Tape duplication services?

[manuelM]

What are you people using lately for duplicating tapes?
Any reliable service out there?
I'm about to try with mobineko for the first time...
Do you have any tips, recommendations, experiences you would share? Thanks, much appreciated

[holy ghost]

duplication.ca is always the bomb. I have never had a bad experience with them.

[-NRRRRK-]

If you are in Europe you might try Tape Muzik (if you haven't done it already).

[Euro Trash Bazooka]

But isn't Tape Muzik a pain to use with all their GEMA processing applications? What are everyone's experiences with that?

[-NRRRRK-]

That GEMA procedure is annoying, but it should not be a problem. You just sent in the info on the release (artist, track titles etc), get a confirmation from GEMA and forward this to Tape Muzik.

[urall]

In Europe (NL) i've worked with http://www.debandjesfabriek.nl/ and had a good experience, fast turnover time too.

[WCN]

But isn't Tape Muzik a pain to use with all their GEMA processing applications? What are everyone's experiences with that?

I use their parent company RAND Muzik for most of my vinyl, and they require the GEMA thing for every project. I guess it's logical that they'd want this for tapes too, even though it seems ridiculous. It's definitely annoying and confusing to navigate at first but not too bad once you figure it out. Basically have to get a document from GEMA proving the "songs" aren't registered with them. Just means filling out a specific form you DL off the GEMA site and emailing it to them, then you get a letter in the mail a few days later and have to scan it and send it to the pressing plant. If anyone needs the form and a more specific walk through, let me know. Super German process...

[Euro Trash Bazooka]

Thanks a lot for the replies about Tape Muzik!

Here's what they say on their website.:

For EVERY sound carrier duplication (duplicated cassettes) we therefore require the delivery license of a collecting society (in Germany GEMA). The production should be registered in the country where the distribution of the cassettes will take place. The application or the production notification is NOT sufficient. In the best case, processing times for the application should be planned before the order is placed.

That means, if I get it right, that I should register whatever I want to press through them with the SACEM (the French equivalent of GEMA), which I will never do.

The only time I played a more "serious" official festival that was funded by the state and stuff, they gave us official pay slips for the time spent playing at the end of the gig, and registered that stuff through the SACEM as they were "broadcasting live music" or something. We ended having to pay the SACEM back for playing live on an official event and the pay slip (the biggest we've ever had, a nice 3-figure amount) didn't even cover what we owed back. So I guess that means no Tape Muzik for me...

[WCN]

The application or the production notification is NOT sufficient. In the best case, processing times for the application should be planned before the order is placed.

That’s an interesting bit, because I’ve typically used the confirmation letter that GEMA sends once they receive the application, and that has sufficed for RAND. I get usually get a super thick envelope from GEMA MONTHS later where they’ve processed the application, determined the music I’m pressing doesn’t belong to GEMA and a bill for “€0.00”. If they need THIS now, they’ve just lost another customer because it takes way too long.

However, to your concern Remi, I don’t think you’re required to register the music with GEMA/SACEM etc. but rather produce a document proving to Tape Muzik that you’re music is NOT registered with SACEM. It’s still all a bit of black magic to me but that’s my understanding. What a racket...

[totalblack]

CYA I guess, aren't they also anal about illegal downloading in Germany?

Yeah people can get fines of approx 1000eu for downloading torrents, Germans are generally pedantic about anything that could possibly involve paperwork. GEMA is an irritating pyramid scheme that charges everyone doing anything involved with music, and it goes mostly to Sony, BMG, etc. You can do the paperwork to opt-out with RAND, and even though it's the same company I've heard people having issues with TAPE muzik, someone I know couldn't get them to dub him 20 tapes even after I showed him how to do the same paperwork that RAND accepts. This was several years ago though so maybe it's changed since.

Monotype in Poland also offers tape duplication, the quotes I got look pretty good for around 100 tapes but I haven't used them so I'm not sure about how they are dubbed or quality.

[Euro Trash Bazooka]

Tapeline are a super annoying to deal with when it comes to duplication and Fairview botched a few jobs I've done through them before. And with Brexit and the ultra expensive fees I got to pay to weeks ago, I'm done ordering from the UK for a while.

Also, I'm not afraid of paperwork, I work for the French administration and crushing people under tons of paperwork for the most inane request is what we do (OK, we're trying to get better at that, I swear.) But registering your music is useless as far as I'm concerned. I don't care about copyrights, no one is going to use a shitty snippet of us yelling obscenities in a microphone and make billions of dollars on our backs using it in a commercial (I dare you.)

As for laws against digital downloading, the French one cost 82 000 000 € to the taxpayers since it was implemented in 2009 and they made 87 000€ back out of it so far. They're withdrawing it in 2022.

And I saw Monotype too but I need less tapes done than the minimum quantity they offer...

And Oskar, fair enough and thanks! I just don't want to deal with that kind of stuff more than I should haha.

[tisbor]

Italy
Vinilificio: http://www.vinilificio.com/?lang=en

Vinilificio is literally 10 minutes walk from my house. Not very convenient for tapes (he's just a broker as far as I know) but very interesting for extra short run vinyl.

[Potier]

United States:

National Audio Company - https://www.nationalaudiocompany.com/

Have dealt with them in the past and had good experiences. Most recently there was one job that I was unhappy with and ended up having to cancel which cost me... Guess they are now also rolling out new Type I tape that is supposedly better than the one in use before... Guess that's a trend - feel like I read somewhere that duplication.ca is working with something like that now as well.

A to Z Audio - http://www.atozaudio.com/

Cryptic Carousel - https://store.crypticcarousel.com/

Have not dealt with either of these outfits...just wanted to add them to the list.

Related note:

I've been sourcing all my blanks from duplication.ca in Canada for years and have nothing but good experiences when it comes to that.

[manuelM]

Thanks for your tips. As that GEMA seems too painful to deal I believe I prefer to try Mobineko or maybe edisco in Portugal if I can arrange something easy with them.
In any case, I'll let you know later how it goes

[Euro Trash Bazooka]

Edisco is very easy to deal with and I used them a few times a few years ago, until I wasn't satisfied with a job I sent them (they kind of ruined the mix of the tape.) But the prices were good and the turnaround ok.