Forward to Cassette Mythos
See scans below of "Forward", written by Hal McGee, from Cassette Mythos, a book edited by Robin James, published by Autonomedia, 1992. This article was written circa 1987 or 1988.
August 28, 2013.
Recently I've posted several articles and statements about my love and personal preference for tape. My newest post is an article I wrote in 1988 as the preface of the Cassette Mythos book, extolling the virtues of the cassette as the perfect tool for the cultural anarchist, and as the ideal ways and means for all artists to create and distribute their music. It made perfect sense then because the artist could maintain control of the artistic product from start to finish. There was no middle man, no record company, no compromises.
While I obviously definitely stand firm in my belief in the spirit of that article, I actually no longer feel that cassettes are an ideal or preferred medium for distribution of music. A lot has changed since I wrote that article in 1987/88.
I don't even think that CD-Rs are the ideal means of distribution, although they certainly are easier and more convenient to use in many or most respects than cassettes.
The Internet is of course WHERE IT'S AT right now in terms of publication and distribution. Widespread accessibility is the main thing, universality, it crosses borders far more effectively than hard media, etc. Aside from the cost of one's computer and Internet access fees, it's fairly inexpensive.
Actually, I feel that Internet music makes perfect sense and is a logical extension of the ideals of the tape-based ideology that I outlined in the Cassette Mythos article.
I will, however, stand by and continue to champion tapes as being the ideal medium in which to create from an artist's standpoint. It's very "tactile", isn't it? Very hands on, in a real sense, which connects the artist in a physical way with his creation and the world around him. And to me this is very important. To me a tape is like a canvas.
My newest project, The Museum Of Microcassette Art, combines tape-based creation with Internet distribution. To me it's the ideal model. We get the best of both worlds. And the project has gotten a huge response. I have 111 microcassette artists signed up.
I've tried my hand at creating using various digital tools and it always fell short for me. I know that lots of artists have had great success with both creating and distributing digitally, and I applaud them! It's the future - it really is. But for me, for now, I'll continue to create in analog and distribute mostly in digital.
I actually do still send out a lot of tapes. I've sent out 526 cassettes so far this year. But as time goes on, given the high cost of international postage, and the decreasing availability of reliable cassette gear and media, I'll be decreasing distribution via cassette.
August 28, 2013.
Recently I've posted several articles and statements about my love and personal preference for tape. My newest post is an article I wrote in 1988 as the preface of the Cassette Mythos book, extolling the virtues of the cassette as the perfect tool for the cultural anarchist, and as the ideal ways and means for all artists to create and distribute their music. It made perfect sense then because the artist could maintain control of the artistic product from start to finish. There was no middle man, no record company, no compromises.
While I obviously definitely stand firm in my belief in the spirit of that article, I actually no longer feel that cassettes are an ideal or preferred medium for distribution of music. A lot has changed since I wrote that article in 1987/88.
I don't even think that CD-Rs are the ideal means of distribution, although they certainly are easier and more convenient to use in many or most respects than cassettes.
The Internet is of course WHERE IT'S AT right now in terms of publication and distribution. Widespread accessibility is the main thing, universality, it crosses borders far more effectively than hard media, etc. Aside from the cost of one's computer and Internet access fees, it's fairly inexpensive.
Actually, I feel that Internet music makes perfect sense and is a logical extension of the ideals of the tape-based ideology that I outlined in the Cassette Mythos article.
I will, however, stand by and continue to champion tapes as being the ideal medium in which to create from an artist's standpoint. It's very "tactile", isn't it? Very hands on, in a real sense, which connects the artist in a physical way with his creation and the world around him. And to me this is very important. To me a tape is like a canvas.
My newest project, The Museum Of Microcassette Art, combines tape-based creation with Internet distribution. To me it's the ideal model. We get the best of both worlds. And the project has gotten a huge response. I have 111 microcassette artists signed up.
I've tried my hand at creating using various digital tools and it always fell short for me. I know that lots of artists have had great success with both creating and distributing digitally, and I applaud them! It's the future - it really is. But for me, for now, I'll continue to create in analog and distribute mostly in digital.
I actually do still send out a lot of tapes. I've sent out 526 cassettes so far this year. But as time goes on, given the high cost of international postage, and the decreasing availability of reliable cassette gear and media, I'll be decreasing distribution via cassette.
