The grateful dead became one of rock's most successful acts by giving its music away. Yes, you could buy the tie-dyed band's-albums in stores, but true Dead Heads savored recordings of the band's countless concerts―taped and distributed free of charge by fans, with the band's blessing. The Dead sold few records (its biggest seller, American Beauty in 1970, had some 2 million in sales), but it cleaned up on tour. Dead front man Jerry Garcia died in 1995, but his business model lives on. So-called jam bands―a slew of rock, funk and bluegrass acts that feature rambling, improvisational songs―ape both the Dead's musical style and its give-it-away strategy.
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