thank you for your commentary on the netlabel scene. i emphasize the word scene because you actually can participate in any way imaginable. the first comment by gurdonark well illustrates some of the important ideas. in the early days of the mailart/cassette network there were very few outlets and points of reference. this was the fringe of diy, there are only a handful of artists from that scene that “made it” one example is francisco lopez. but this is also an artist who releases works which challenge the very medium itself and this is what i hope netlabels do as well.

as a musician, when i first began recording myself digitally i found that it really is a new form of radio. i do not want to “own” my files anymore. i do not trust digital storage mediums anymore. i would prefer to upload my material and let anyone use it. by making a code analogy with our music we establish a right to maintain some form of loving relationship with our playback hardware. the netlabel itself is a format. it is a form of macrosample in the world of musical culture. samples by nature are viral, all digitally based musics contains them.

netlabels are a wonderful expression of the culture of format. the love of the medium. when i think of netlabels, i think of how the tracker scene and various now obscure player formats used to be an interface. the internet itself is now an interface.

if you were to create a genre, or collective now, would you first consider that you are already a part of one first? if you did, would you promote the people who inspired you? because when i am on the internet, enjoying music, i am actually also turning into a geek. not only finding out about music but math and science. this is a cybernetic age and the machine does not yet speak the human language.

music is ephemeral and mostly enjoyed yes, for the slice of culture which it gives us. it can transport us.