Book of The Dead

The Dead, in an innovative spin on the concert souvenir, have partnered with on-demand publisher Blurb to offer custom, collectible photography books for each show during the band’s current 2009 tour.

Sure, you can buy an overpriced tie-dyed T-shirt outside the venue, or you can relive your Dead experience, audibly and visually, over and over again.

First, The Dead have always been a band best enjoyed live—preferably in person or through recordings of shows. The Grateful Dead have long encouraged fans to “tape” the concerts, resulting in a trading community. Now, a large collection of the band’s thousands of concerts are available at the click of a button—on sites such as Archive.org. The Dead have also embraced technology, offering high-quality soundboard recordings of each show during the 2009 tour for download on its official site for about $15. Audience recordings of The Dead’s 2009 concerts are also available on Archive.org.

You can also recall the experience by adding the show-specific collectible book to your personal library. The books from Blurb are available 72 hours after the performance, and you can add a custom cover—free of charge—by simply uploading a photo of your own to the site. The images for the books are provided by longtime Grateful Dead photographer Jay Blakesberg. Softcover editions cost $22.95, and hardcovers are offered for $32.95 (Dust Jacket) and $34.95 (ImageWrap). These unique books—The Dead inventive as always—are a smart way of making use of on-demand publishing likely to catch on in the coming months and years.