. They are worth the effort.
• There are way more recordings out there
  • Only the moet popular shows get leaked, but trust me, most modern shows on a large stage will have been recorded by someone somewhere.
• Be wary of leakers
  • People posting bootleg clips to tiktok and saying to dm them or email them for the full boot are usually not legit traders. 99% of the time it's a leak. Real traders know that advertising illegal activity on social media is a bad idea. A real trader will usually only display a list.

I'm not going to get too into the weeds about ethics. Yes it's illegal, I don't care about the licensing companies but I do care about the actors and designers not getting acess to dues, dues paid only for proffesionaly licensed and released proshots. The real power is in the hands of the license, the simple answer is more proshots. Opera, ballet, and many straight play companies have a long history of proshots with TV and physical releases. From a money perspective, they have already found ways to profit from more than just video sales by premiring proshots in theaters - such as the Spirited Away stage show in Japan. Many people will pay for a real proshot. Until theater companies and license companies rise to the obvious demand, they are the ones choosing not to pay actors and crew their dues. Bootleg away. With respect.