So far, the Instant Live performers have been bands like Spookie Daly Pride and Bomb Squad that do not have major record deals. The larger labels would probably frown upon a flood of Instant Live discs competing against their own official releases.

But Mr. Simon said that Instant Live's success did not depend on adding big-name acts from major labels. "It would be disingenuous to suggest that we don't want to expand the universe and do it with signed acts," he said, "but it is a business regardless." He declined to make sales forecasts.

....because Clear Channel's four Boston stations do not play alternative rock music, Mr. Simon is working with two non-Clear Channel stations to promote the Instant Live acts. Mr. Simon declined to discuss how the Instant Live venture might complement Clear Channel's radio programming other than to say, "There's a panoply of alliance and bundling opportunities that this product would offer." Translated, this might mean that stations could someday offer an "Instant Live Hour," or some such program, that would promote the discs. [NY Times] I think the main market for this is at the venue, taking advantage of impulse buying and identification with THAT PARTICULAR SHOW: "I was there, I am a part of this, you can hear me screaming after the third song!" I would think making the CDs available via retail would reduce sales at the events themselves - "I'll just get it later at Best Buy" - and that "get it later" option may never translate into sales as the glow of the show drifts away.

But I can't tell you how many shows I would love to have a permanent copy of, to literally relive again and again.