Justin G
Member
Bingo. This is the metal equivalent of hipsterism. No one who actually experienced cassettes the first time around misses these things. At least with vinyl you can make a case for the aesthetics of the medium.
Visigoth being released by Swords & Chains Records
- Thread starter SteelFireRecs
- Start date
Bingo. This is the metal equivalent of hipsterism. No one who actually experienced cassettes the first time around misses these things. At least with vinyl you can make a case for the aesthetics of the medium.
Diabolik
Member
exactly....at least with vinyl you get bigger artwork and depending on how it was mastered better audio.
Jasonic
Doom On!
I don't think anyone here is saying cassettes are cool.
I still have a few that I play periodically just for giggles.
For me, in this discussion, its all about the band getting their music out at a low cost.
It's not for everyone.
Also, are you guys going to say in 10 years or sooner that any band who releases a CD is doing so as a means to be "hip"?
I still have a few that I play periodically just for giggles.
For me, in this discussion, its all about the band getting their music out at a low cost.
It's not for everyone.
Also, are you guys going to say in 10 years or sooner that any band who releases a CD is doing so as a means to be "hip"?
Justin G
Member
Any band that's still releasing CDs 10 years from now will be OK in my book. I'm never giving up the format.
Diabolik
Member
no one is saying CD's are hip. It is just the format that is available now. Basically putting stuff out on cassette is like putting out your movie only on Betamax.
Justin G
Member
I don't know why, but I keep picturing the dude who got tossed out of Ragnarokkr as the target market for these tapes.
Jasonic
Doom On!
LOL.....
Hey, its not my preferred medium in the least.
I will though agree that there is a market for it.
@ Bob - Even the last HIGH SPIRITS came out on tape!
That's all that should matter to Swords and Chains.
He is only releasing 100 of these.
So yeah, it is certainly meant to be another way to get the tunes out there, and make a nice little collectible for those who care.
dcowboys311
Member
Yes this is absolutely one of the key advantages.
I recently received 10 albums, including shipping from Europe and currency exchange for $60USD. Sorry, that isn't happening with CDs or vinyl. Some of them are tape-only releases, but some are albums where, if I wanted the CD or LP version, I'd be paying at the very least 2-4x more money.
They sound just fine and are cheap as hell.
Jasonic
Doom On!
I think its cool for young bands with just demo material out too.
As I said before, in metal today, its the equivalent to the 7" format used for most new punk bands in the 80s and 90s.
Well, I suppose it might still be used today, though that seemed to be going away in the late 90s for punk bands.
You get the point.
As I said before, in metal today, its the equivalent to the 7" format used for most new punk bands in the 80s and 90s.
Well, I suppose it might still be used today, though that seemed to be going away in the late 90s for punk bands.
You get the point.
I love that i've started a war with this thread 
Im glad you guys know that i'm not trying to be "hip" and that im just trying to get the music out there within my budget. Yes tapes arent a preferred format, i agree with you guys on that. I'm a cd and vinyl man myself, i own 2500+ cds and 250+ vinyls, and only about 10-15 tapes, and most of those are newer bands demos and i love demo tapes. I like the nostalgia of it and I THINK its KEEEEWWWWWWL. But i guarantee you all that you wont be seeing any full length albums coming out through Swords and Chains, no plans for that at all. Im not into that, and the reason i have some full length album tapes in my collection is because theyre were a buck and theyre Mercyfyul Fate, Megadeth, Overkill, just some of my favorite bands.
For awhile i think i will be a tape based label, go ahead and hate me Bob but thats all im really budgeted for being a broke college student who will be without a job for 6 months starting in december because ill be doing an internship, so expected more demo/ep tapes to come for quite sometime.
The target market for these tapes is anyone who likes metal and wants to get some badass music for their collection and if you happen to be a collector (like me) its only an incentive for you guys. But i dont want to make these with the intention of them being so limited that theyre only going to be collectors items and be Ebayers someday, i want everyone to enjoy the music and support the band.
You guys all know my intention with the label, bringing badass music to the masses with the distro and now i want to do it with releases too. You know i try to bring the best from around the world, especially from overseas for stuff you cant get here. C'mon, whos the guy that brought yo all Trial, Evil Lyn, and Attic?
Im glad you guys know that i'm not trying to be "hip" and that im just trying to get the music out there within my budget. Yes tapes arent a preferred format, i agree with you guys on that. I'm a cd and vinyl man myself, i own 2500+ cds and 250+ vinyls, and only about 10-15 tapes, and most of those are newer bands demos and i love demo tapes. I like the nostalgia of it and I THINK its KEEEEWWWWWWL. But i guarantee you all that you wont be seeing any full length albums coming out through Swords and Chains, no plans for that at all. Im not into that, and the reason i have some full length album tapes in my collection is because theyre were a buck and theyre Mercyfyul Fate, Megadeth, Overkill, just some of my favorite bands.
For awhile i think i will be a tape based label, go ahead and hate me Bob but thats all im really budgeted for being a broke college student who will be without a job for 6 months starting in december because ill be doing an internship, so expected more demo/ep tapes to come for quite sometime.
The target market for these tapes is anyone who likes metal and wants to get some badass music for their collection and if you happen to be a collector (like me) its only an incentive for you guys. But i dont want to make these with the intention of them being so limited that theyre only going to be collectors items and be Ebayers someday, i want everyone to enjoy the music and support the band.
You guys all know my intention with the label, bringing badass music to the masses with the distro and now i want to do it with releases too. You know i try to bring the best from around the world, especially from overseas for stuff you cant get here. C'mon, whos the guy that brought yo all Trial, Evil Lyn, and Attic?
Diabolik
Member
oh I know your heart is in the right place. I just feel that you are really limiting getting people to check out the bands you will release. It may come across to the average person that it is really crappy stuff just because of the format.
Diabolik
Member
I love that i've started a war with this thread
You guys all know my intention with the label, bringing badass music to the masses with the distro and now i want to do it with releases too. You know i try to bring the best from around the world, especially from overseas for stuff you cant get here. C'mon, whos the guy that brought yo all Trial, Evil Lyn, and Attic?
I got Evil Lyn from No Remorse.
Let's be honest here, the average person is buying music from Century Media, Nuclear Blast, etc. and not burying themselves into the underground more obscure scene. The average metalhead isn't going to Stormspell, Sonic Age, Planet Metal, and so on.
Im not trying to appeal to the average metalhead, im trying to appeal to the underground metalhead that wants great music in any format and appreciates the cool little things like this, those are people like me. Everything i stock i own and enjoy and the same will be with all my releases.
Also, i know ive said this multiple times but when it comes down to it, it's all about budget and what I can afford to spend. Right now at this point in my life im in the biggest transition period ive experienced so i need to watch my money because yes this and 90% of all distro purchases come straight out of my pocket.
I wanted to do a CD release with Visigoth, ive wanted to since i heard the Vengeance demo last winter for the first time but money is the issue. I talked to them and said i wanted to do a Kickstarter campaign for it and see what would happen but they were wary of that and didnt want to do it.
And just because this is coming out on tape now doesnt mean that it won't be on cd or other formats later. Maybe i know something you dont know
But the Vengeance demo is exclusive to this tape release.
Diabolik
Member
if you were so dedicated you should sell a kidney. that should cover vinyl, CD and cassette plus shirts.
Jasonic
Doom On!
Bob, serious man????
You claim to be so "in the know" about the underground, but are not supportive of releasing a young band's demo on cassette?
You have to really drop the "it can't be a good idea because "I" don't like the medium"
MANY bands are releasing even their full lengths on cassette.
You don't have to like it. You don't have to buy it.
Bottom line is there is a market for it so that's all that matters.
As Mike said, it's "cool". It's a tangible item which is limited and targeted to folks who would want it.
Its not that hard to check out a band WITHOUT a tangible product.
Once again, this is foreign to you since the only medium you listen to is the CD format.
Most people go beyond this.
I am not trying to be a dick here, I really am not.
I just think you are focusing too much on your own personal preference of format.
The majority have gone beyond physical format.
You claim to be so "in the know" about the underground, but are not supportive of releasing a young band's demo on cassette?
You have to really drop the "it can't be a good idea because "I" don't like the medium"
MANY bands are releasing even their full lengths on cassette.
You don't have to like it. You don't have to buy it.
Bottom line is there is a market for it so that's all that matters.
As Mike said, it's "cool". It's a tangible item which is limited and targeted to folks who would want it.
Its not that hard to check out a band WITHOUT a tangible product.
Once again, this is foreign to you since the only medium you listen to is the CD format.
Most people go beyond this.
I am not trying to be a dick here, I really am not.
I just think you are focusing too much on your own personal preference of format.
The majority have gone beyond physical format.
Diabolik
Member
No, it is only a trend. The only reason labels are doing the cassette thing is because people are buying into it right now.
I see this all the time with other mediums as well. Being into comics, movies and other things that have stuff like this happening....it is all the same.
Jason, you bring up the old punk days....dont forget...back then all punk stuff was on vinyl. Now there are cheaper and better ways to get the music out there. If the internet and all the technology existed back then as we have now...you know all the stuff on Profane Existance and stuff would be downloadable / CD-R / CD. Even punk labels didnt put out a lot on cassette. There were a bunch of Lookout Records full lengths that skipped cassette.
I see this all the time with other mediums as well. Being into comics, movies and other things that have stuff like this happening....it is all the same.
Jason, you bring up the old punk days....dont forget...back then all punk stuff was on vinyl. Now there are cheaper and better ways to get the music out there. If the internet and all the technology existed back then as we have now...you know all the stuff on Profane Existance and stuff would be downloadable / CD-R / CD. Even punk labels didnt put out a lot on cassette. There were a bunch of Lookout Records full lengths that skipped cassette.
Jasonic
Doom On!
I certainly agree that their is a hipster element to it.
The difference here though is that the physical format is dying a not-so-slow death.
I can see why these labels are saying, "Hey, CDs are on the way out, what do you think of this"?
It's a marketing ploy. Of course it is.
Is it a trend? Maybe. But there are various cassette only labels.
Sure, it wouldn't work for slick symphonic power metal, but it would for a small lo fi BM, DM, or trad metal band.
As far as trends go, the one thing I don't care for are the overprices vinyl reissues of classic albums.
Its like, "Lets put out a classic album on pic disc, limit it to 1000, and sell em for $39.99"
This effort of Mike's supports a young up and coming band and is about getting their music out there.
The difference here though is that the physical format is dying a not-so-slow death.
I can see why these labels are saying, "Hey, CDs are on the way out, what do you think of this"?
It's a marketing ploy. Of course it is.
Is it a trend? Maybe. But there are various cassette only labels.
Sure, it wouldn't work for slick symphonic power metal, but it would for a small lo fi BM, DM, or trad metal band.
As far as trends go, the one thing I don't care for are the overprices vinyl reissues of classic albums.
Its like, "Lets put out a classic album on pic disc, limit it to 1000, and sell em for $39.99"
This effort of Mike's supports a young up and coming band and is about getting their music out there.
dcowboys311
Member
Just a trend that's been continuing in metal since the 80's.
Maybe your precious Steel Vibrators stopped releasing on tape, but my beloved GoatKommando666's never stopped.
I'd even argue that tapes are the IDEAL format for demos -- when you're at that stage, very few bands will be at the level where a label will want to invest the $$$ for a vinyl press, and pro-CD presses are expensive too. Tapes are cheap to press, cheap to buy, easy to distribute, and easy to play. Not that I expect to see any reason why they are bad aside from "I don't like them" and "they are for hipsters". The underground only cares about being trendy and 'ironic'...this is why we're seeing all the VHS re-releases of classic kvlt videos & dvds yeah?
Maybe your precious Steel Vibrators stopped releasing on tape, but my beloved GoatKommando666's never stopped.
I'd even argue that tapes are the IDEAL format for demos -- when you're at that stage, very few bands will be at the level where a label will want to invest the $$$ for a vinyl press, and pro-CD presses are expensive too. Tapes are cheap to press, cheap to buy, easy to distribute, and easy to play. Not that I expect to see any reason why they are bad aside from "I don't like them" and "they are for hipsters". The underground only cares about being trendy and 'ironic'...this is why we're seeing all the VHS re-releases of classic kvlt videos & dvds yeah?
Diabolik
Member
dont forget too...tape decks are becoming more and more harder to find so you really are not going to reach more than your "in the know" people with cassette tapes. Myself...I would rather buy a CD-r of a demo. I picked up a real good band from Mexico a few months back. They put out a limited demo on CD-r. I was willing to try it out because of it being on a format which is readily available. What if I loved one of the songs and wanted to transfer it....I would have to go a longer way to transfer it to my computer or to CD than I would with a CD.
I just dont take format comebacks seriously. I work in broadcast so I deal with outdated formats on a daily basis.
Again...this is a pointless battle...basically it boils down to young kids wanting to be a part of something that they were not around for the first time.
I just dont take format comebacks seriously. I work in broadcast so I deal with outdated formats on a daily basis.
Again...this is a pointless battle...basically it boils down to young kids wanting to be a part of something that they were not around for the first time.
dcowboys311
Member
So do you have the same problem with vinyl too then? Because that's the same amount of work to transfer and the same 'not around the first time' thing. Which btw I was around for tapes and didn't even get a CD player until I was 12 or 13.
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