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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2011 15:15:33 GMT -5
in this day and age? Is this a new trend? Is it coming back? I understand (and love) vinyl, but one time I was in a record store, and my buddy who was working that day handed me a cassette tape of his new band...and I just looked at him funny. "I don't have anything to play this on, homie." Then he gave me a cd. Then I never listened to it.
So um...yeah what's up. Saw people here, and other message boards posting about their new cassette release....and the Bouncing Souls/Hot Water music split was released on cassette....
Enlighten me.
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Post by Adam! on Feb 28, 2011 15:47:08 GMT -5
Seriously. I'm all for bringing back old media, and i LOVE vinyl, but tapes seem a bit much...
I have a shitty boombox that still plays tapes, but I own maybe 10 total..
I bought a Daytrader Demo tape and played it, and it doesn't even sound that good..
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Post by diestarsdie on Feb 28, 2011 17:02:02 GMT -5
Tapes degrade too quickly for me to care about them, but I do own some Clash cassettes.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2011 21:05:35 GMT -5
I have a number of cassettes. A lot from when they were the primary format. I went through like a cassette buying phase when I would go to a small shop and they'd have ridiculous deals, like 6 for a dollar or something. I used to listen to them in my car. I don't even have a vehicle with a tape deck anymore. The first Clash I ever owned was Combat Rock on Cassette. Blah Blah Blah
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Post by dave on Feb 28, 2011 22:19:56 GMT -5
haha, all my car has is a tape deck, it sucks. I only have The Haverchucks demo and Empire! Empire!'s album on tape, but I'd like to have a couple more around for when I forget my Zune or it dies. I think it's more just a limited thing now, too. It's also really fucking cheap to get like 100 cassettes made vs. short runs on vinyl or CD, although CD can be solved just by burning them. i dunno, they're never really gonna come back, but I can see why they're still around.
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Post by dance of days on Feb 28, 2011 23:52:28 GMT -5
Whatever dudes! I think it makes sense for bands with a punk ethic to dodge the "digital revolution" by releasing music on tape. In this day and age, it's largely an underground medium. Not having one's music rely on existence in the digital sphere is a political statement: in an economy based on participation, withdrawal becomes a form of resistance. The digitization of everything has made it harder for underground music communities to be truly subversive--every time a band joins MySpace, independent music loses some of its strength. Fuck "reaching a wider audience": the kind of people they want to reach will find them, if there's really something of quality to be found. The relevance in this is that underground music communities have started to realize this more and more, that they really don't need digital mediums, and that to opt out of the digital mainstream and use other avenues of communication lends weight to their message and subverts the general expected paradigm of how to be a band. (Not to mention it's much more exciting to play a tape than to Google something and download it in two clicks, and it gives the listener more of a connection with the music they've sought.)
I don't consider Hot Water Music or the Bouncing Souls to be "underground" bands, but it seems they've caught on to the validity of subverting the digital norm. If those bands are partaking in the digital discourse in a slew of other ways, that makes less sense and maybe they're just treating the cassette as a novelty item for 2011, but I can see why they would make the choice.
On a practical level, and speaking from experience, it sounds WAY better to record to tape than to record digital, tapes are cheap to buy in bulk, and you can get a portable tape deck for like $1 at Goodwill.
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Post by Casey on Mar 1, 2011 0:06:36 GMT -5
it gives the listener more of a connection with the music they've sought.) this is really subjective though. I don't feel any more or less connected to or receptive of music when i've downloaded it in five seconds or bought the record at a store, but then again i've never been too into needing to physically own music to appreciate it anyway.
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Post by dance of days on Mar 1, 2011 0:15:29 GMT -5
You're right that it's subjective, I guess I was just speaking for myself. I just think there's something really exciting about the pursuit of good music, having to seek it out to get it in a way that isn't so instant.
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Post by diestarsdie on Mar 1, 2011 0:20:29 GMT -5
I mean, I am a huge vinyl fan and I definitely love scouring record stores and having physical copies of albums, but at the same time I've found some of my all-time favorite albums through downloading. Also, downloading and getting into the album and then purchasing it is awesome.
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Post by JAN! on Mar 1, 2011 1:54:54 GMT -5
I thought this was just bands appropriating an idea kept alive by rap music for the hip factor.
A lot of ground level rap music comes on mix tapes to prevent skipping and to make the entire side blend together. It is much less homage to the past, than an album oriented ethos. "Skip this, asshole."
Which kind of applies to vinyl, but tapes are portable. You can't normally listen to a vinyl record in your car.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2011 8:16:31 GMT -5
downloading and getting into the album and then purchasing it is awesome. this X infinity.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2011 8:55:21 GMT -5
Also, downloading and getting into the album and then purchasing it is awesome. I've been doing this a lot lately.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2011 10:13:16 GMT -5
Also, downloading and getting into the album and then purchasing it is awesome. I've been doing this a lot lately. actually it's pretty much how I do all my music lately.
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Post by rc on Mar 1, 2011 10:32:19 GMT -5
Only cassette I still own is Oingo Boingo's Dead Man's Party.
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Post by Clit Eastwood on Mar 1, 2011 11:55:41 GMT -5
haha, all my car has is a tape deck, it sucks I've got a Soul Asylum tape you can use during road trips.
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Post by avon on Mar 2, 2011 11:22:57 GMT -5
Making a demo on cassette seems like such a bad idea. Like, the novelty would work if a huge band did it, but if the sole purpose is letting people hear your band...pssssh.
I'd be like "Yeah, I'll listen to your band...eventually."
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Post by Adam! on Mar 7, 2011 23:18:01 GMT -5
Ha I totally caved today and bought a sweet vintage tapedeck from a cool dude on Craigslist today. Sounds awesome and has left and right channel quarter-inch inputs so I can plug shit and record straight to tape I guess.
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Post by avon on Mar 8, 2011 13:00:24 GMT -5
"vintage tape deck" Fuck. I'm old.
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Post by Adam! on Mar 8, 2011 14:55:06 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2011 15:07:30 GMT -5
"vintage tape deck" Fuck. I'm old. fuck. i don't know how old you are...but yeah, that makes me feel old too.
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Post by Bang on Mar 8, 2011 21:45:37 GMT -5
If someone had ever come into the bar and given us a demo on a tape cassette there is no way we would have ever listened t it. I don't think we even had a tape deck.
If it's for distributing amongst other like-minded tape cassette enthusiasts, I guess it makes sense. Otherwise I don't get why somebody would do that.
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Post by rarara on Mar 9, 2011 3:43:18 GMT -5
I came kind of late to this thread and everyone pretty much said what has had to be said, but I'd like to include this quote from Alex C, who used to post on the OMB way back when. His band, Skin Like Iron, put their first few releases out on cassette. www.scenepointblank.com/features/interviews/skin-like-iron"Tapes are really affordable for us to produce, and just as affordable to anyone interested in buying them. I've heard people refer to tapes as novelties, which I think is a bit of a cynical viewpoint. Yes, they have a bit of a novelty factor, but I think that's a good thing. CD-Rs are easier to produce, but they're often thrown away or neglected because they're so replaceable. Tapes are treated with more care, and people only tend to buy them if they're interested in them. How many bands give out hundreds of CD-R demos, only to have them tossed in the trash, or on the floor of your car under a bunch of junk? It's unfortunate, but that's just the way it goes. Vinyl and CD releases have their obvious appeal, but we felt it was best to hold off on releasing vinyl until we had better developed material, and a little more support."
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Post by avon on Mar 9, 2011 11:41:07 GMT -5
I love Alex but gotta disagree with him there. He's in the position where his newest band doesn't even need to have a demo to get recognition. Others aren't. My first band put out cassette demos, but that was back when people still used cassettes to a lesser extent. My next bands put out CD-Rs. There's no way we would have gotten any exposure with cassettes. And it's easy to say that people actually want to listen to your band on cassette when you've already got the market based on who you are. When you're unknown, you don't have that luxury. People aren't just gonna throw themselves at you to buy your demo.
Not saying it's not cool and all, but cassettes are novelties as much as colored vinyl and multiple pressings are. I think it's pretty obvious that the majority of the people in this thread don't seek cassettes over CDs.
And about affordability, is that really true? Last I checked, CD-Rs were about $15-20 for 100. Throw em in a paper or plastic sleeve and your cost is about 25 cents apiece plus any costs to record. I mean, all you need to produce is an idiot with Protools. Sure it's not as admirable and won't get you scene points, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
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Post by dance of days on Mar 10, 2011 14:47:46 GMT -5
I have a new(ish) band (meaning, nowhere near as popular as Skin Like Iron), that only has a demo on cassette (and no Myspace, Facebook presence etc), and we've sold almost 200 of them since November. Kids come to the shows and know the words to the songs. If people want to listen to something, they'll find a way to listen to it. Over time I've come to believe that sharing your music shouldn't be something you aggressively force on people and beg them to listen to...people will gravitate toward it if it seems interesting. This doesn't mean you have to be a well-established band, just that you put on a good show and/or you're doing something that piques peoples' interest.
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Post by Adam! on Mar 10, 2011 16:11:11 GMT -5
i need a copy of your tape, stephie, they sold out on Our Sound!
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Post by dance of days on Mar 10, 2011 17:05:20 GMT -5
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Cary
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Post by Cary on Mar 10, 2011 17:45:03 GMT -5
any more Outdoor Voices releases forthcoming, stephie?
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Post by dance of days on Mar 10, 2011 18:18:02 GMT -5
any more Outdoor Voices releases forthcoming, stephie? no, but i'm glad u liek <3
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Post by Adam! on Mar 11, 2011 1:45:55 GMT -5
purchased!
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Post by dance of days on Mar 11, 2011 15:37:56 GMT -5
oh you guys! <3 <3
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