Friday Fun: Free Online Classic Rock Concerts!

I'm talking about the new-to-me Wolfgang's Vault! Among other things, it includes a Vault Store, where you can buy prints and other swag; the Concert vault with 2859 concerts, the Crawdaddy magazine & archives. The concerts material can be sliced & diced into playlists and radio shows.

The concerts are by, among others: The Allman Brothers, The Band, Black Sabbath, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Linda Ronstadt, Lynyrd Skynyrd, MC5, Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Van Morrison and The Who.

As I type this, I'm listening to an absolutely amazing concert by The Black Crowes from 1990.

So, where does all this amazing material come from? Mostly from the archives of Bill Graham and The King Biscuit Flower Hour. More info at the Catalogs part of the Concerts page. You can also read more background on the whole project on the Concerts and Vault About pages.

The vast majority of material in Wolfgang's Vault comes from the exquisitely preserved, original archives of Bill Graham Presents, which we now own and manage. Beginning with the seminal concerts of the mid 1960s and continuing through today, we've assembled a superb collection that is being cared for in state-of-the-art facilities.

We have only begun to mine the depths of the Vault. We opened in October 2003 with our unparalleled collection of Poster Art and added our extraordinary vintage t-shirts, backstage passes, laminates and books shortly thereafter. In 2004 we released the BG Archive photography collection, and since then we have become the exclusive online source for four of the greatest rock photographers of all time: Baron Wolman, Michael Zagaris, Joe Sia and Gene Anthony.

The Vault is constantly undergoing exciting changes and developments. We've expanded our apparel line to include infant and kids wear. Concert Vault, which includes Vault Radio, has exposed thousands of listeners to the depths of the Bill Graham archive, the King Biscuit Flower Hour and the Silver Eagle Cross Country collections. The introduction of Big Ticket grants collectors access to a pristine and extremely rare collection of poster art that's not available anywhere else. We are regularly introducing fresh new product lines and special features like wrapping paper and poster reprints. The Vault continues to grow and evolve, with updates and additions constantly improving the look and function of our site.

And if you're worried:

The Concert Vault is fully licensed by BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC, and we pay these performance rights organizations every time you listen to a concert. The license fees make their way back to the performers that made the music. Download revenues are also shared with performers and publishers as appropriate. One of our top priorities will always be to make sure that the artists are compensated for their performances.

Enjoy!