If you don't know too much about the trading community, you're probably a bit overwhelmed.

And that's fine! There are a lot of things that new traders/collectors should learn before participating. In this section, I'm going to give a brief run down on a couple pieces of information that I feel are important to bring up. For a more comprehensive resource, check out the sassy guide!

Some basic information

The trading community, simply, is a group of people who collect and trade video and audio recordings of live theatrical performances. Traders will trade videos and audios with each other in order to build their own collection or to search for a specific performance. Some traders will also gift recordings to traders expecting nothing in return. I am closed to gifting at the moment, except for with trusted traders I have worked with before or close personal friends.

When discussing audio or a video of a particular show, the person who records it is referred to as the master. The master is the person who risks the consequences of recording a show, and for doing so we need to respect them. We respect masters by not posting their recordings anywhere online without their consent. The recordings you can find on YouTube, Vimeo, or on any other video hosting platforms are leaks, and they harm the master by making their illegal recording more accessible online. Many masters have stopped releasing videos because of the number of leaks that occur.

Because a master wants to have control over their videos, oftentimes they may label their recordings as NFT. NFT, which stands for Not For Trade, is an indicator that this specific recording is not available to be traded or gifted in any capacity. Oftentimes masters will leave an NFT date, which after that date has passed said recording is available to trade and gift. Some masters may leave their recordings as NFT, however, and indicate that only they wish to be in control of the distribution of their audio/video.

Some audios and videos are marked as gift upon request, and simply put, that means that any performance marked as such must be gifted and cannot be traded for. While I am closed for trades and gifting at the moment, if you wished to contact me about a gift upon request audio or video, I will send it to you, no questions asked.

Masters may also choose to label a recording as limited trade, which means that they want their recordings to not adhere to the typical 1:1 video to video, 1:1 audio to audio, and 2:1 audio to video ratios. Masters will mark the ratio at which these recordings are to be shared at (2:1 video to video, for example).

Still confused? Have other questions about other aspects not covered here? Feel free to email me and I would be glad to further explain anything!