Wolfgang's Vault

Wolfgang's Vault is a pretty cool website (www.wolfgangsvault.com). For those unaware, Wolfgang's Vault consists of the famous Bill Graham archives. Years ago, his vault full of archival material from all of his years of involvement with concerts and events was sold. The current owner of Graham's archives has created a pretty cool little business.

Old handbills, posters, vintage tickets, clothing, photos and even recordings from the various events Graham was involved with are part of Wolfgang's Vault. Fans and collectors can purchase replica pieces to vintage authentic collectables. The most interesting aspect of the vault is the concert recordings and footage.

Bill Graham was known to have recorded and filmed many of the shows performed at his venues. A lot of the audio is from soundboards and a lot of the film consists of black and white footage with one camera angle. Still, the historical value of some of this material is incredible.

And of course, a lot of these recordings and films are the subject of multiple lawsuits from artists, record labels and artists' estates. These matters can be quite complicated covering a multitude of issues such as distribution rights, ownership rights, etc.

In the meantime, a lot of recorded material can be heard for free on the Wolfgang Vault website and some of it can be purchased in the form of mp3 downloads. The potential is there for fans to have access to some amazing material. Classic shows ranging from a 1977 Pink Floyd show to a 1978 Bruce Springsteen Winterland gig can be heard streaming on the website; while concerts from Lou Reed, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Iggy Pop, Humble Pie, Jeff Beck, Santana, etc. can be purchased for download at a maximum price of $9.98.

There are legal hurdles to overcome, but this is a neat concept. Music lovers have a place they can go to listen to music with an option of purchasing rare archival material at a reasonable price in addition to having access to all sorts of unique and exciting memorabilia. Wolfgang's Vault isn't a perfect enterprise, but it certainly beats a lot of the alternatives.