Limited Copy: Vaporcake label
A master is something that is encased in time, there is no second copy. With access to so many mediums to copy and pirate music, we can store data away forever. But the Internet has given us an even greater ability to store music, either through torrenting, Bandcamp or other cloud services. A lackluster of music is lost through this way of thinking. I remember the days when a limited copy really was considered limited. If a band was playing at a local university cafeteria, and you didn’t buy their tape at 3 dollars, you lost your chance to own a piece of the band. The Internet has removed this from us and one such label is doing something to change this, at least from their own tiny void of space. Digital copies give us the ability to completely share data or music endlessly. Every time you allow streaming it’s as if the quality of the original art is no longer interesting to others. Everyone has their music on Bandcamp or Soundcloud , anyone can listen for as many hours as they wish, without ever paying one dime. Labels use to be about the “special limited edition.” I remember a label in an area around Fayetteville AR, back in the 90s called Clunk Records, they would sell the music from the punk and ska bands who would play at their venue. They were a venue/record store/label. They were pretty awesome, eventually though they went under. It could be due to the Internet. One Bandcamp label is breaking the rules of this endless freedom of music by creating a scarcity of limited downloads. Anywhere from 10 to who knows how many copies are allowed to be downloaded per release, and never to be added again, never to be heard again, unless you were lucky enough to download the album. If not then you are left with “OUT OF PRINT.” in the album description. Those 3 haunting words are so beautiful to our ears here at #WEATNU DM. And while we too are a label, this idea just fills us with instant nostalgia and love for the sake of limitation. Only 10 human souls hold a copy to a unique piece of avant-garde music in the form of Vaporcake Bandcamp label. Check them out, if you love experimental avant-garde and this beatnik attitude, that is so missing from the world of digital landscapes then you’ll appreciate what this Chicago label is doing.
Follow this link to Vaporcake label.
Almark – #WEATNU Digital Magazine