Our first issue is nearly done
but as it comes together we here at Mixtape thought it’d be rude not to stop for a minute and acknowledge a very important moment in the modern music industry’s illustrious heritage.
Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the cassette tape and we think that says something about the much-fretted-about death of print media.
First introduced in 1963 by Phillips, the perfectly pocket-sized plastic rectangles over time became, along with vinyl and CDs, a pillar of consumer music culture. From its zenith in the 1980s as the dominant platform for portable music, tapes have since been jostled aside – along with nearly everything else – by superior technology.
But, as with most physical media, tapes still have a place in our hearts – and in our budgets. Despite the arrival of CDs in the 1990s, tapes gave New York’s burgeoning hip hop scene a way for upstart artists to market themselves. Overzealous tape-hawkers capitalizing on that fad poisoned the scene somewhat, but the tape lives on. As Mixtape reported last year (on page 14 of our Prototype), sales of albums on cassette rose more than 40% between 2011 and 2012.
It is rare, despite the objections of many a gloomy pundit, for a media type to die.
Calls for the end of radio in the face of video, or the end of print under the Internet’s mammoth reign, have been – and are – baseless. Individual media types, like radio, newsprint, CDs or cassettes don’t die – they simply morph and settle, becoming yet another weave in the complex fabric of modern media.
The cassette tape lives on today, maybe not as the preferred portable music format, maybe not as a profitable medium for labels but as a nostalgic, tangible piece of music culture that gives music lovers a reason to slow down and listen.
This weekend also marks the completion of crowd-funding campaign. Since Mixtape’s humble beginnings as a journalism school project people have asked us why we don’t just produce a digital magazine. It’s cheaper (almost free) they say, and plus, nobody actually buys magazines anymore – do they? How can you hope to compete with the blogosphere?
The answer resides in the tangible:
we believe people crave the unique connection afforded by physical products like vinyl, the cassette and, most notably, a high-quality print magazine.
In much the same way the cassette has remained a viable medium for connecting artists with old and new fans alike in the face of digital audio, we see the magazine as a counterbalance for the transitory nature of blogs and free newsprint. Despite the staggering expense of printing a magazine, we have always believed Canadian musicians and the music scene in Canada deserves to be presented in a high-quality, persistent format: one that will stay on your coffee table for months and years, collected over time, shared and treasured. A format that reflects the strength and tenacity of Canadian artists.
In the same renaissance spirit as the cassette, we want to give music lovers another reason to slow down and take the time to connect with the best of Canada’s new and emerging artists.
We’ll have our online store up by the end of the week where you’ll be able to buy digital versions of our back issues and advance purchasing for the first issue. We’re also in the process of lining up artists for our launch party – October 4th at The Carleton in Halifax – where you’ll be able to grab copies of our first issue along with some other merchy-type stuff.
In the meantime though, you can still help us print the first issue by checking out our crowdfunding campaign, which ends this Sunday (tomorrow!) and is your last chance to win a pair of free wristbands to Halifax Pop Explosion.
To all those who have supported us throughout the summer – we cannot thank you enough. If there’s every any issues with your subscription or you just want to say Hi, you can hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or by email at mixtapehalifax at gmail.com. We promise a response within 48 hours.