old topic.. yet lets give it another run!
I have not been very active in comic "scene" for some time due being too busy. But I recall the growing irritation with "new generation" of self publishers was the change for ultra micro level.
While in past, most of people who draw and published, aimed to create something relatively ambitions. Perhaps reaching 20 pages, 32 pages or even 52 pages zine, sold at equivalent of 1-2 euros. And printing costs were actually exactly same as now. I remember when we got local printer to do us for 0,40 finnish markka per double sided xerox, and it felt so cheap mere price urged us to do zine. Until recent (last summer) paper and print costs increase, I could still do for same price.
Anyways, it was even cheaper, when you knew where exactly to go make it.
And how did this change the comic world? Well, as opposed to what self published comics were in 80's and 90's, in 2000's you saw uprise of micro publications. People didn't bother to make proper magazine or proper comic box. There was increase of some 8 page A6 (postcard size), there was increase of 16/A5 filled with some sketches, but no actual "finished work". Print runs are often designed so it can be sold in annual festival. So it won't be available anywhere, ever. You either meet the guy, or don't. He either has copies in his small merch table, or it's out. And you do wonder whether you'd buy it anyways, since now while manufacturing is pretty much the same, the prices has been multiplied to extremes. I recall discussion of this self publishing veteran, who also teaches comics in school, and some girls who made their "zine". It was one A4 folded twice, making it "8 pages". Sold for 2 euros. He kept saying, in role of teacher as well as customer, that this is way out of line. There simply isn't any justification. Girls keep giggling and saying to this, probably in their eyes, utmost relic of times long gone, that they put effort and it costed a lot to copy these and they don't even have many. Yeah. And I'm sure they sold every copy during the fest.
Reality within noise scene often reminds this situation, and since we aren't just teenage girls, impressed about our skill to pull together couple pages of sketches, I wonder what is the real logic of micro releases. What is the justification of pricing, what is the logic of limiting release what you could easily produce on demand? I don't know is it just me, or has recently the amount of ridiculously small editions increased?
I mean, I get promo mails from bands who tell they want to do release on my label, but before that, they have ltd 10 copies tape being self financed. Ten? You check out the batches of the HNW labels or those tape labels who put out a lot of product, and often you see "this is greatest item ever existed" -enthusiasm and in end of description: limited to 17. ... what?
While the gates are opened, the flood sweeps through the mud and collects various ideas around it. With the attitudes of "we price this not according to what it cost to make, not how long release is, but what we feel it is worth. I think 2 minute lathe cut, 60€ is accurate". Yeah, 60€ if it was made by Yoko Ono, TNB or Whitehouse!
"It's all hand made", "it is special", "I am special", "buy it or don't, it's up to you".
Many discussions come into conclusion of solution being buy it or don't and shut up. If you don't like it, stay away. And to certain point, this is valid. I won't be going to reggae shops, telling how much they suck, and buy their merch just to be miserable. But within the field I operate, it seems like some modern day "everybody is entitled to.." BS, which tries to do the best to suppress criticism, feedback and sharing ideas.
There seems to be trend of offering less and less, for more and more money. Tapes have reached the kind of minimum lengths and minimum substance they can offer. But perhaps the price asked for them, and volume of how many different titles can be put out, has yet to reach it ultimate levels?
Not long ago, I had someone question why in art, the audience would be of any importance. Why would I be concerned does CD sell 50, 200 or 500. I kept saying, that I'm happy with pretty much any amount of units moved, but I believe guy who used to sell for example 500 books, now settling for 50. Or band who used to sell 1000 discs, now doing 50, seems like demand & supply doesn't match. High priced items sold by pre-orders to collectors, while the old audience didn't even know something happened. My argument would be that 500 units it's not really that BIG. It is still pretty small. I can take this kind of critic about being too audience oriented, where one thinks issue from point of view of "consumer", yet that is in form of distributor/publisher. Not in role of "artist".
I'm little critical towards the "bubble", create by focusing on idea based on 20 persons willingness to consume, seemingly endlessly. Then the club has already shrank to so small, what exactly is the point anymore?
So. This hardly makes sense. Just typed load of shit while drinking morning coffee. And I am listening to some ridiculously(?) limited TNB LP with handmade cover and mere tape hiss = silence, cut on transparent LP! Hah, it really hits the spot! I can see logic in this, since such covers could not be made too many. And that release is such a "art statement", it hardly requires treatment of proper album.
But in general, it would be nice to see comments from labels and publishers, who have constantly sold out titles in matter of days or weeks, and still don't aim to increase editions? Or people who treat noise as "artists career" and price accordingly. How does this change from plain "release" into desperation of starving artist pulling triple prices of items change its nature?
What would be the benefits of making 50 instead of 25? Or making 100 instead of 50? Making 100 pressed records instead of exclusive 20 copies lathecut? What would be benefit of keeping CDR and tapes in print. As long as orders roll in, at least once a year? Or adjusting into idea, that when making release, it's not necessarily all paid-by-the-hour labor what you absolutely need to transform in cash funds? Must noise be the "career" one makes? Obviously, I'm not promoting idea that everything must be cheap, but we live in times of maximized profits for minimized efforts, and I doubt that can be good in long run?
