With the beginning of the new year, a new website and online-database has been launched: tape-mag.com. It focuses on non-commercial DIY-culture of a pre-digital music era, when xeroxed fanzines and tape-trading were the only means available to bypass the commercial system of major-labels and to promote and distribute underground music.

Tape-Mag.com is a Non-Profit Online-Archive & Information-Database for Audio-Tape-Culture (Cassettes/Tapes/Reels) and 20th Century Art- & Music-related Small-Press Publications / Magazine-Culture.

This Archive-Database focuses on the following styles/genres.

– Mid 70’s to late 90’s Industrial / Experimental / Free Improvisation / Post- Punk / New Wave, Minimal / Synth /Ambient and further musical directions of the DIY-Cassette-Culture.

– early 50’s to late 90’s Sound Art / Sound Poetry / Text-Sound-Compositions / Poesie Sonore / Verbosonics / Lingual Music / Music Concrete / Audio Art plus related printed Mail-Art / Concrete Poetry / Visual Poetry / Lettrisme / Fluxus

(https://tape-mag.com/About_Us-1-3.htm)

I just digged in a bit into this huge database. You will find many unknown (at least to me) and abscure bands and artists, alongside the well known pioneers of these genres like Tangerine Dream, Throbbing Gristle, Skinny Puppy, Front 242, Killing Joke, Einstürzende Neubauten and so on.

What distinguished it from discogs.com (to my impression) is the focus on small, unofficial, homemade releases on cassette, tape or reel, and the vast amount of press and zines, all connected in a nice database. The press-material is scanned and available for registred members, as well as sometimes links to mp3s on filehosting services.

The look and feel of the website reflects the DYI-attitude in the 21st century: basic CMS-design 😉

via IASPM-Newsletter/Julio Mendevil