Some time ago, I got an e-mail from a friend and thought that it was worth passing on:
"A couple of years ago I found a used set of the complete Parker Dial recordings on Japanese CD (Stateside) at Jack's. Copyright 1988.
Now, I don't know if you ever play CDs on your computer (I don't do it much, except when I'm using some "slow-downer" software to help me transcribe a tune). In any event, Windows Media Player takes some kind of digital ID from your CD, looks it up on the Web, and displays the cover art of your CD on the Media Player screen, and gives you the track names and artist. (I don't really know how the whole thing works -- however, I do know that if you're not connected to the Web, the art and the track listing don't show up.)
The other day I put one of the Parker CDs in the player, and what pops up but the cover shot of the Definitive label Parker Dial collection.
Back in 1988 when Stateside produced their set, there was no Internet database of CD covers. The Stateside CDs may even be o/p.
I'm not even sure Definitive existed as of the late '80s -- I don't recall seeing any of their stuff until the early 2000s.
For the Stateside CD to show up on Windows Media Player with the Definitive cover art, this means that not only did Definitive bootleg the Stateside CDs, but they must have made direct copies of the Japanese CD, without even going to the effort of doing their own sequencing, mastering, or anything. And Definitive, not Stateside, must have their info in the Web database. Pretty weird."
And sleazy.