Free Access To 10,000 Historic Concert Recordings From Chicago

A collection of literally thousands of live shows recorded in Chicago is being transferred from cassette to digital, so fans can enjoy this incredible library of music history in Illinois.

10,000 Concerts Recorded In Chicago Are Now Available For Free On The Internet

Kids today don't understand the world of recording music. They've got everything digital in the palm of their hand. I remember using my handheld tape player to record all of my music. It was either off the radio or placed next to a stereo speaker. We had to work hard for the tunes we listened to. There were no playlists.

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According to WGN TV...

The music collection of a 59-year-old Chicago man who attended more than 10,000 concerts and recorded them on cassette tapes is slowly being digitized and released online for free.

 

I remember discovering the world of bootleg recordings. People would sneak tape players into the shows and share them with friends. The quality wasn't great, but it was still cool to have in your collection. I tried it a couple of times, but the sound was brutal. You couldn't even figure out what song was playing.

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Aadam Jacobs is a legend around the Chicago music scene. He had the touch to record shows. Obviously, it was on cassette, so it wasn't perfect, but he had it dialed in for the equipment he had at the time. From the 1980s through the early 2000s, Jacobs recorded over 10,000 concerts.

With the encouragement of friends and the help of many volunteers, Aadam is transferring all of those concert recordings from cassette to digital. Then, he posts them online for free for anyone to experience this little piece of music history. There have only been a couple of times when the bands have forced him to take down the show. If you want to check any out, you can listen now at Aadam Jacobs Collection within the Live Music Archive.