For the collectors, three new Radio Broadcast BBC sessions LPs have popped up: The Sound’s “In Concert (BBC Radio One)”, Killing Joke’s “BBC Radio Sessions 1981”, and a new pressing for The Sisters of Mercy’s “BBC Sessions 1982-1984”.

Note that all three are unofficial releases aka bootlegs.

The Sound release is released as a 140 gram black-vinyl issue built from the band’s BBC Radio One “In Concert” recording from November 11, 1981 at Paris Studios in Lower Regent Street, London. The tracklist supplied for this edition is the following: “Pete Drummond Intro”, “Unwritten Law”, “Skeletons”, “Fatal Flaw”, “Winning”, “Sense of Purpose”, “Heartland”, and “New Dark Age”.

The Killing Joke LP compiles three BBC sessions from 1981 plus a bonus track recorded for John Peel in 1979. The tracklist : “The Fall of Because”, “Tension”, “Butcher”, “The Hum”, “Empire Song”, “We Have Joy”, “Chop Chop”, “Tension”, “Unspeakable”, “Exit”, and “Wardance”.

The Sisters of Mercy title is not a brand-new issue but a repressing. “BBC Sessions 1982-1984” holds 11 tracks: “1969”, “Alice”, “Good Things”, “Floorshow”, “Heartland”, “Jolene”, “Valentine”, “Burn”, “Walk Away”, “Poison Door”, and “No Time to Cry”. Note that an official Warner/Rhino version of “BBC Sessions 1982-1984” was also issued in 2021, so this Radio Broadcast pressing sits beside already-existing authorized BBC-era Sisters material.

We previously covered another unofficial Radio Broadcast title, The Sound’s 1982 Utrecht “No Nukes Festival” set, and in 2015 we also reported on bootleg sales that included Sisters of Mercy material.

Note that these items are distributed by mailorders, major ecommerce platforms, and… several label mailorders. As such it is not surprising that these vinyl editions sell in rather high volumes.

About Radio Broadcast

Radio Broadcast is best described as an unofficial archival vinyl imprint focused on radio-derived material. It’s an unofficial label, and as Side-Line previously reported, it is an Italian label specializing in radio-broadcast releases, with other titles including Joy Division and New Order.

The label repackages live radio sessions, BBC material, and broadcast-derived recordings as standalone vinyl products with minimal rights-context on the packaging. That does not make every release automatically illegal everywhere, but it does mean these records should be treated as unofficial unless an artist, estate, broadcaster, or rights owner has explicitly authorized them, which they haven’t of course.

Here’s an idea of what they have released over the years.

• Chameleons, The – Peel Sessions 81-83 – LP
• Cure, The – BBC Radio One 1984 – LP
• Dead Can Dance – The John Peel Sessions 1983-1984 – LP
• Depeche Mode – Radio Broadcast 1994 (Honolulu, Hi) – LP
• Echo & The Bunnymen – The John Peel Sessions 1979-1980 – LP
• Jam – BBC Sessions 1977-1979 – LP
• Joy Division – 1979 BBC Recordings – LP
• Manson, Marilyn – The Ultimate Broadcast 1999 – LP
• New Order – 81-82 BBC Recordings – LP
• Pink Floyd – BBC Radio One (London, September 30th, 1971) – LP
• Pink Floyd – Live At Pompeii – 2LP
• Pink Floyd – Live At Pompeii – CD
• Pink Floyd – Radio Sessions 1969 – Deluxe Reissue – LPL
• Police – WBCN, Boston – November 1979 – LP
• Siouxsie & The Banshees – The Peel Sessions 1977-1978 – LP
• Smiths, The – BBC Radio One 1986 – LP
• Wire – The Complete 1978 Peel Sessions – LP

Are these bootlegs legal in Europe and in the USA?

In Europe, the answer is not a simple yes. EU-related-rights rules are layered. Belgium’s FPS Economy states that neighboring rights generally last 50 years, except for music performances fixed on phonograms, where the term is 70 years, and it also states that broadcasters’ related rights run from the first broadcast.

The European Commission’s 2025 report on the Term Extension Directive likewise says that the EU extended protection for music performances fixed on phonograms and phonogram producers’ rights from 50 to 70 years. As a practical reading of those rules, BBC music recordings from 1981 to 1984 are not safely treated as public-domain material across Europe today.

A radio broadcast can involve multiple right layers at once: performer rights, phonogram rights where a protected recording exists, composition rights, and broadcaster rights. A shop listing in one EU country does not prove the same item is lawful to sell, import, or distribute in another territory.

In the United States, the position is tighter. Federal law states that anyone who, without the performers’ consent, fixes a live musical performance, reproduces it, or sells or traffics in it is subject to copyright-style remedies. Separately, the U.S. Copyright Office says the Music Modernization Act’s Classics Protection and Access Act brought pre-1972 sound recordings partially into the federal system and extended federal remedies for unauthorized use. These Radio Broadcast LPs are based on 1980s performances, so they should not be assumed lawful for U.S. sale or import unless there is clear authorization from the relevant rights holders.

In short, in both Europe and the U.S., these records are grey-market or unofficial broadcast releases.

Only Germany enforces hard. Selling bootlegs there is unlawful and can trigger injunctions, damages and even criminal liability (§§ 97–98, 106 UrhG). German law firms routinely issue takedowns/abmahnungen against bootleg sellers. That’s why many retailers mark these as “not for Germany.”

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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Something for the hardcore fans of Kraftwerk. Out soon are two archival live broadcast titles of Kraftwerk: the 5CD box “Die Broadcast Sammlung” on the bootleg label Expensive Woodland (out October 24, 2025) and the single-disc “Pop und Avantgarde [Frankfurt Broadcast 1974]” out on yet another bootleg label Yard Stick (out July 4, 2025).

The 5CD set compiles official radio sessions from 1970–1981; the Frankfurt disc documents a January 25, 1974 HR1 performance. You will not find these recordings in Germany, we’ll explain why in this article.

Tracklist of Kraftwerk – ‘Die Broadcast Sammlung’ (5CD box, Expensive Woodland)

• CD1 – Soest 1970: “Vom Himmel Hoch”, “Ruckzuck”, “Stratovarius”, “Megaherz”.
• CD2 – King Biscuit Radio 1975: “Kometenmelodie”, “Autobahn”, “Morgenspaziergang (Part 1) / Kling-Klang”, “Morgenspaziergang (Part 2) / Tanzmusik”.
• CD3 – BBC Broadcast in Concert 1975: “Kling-Klang”, “Tongebirge”, “Tanzmusik”, “Ruckzuck”, “Prolog im Himmel / Kometenmelodie 1”, “Die Sonne, Der Mond, Die Sterne”, “Kometenmelodie 2”, “Autobahn”, “Mitternacht”.
• CD4 – Utrecht 1981: “Introduction”, “Nummern”, “Computerwelt”, “Metropolis”, “Das Model”, “Geigerzähler / Radioaktivität”, “Computer Liebe”, “Autobahn”, “Taschenrechner”. Captain Video 1981 – Part 1: “Nummern”, “Computerwelt”, “Heim Computer”, “Computer Liebe”, “Das Model”.
• CD5 – Captain Video 1981 – Part 2: “Neonlicht”, “Geigerzähler / Radioaktivität”, “Die Stimme der Energie / Uran / Die Sonne, Der Mond, Die Sterne / Ohm Sweet Ohm”, “Autobahn”, “Spiegelsaal”, “Mitternacht / Schaufensterpuppen”, “Trans Europa Express / Metall auf Metall / Abzug”, “Taschenrechner”, “Die Roboter”, “It’s More Fun to Compute”.

Tracklist of Kraftwerk – ‘Pop und Avantgarde [Frankfurt Broadcast 1974]’ (CD, Yard Stick)

This recording took place at the large broadcasting hall of Hessischer Rundfunk (HR1), Frankfurt, January 25, 1974; including a rare line-up with Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Wolfgang Flür joined by Klaus Röder (electro-violin/guitar).

Included are “Klingklang” (10:34), “Ruckzuck” (10:55), “Atem” (3:24), “Tongebirge” (2:28), “Tanzmusik” (7:15), “Kometenmelodie 1 / Kometenmelodie 2” (14:10), “Autobahn” (27:14).

How come these bootlegs are available outside Germany?

In the EU/UK, broadcasting organisations’ neighbouring rights last 50 years from first transmission. So 1974–75 broadcasts are now past that broadcaster-right term (from 1 Jan of the following year). Labels often rely on this to press “radio broadcast” CDs.

But that doesn’t automatically legalize a CD. Performers’ and phonogram producers’ rights on sound recordings run up to 70 years if a fixation was lawfully published/communicated (“use-it-or-lose-it” rules came in with the 2011 directive; implemented in the UK/EU in 2013). So even if broadcaster rights lapse, performer/phonogram rights can still block a commercial release.

Only Germany enforces hard. Selling bootlegs there is unlawful and can trigger injunctions, damages and even criminal liability (§§ 97–98, 106 UrhG). German law firms routinely issue takedowns/abmahnungen against bootleg sellers. That’s why many retailers mark these as “not for Germany.”

The 1974/75 radio sets (e.g., “Pop und Avantgarde – Frankfurt Broadcast 1974” on Yard Stick) sit right on the 50-year broadcaster-right threshold, which is why UK/IE/SE shops list them. But the 1981 content in the 5×CD box is well under 50 years on broadcaster rights, and performer/phonogram rights can still apply – so it’s still a classic grey-market situation, not cleared product.

Who are these labels?

Discogs lists Yard Stick explicitly as a bootleg label. The Kraftwerk “Pop und Avantgarde (Frankfurt Broadcast 1974)” appears via mainstream retailers, indicating that it’s circulated in countries where sellers assess the risk as acceptable.

Expensive Woodland Recordings from its side is also a bootleg label and has released dozens of “broadcast/air” releases (especially rock heritage acts). Also this release is stocked by retailers and major marketplaces, you even find them in supermarkets across Europe.

About Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk formed in Düsseldorf (West Germany) in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider, evolving from the experimental scene later dubbed krautrock.

Early releases on Philips/Vertigo include “Kraftwerk” (1970), “Kraftwerk 2” (1972) and “Ralf & Florian” (1973). These preceded the international breakthrough album “Autobahn” (1974).\

A run of influential albums followed: “Radio-Activity” (1975), “Trans-Europe Express” (1977), “The Man-Machine” (1978) and “Computer World” (1981). Their later catalogue includes “Electric Café” (1986), “The Mix” (1991), “Tour de France Soundtracks” (2003), the live set “Minimum-Maximum” (2005) and the remastered “The Catalogue” / “Der Katalog” (2009/2012; expanded as “3-D The Catalogue” in 2017).

As of 2025, the live line-up features Ralf Hütter, Henning Schmitz, Falk Grieffenhagen and Georg Bongartz.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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Out now is “The Cure – Radio Broadcast/Live in Germany 1981″, a double CD which is being distributed about everywhere, from Amazon to the smallest indie music mailorder. Out via Last Media this release features the 2 shows which were recorded for live FM radio broadcast in Germany in 1981. As far as we know the 2 shows have never been issued on CD in their complete form previously. The release captures the entire set the band played those evenings, 30 years ago.

The 2 live-sets are different from each other and contain tracks from the first 3 albums by The Cure: “Three Imaginary Boys”, “Seventeen Seconds” and “Faith” plus some tracks off the album “Pornography” that was to be released the year after.

Laser Media describes itself as a ‘Radio Broadcast Label’ based in the UK, but it is in fact releasing unofficial live releases and DVDs, and is nothing else than a bootleg label which started its activities in 2011 under that name. Fact is that its distribution network is the same as another regular official release, so it’s pretty sure this one will be selling quite good.

But we repeat, this is a bootleg for sure.

CD1 (Frankfurt):

1. The Holy Hour
2. In Your House
3. The Drowning Man
4. 10.15 Saturday Night
5. Accuracy
6. The Funeral Party
7. M
8. Primary
9. Other Voices
10. All Cats are Grey
11. Three Imaginary Boys
12. At Night
13. Fire in Cairo
14. Play for today
15. Grinding Halt
16. A Forest
17. Faith

CD2 (Hamburg):

1. The Figurehead
2. M
3. The Drowning Man
4. A short Term Effect
5. Cold
6. Charlotte Sometimes
7. At Night
8. Three Imaginary Boys
9. Primary
10. Siamese Twins
11. Splintered in her Head
12. One Hundred Years
13. Pornography
14. The Hanging Garden
15. 10:15 Saturday Night

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

side-line.com