To paraphrase Elvis Costello: Live recordings are for the obsessed and are more often than not amusing and therefore harmless for people to collect without the artist's consent; open trading of studio material is the practice of gangsters and thieves.
A friend of mine visited Sony studios in New York the day that Michael Jackson was making a recording or something. The engineer he was with had to be followed around by two thugs to make sure he didn't copy the any of the material. They even accompanied him to the bathroom. On another note: I haven't completely given up on the majors, yet. There is still some good music getting through. Sonic Youth has consistently put out quality records on Geffen. I enjoy Beck's most recent album immensely; I think it is one of the best pop albums in recent memory (does any one have any opinions?). The countless reissue programs that are being done are executed with much care. How easy it would it be to just remaster the originals and not include any additional music or booklets? I thank Colombia for releasing all those Miles box sets. I'm the first to rag on the majors, but they can do some good. Zach