I'm doing the packaging on the tape for my friend's band. I'm spray stenciling both sides of the tape. There's quite a bit of overspray, but I still think they look coo
Those look pretty cool, and the little buffalo toy is a nice touch. Does anyone still have tape-players, though?
When I was in a band, we used to burn tons of CDs and just hand them out. I would draw our logo on each one, and occasionally, I'd draw some little picture. People were always so stoked to get those ones.
But, besides that, the reason for the tapes was multi-pronged.
First, they're cheap.
Second, they look cool.
Third, they're very pocketable. I have about twenty copies set aside to promote my record label. People will hang on to them, unlike a flyer, and they are a lot more memorable. I figure that if I give them to people I talk to at shows, soon I'll have a little network going and some presence in the area.
Fourth, having a tape rather than a CD-R holds a little more meaning, don't you think? I mean, digital files nowadays are really the only wholly practical medium for distributing audio. You can't carry a vinyl record around with you, only '90s cars have tape decks in them, and a CD you're probably just going to rip and put onto your iPod anyway. Besides, even the most obscure releases end up on What.cd. A CD in this day and age is just plain redundant.
With the tape, however, you're paying for an object. The files for this tape are freely available anyway and the bottom line is that, no matter what physical audio format that you decide to purchase these days, it's going to spend the majority of its life sitting on a shelf. At least this way, you'd have an idling object that looks interesting and shows the effort and care that went into it.
That's an excellent point. Probably the only practical one.
Fourth, having a tape rather than a CD-R holds a little more meaning, don't you think?
Only in the sense that it's an obsolete format, like vinyl, so some people fetishize it. (Vinyl still has a practical use for DJs, but I really think that's it.) I grew up on tapes, and I don't miss them for a second.
With the tape, however, you're paying for an object. ... At least this way, you'd have an idling object that looks interesting and shows the effort and care that went into it.
I can see that point. Personally, I hate objects, and I wish I could keep everything I own on a hard drive. I hope that eventually, you'll just be able to scan anything, and it'll disintegrate it and store the info on your hard drive, and when you want it, it'll just reassemble it out of particles in the air. Anyway, I guess it's the same thing as with minicomics -- it's all about the handmade quality, and the neat little things they can do with the printing and the assembly. I don't care about that stuff, and would just as soon put it up online instead.
Anyway, I certainly don't mean to argue with you, or say that what you're doing doesn't have merit. It certainly does -- it's just not what I would do. But I think I may be a bit of an extreme example.
Anyway, I certainly don't mean to argue with you, or say that what you're doing doesn't have merit. It certainly does -- it's just not what I would do. But I think I may be a bit of an extreme example.
Naw, it's cool. I answer this question constantly Really, it's all just aesthetics, and aesthetics rarely ever have practicality.
Man, I wish I had the magic artistic talent some of you guys possess. But I'm pretty sure I'm going into architecture, so all my drafting classes should give me some skill (Dali started as a draftsman). I do have some pretty nifty skills as far as psychedelic art and stenciling goes, though.
Also, those stencils are pretty goddamn awesome, Sail. Stenciled tapes are the next best thing to multicolor acetate singles.
Come on, how does "4-foot tall girl" count as hipster? That's pretty good, though. I've had a couple of roommates who hit a startling number of those points.
Come on, how does "4-foot tall girl" count as hipster? That's pretty good, though. I've had a couple of roommates who hit a startling number of those points.
I'm not sure what make a mustache "ironic" either, but when you see a group of hipsters you just sort of assume.
I'm not sure what make a mustache "ironic" either, but when you see a group of hipsters you just sort of assume.
I know exactly what makes a mustache ironic. It's totally contingent on the person wearing it, though. I guess I just never noticed that very short girls were common in hipster circles. Actually, tall girls seem to be more common in my experience. I guess it's the chicken-and-egg thing. Are they hipsters because they're four feet tall? Or are they four feet tall because they're hipsters?
Besides, even the most obscure releases end up on What.cd.
I'd like to see that with my own eyes.
And there are actually a great many vinyl- and cassette-only releases (mostly Fag Tapes and Not Not Fun) which are still not on What. Really disappointing, since most of that stuff is out of print.
And you can download the album that Sail so graciously designed here, if you're interested.
Holy crap. If they did post this a while ago, I never knew about it! That just cured my flu a little bit. Thanks for posting that, Ro. I might not have seen it. =D
Comments
When I was in a band, we used to burn tons of CDs and just hand them out. I would draw our logo on each one, and occasionally, I'd draw some little picture. People were always so stoked to get those ones.
But, besides that, the reason for the tapes was multi-pronged.
First, they're cheap.
Second, they look cool.
Third, they're very pocketable. I have about twenty copies set aside to promote my record label. People will hang on to them, unlike a flyer, and they are a lot more memorable. I figure that if I give them to people I talk to at shows, soon I'll have a little network going and some presence in the area.
Fourth, having a tape rather than a CD-R holds a little more meaning, don't you think? I mean, digital files nowadays are really the only wholly practical medium for distributing audio. You can't carry a vinyl record around with you, only '90s cars have tape decks in them, and a CD you're probably just going to rip and put onto your iPod anyway. Besides, even the most obscure releases end up on What.cd. A CD in this day and age is just plain redundant.
With the tape, however, you're paying for an object. The files for this tape are freely available anyway and the bottom line is that, no matter what physical audio format that you decide to purchase these days, it's going to spend the majority of its life sitting on a shelf. At least this way, you'd have an idling object that looks interesting and shows the effort and care that went into it.
Anyway, I certainly don't mean to argue with you, or say that what you're doing doesn't have merit. It certainly does -- it's just not what I would do. But I think I may be a bit of an extreme example.
Also, those stencils are pretty goddamn awesome, Sail. Stenciled tapes are the next best thing to multicolor acetate singles.
Actually, hipsters especially don't like hipsters.
And there are actually a great many vinyl- and cassette-only releases (mostly Fag Tapes and Not Not Fun) which are still not on What. Really disappointing, since most of that stuff is out of print.
And you can download the album that Sail so graciously designed here, if you're interested.
It was so great to work from home for a week.
I was like sleepworkworksleepsleep.
BOO-yah!