Live Bootleg CDs - Are they legitimate? Good quality?

@jsalerno277 - I don't know all the technicalities, but I can tell you that 50 years after the fact, the live CD market from shows that long ago has exploded and there are loads of them available on Amazon and other legitimate retailers that had not been seen before; just look at Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, the Who, and most any other major artist. If these were illegal, the publishers and labels and artists would be on them like a ton of bricks, but almost any band you can think of has similar items available. 

@jsalerno277 Well during your illustrious career in the musical copyright industry exactly how many bootleggers did you prosecute?

Keef was more interested in the Verve ripping off his riffs.

@lordmelton @larsman 

I have simply stated the law.  The music industry has probably not prosecuted because the cost outweighs the gain regarding bootlegging.  I was in the medical device industry and assisted on marketing copyright and patent infringement.  I studied music copyright law due to interest as an audiophile.  The law I state is correct to the best of my knowledge.  

Some are and some are not. There are authorized bootleg and then there’s the guy in the audience. There’s a ton of Grateful Dead bootlegs out there and some are excellent.  If you got there early enough, they allowed people to plug into the sound board, so if Jerry was on, you got to record a great show.

I rarely buy any bootlegs now, because my audio system has improved to its current level. However, listening to them in the car is now a better option. 

 I've been to plenty of record shows where bootlegs are available. The best (and biggest) show is in Austin. Most of the good vendors will (or should) have a portable CD player and a set of headphones so that you can listen before you buy.

I've managed to find a few rare gems at these shows that also sound very good, such as a Midnight Oil acoustic concert and a radio broadcast from the only tour that Little Village did.

Then there's the subject of "officially sanctioned bootleg" that can be found on the artist's website. I have found some great stuff from the likes of Crack the Sky, Dada and Richard Thompson.