B&P basically stands for Blanks and Postage. This arrangement allows a new trader who has a small or non-existent collection to acquire shows. In return for sending blank discs with return postage, one can end up with excellent shows on CD. You send only the amount of blanks necessary to put the show on, and the person copying for you doesn't keep anything. Many people prefer this over a 2:1 deal (where you send double the amount of blanks necessary, and the person copying the show keeps half) as it's cheaper on the person getting the shows, and it doesn't conflict with anyone's morals if they don't feel that any profit should be made off of taping someone else's shows. Tori doesn't have an official policy, but most of the taper-friendly bands out there have an explicit policy against any profit of any kind being made from the distribution of their live tapes, so some people choose to follow that in every aspect of trading, even with bands that dont have an explicit policy.
An individual who has a show to offer will post an announcement to a mailing list or newsgroup or forum. You apply and are selected. Or you could post an appeal and garner a response. You are then given instructions, and an address. You send off the required number of blank CD-R discs, along with a return mailer with sufficient postage. The trader takes your blank discs and records the concert onto those discs, and then mails them back to you. The trader receives nothing in return for this service.
The first step in participating in a B&P deal is to locate a B&P offer. For the Tori community, there are a few places, the best (probably) being Tori-Boot. In addition to Tori- Boot, The Dent has an active Trading forum (registration required), and there's a usenet group, rec.music.tori-amos (although I'm not sure about their policy on bootlegs there, I assume there is a least some discussion). If you're interested in other bands, Yahoo! Groups has a lot of listings for bootleg groups, and ETree.org has a mailing list if you're into the JamBand scene, or interested in bands that specifically endorse bootleg trading (the majority don't but some very good bands do).
Other sites I've found that have good resources for traders include:
Most traders will have a listing on their page if they take B&P's. If they don't then find someone else. Some traders only take 2:1 trades, or "Flat Fee's" where you send them a fixed amount of money (usually too much in my personal opinion, anything more than 3 dollars per show, including shipping, if it doesn't contain very high quality artwork, is outrageous to me). It's up to you how to do it, but B&P's are really the best way to go if you can get them, and you can with enough searching.
One thing to check before you reply to an offer, is whether the original message has any replies. When a trader has filled his offer, he will usually reply to his original message and append the word "CLOSED" to the end of the subject. Check to make sure that the offer is still open before you reply. And if a deadline has passed, don't reply or grovel. Honor the trader's request and keep looking. Personally I wait a day to repsond to any messages, unless I reach a limit to how much I can take in a short time, so don't be pushy.
Sometimes you may see a B&P offer, but no listing of a setlist, or anything so instead of bugging the trader for the info, check out The Dent's Tour Page which will be able to help you decide if you want the show someone's offering or not. Non Tori-traders, you might have to search elsewhere. Use the search function of yahoogroups to search the mailing lists databases for more info if it's a yahoogroup, or usenet and Google Groups if it's not.
Once you've determined that a B&P offer is something you would like to have, you need to quickly respond to the offer. It is important that you do so in the manner indicated in the message. Here's a typical B&P posting;
>>For B&P Day this month, I'll offer up my first CD-R, 4/6/82 @ The Spectrum in Philadelphia. This show fits on 3 CDs, and my burner works best with TDK and Sony discs. I'll be leaving on a business trip in two weeks, so you must be able to get blanks in the mail in the next three days. I'll take the first five people who respond via e-mail."<<
There are several things in this offer that are important. The first is the show being offered, April 6, 1982. Also note that you'll need 3 blank discs, and Sony and TDK are preferred. If you send other discs, such as cheap generic bulk discs, they may fail in the traders CD burner, and he will have made three handy coasters for you and you don't get the show.
Also, the time period is important. If a deadline was given and you can't make it in time, the trader will end up sending back your blank discs, and you will have prevented somebody who could have met the deadline from getting the show. Most traders keep shows on their hard drive to make copies, and don't want to keep the same shows on their hard drive forever. This is why they like to conclude the B&P as quickly as possible.
A very important part of the above offer is that the trader will accept the first 5 people who e-mail him. This means that you must get your message off quickly. Some traders pick random requests, and stop accepting requests at a certain time. And make sure you send your request in e-mail (which is usually the preferred method) and not post it to the list publicly.
When you do reply, it helps to add some of your personality to the request. Even though some traders accept the first x number of people, it helps if you don't treat them as robots. Messages like "Sign me up for the B&P" don't help your cause at all. Here's how I would respond to the above fictitious offer;
>>Hi There! And thanks for posting such a generous offer. I used to trade tapes, but stopped after getting many lousy quality tapes. I'm just starting to get into shows on CD, and don't have anything yet. My first show was 5/9/87, so I'm gonna try and trade for that show if I can get in on your B&P. Thanks again for the time you're taking to make the show available. I look forward to hearing from you. Have a Grate Day!"<<
You usually will hear back about the B&P in a day or so. If you don't hear back, that generally means that you didn't get in. Don't fret over it, just keep looking around until you get in somewhere - sometimes it takes a little bit.
When you do hear back, you'll receive an e-mail that includes instructions and an address. This message may look something like this;
>>"Congratulations, you made my 4/6/82 B&P. Please send 3 blank CD-R discs to me (most branded discs work fine, but generics have been known not to work). Please use my work address below, since I can't accept larger envelopes at my apartment. Be sure to include a SASE (bubble) mailer as well as proper return postage (attached) and a note telling me which show I am burning for you. Thanks and happy B&Ping...
Traders Name
Traders Address
123 Any Street
Seattle, WA 98119"<<
Before you do anything else, reply to the message and tell the trader that you acknowledge your acceptance and are preparing the materials for immediate shipment. Let them know what your estimated timeframe is, and how you can be contacted. And be sure to WRITE DOWN and save the name and details of the B&P somewhere. Trust me on this one!