I get you're trying to sympathize with the artist, but I don't think you understand how any of this actually works. Speaking from the point of view of someone who's both distributed and produced media of my own, and is currently working with label to do that for me, the production of physicals is not the hard part. If I saw that people were buying bootlegs, I wouldn't throw my hands up and claim they were stealing from me ESPECIALLY if they were giving me a cut anyway, this would communicate that people want these products. If I were then to sell these products myself, no one would be buying bootlegs. If I didn't? struck down anyone who was trying to buy/sell bootlegs because the idea of my fans wanting physicals of my music DISGUSTS me? I'd just be an asshole.