HISTORY
ZAP Cassettes was originally established in December 2006 as a one-off label for the first Pirate Fucking Radio cassette. Since then, it has become an experiment for releasing and distributing music by an eclectic set of acquaintances.
Releases are usually limited edition audio cassettes (complete with artwork); sometimes digital files licensed under the Creative Commons are made available.
ZAP Cassettes was founded in Augusta, Georgia. It is currently co-operated out of Takoma, Washington D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia.
We lovingly do all the art, printing, mastering, duplicating, packaging, and distributing ourselves.
CASSETTES? WHY??!?!
I think they said it well:
"We have not entered the tape renaissance. Tapes have never gone away. Long abandoned by the recording industry, its status as preferred portable usurped by CDs and MP3s, the cassette still marches forward, championed by the tiniest of the tiny start-up labels and, increasingly, those looking for an alternative to digitalization and the tyranny of flat formats. The recording technology is dirt cheap, reproduction is a breeze, and packaging is a blast. Cassettes elicit a fervor of fandom rivaled only by top-shelf vinyl." -Stylus Magazine
She also put it nicely:
"Tapes now function as a basic form of patronage between musicians and their audience; since a physical format is no longer necessary to send or receive music, these objects become a gesture of support. Tapes act to make tangible the connection between a creator and their listeners, and the attentive and often handmade packaging speaks to this exchange." -Ceci Moss
GETTING A RELEASE
Releases are available directly from us for $5 + $1 shipping. See "ORDERING" for more information.
We also believe in the free sharing of information; therefore, some (but not all!) of our releases are licensed under the Creative Commons and available for free on Archive.org.
CONTACT
All inquiries (questions, comments, criticisms, suggestions, ordering problems, etc.) should be sent to zapcassettes@gmail.com
Who We Are...
* John Klax, Founder
Washington D.C.
* Jack, Alcohol Tsar
Atlanta, Georgia
* Arjun, Consultant
Augusta, Georgia
And sure, we're on MySpace too.