Bluegreengold Cassettes

1.1 - What is Bluegreengold Cassettes?

Bluegreengold Cassettes is an independent, artist run, cassette label.

1.2 - Are you really truly independent?

We are independent in the sense that we make all of our musical, artistic and business decisions for ourselves. However, all musicians who are not already independently wealthy are dependent on others. The question is who should they be dependent on. We aim to be listener dependent. We believe that there are idealistic music lovers out there who are willing to directly support the artists they enjoy.

1.3 - How may I buy a cassette?

Bluegreengold cassettes are available at mix tape mixer events in the NYC area, select international locations, and by postal order. Email for more information, or to be added to our mailing list .

1.4 - Are your cassettes limited releases?

No. We aim keep our music continually available.

1.5 - What are special edition cassettes?

These are short runs of cassettes made using special tape / deck / settings. While a regular format cassette of all our titles will made to meet demand, special editions are of a limited nature.

1.6 - What is cassette registration about?

Cassette registration allows us to map the lineage of our tape tree. Register here.

1.7 - Why must I wait for my cassette?

All of our cassettes are recorded in real time, strictly DIY. Sadly, there is only so much time in the day we can devote to making tapes, so in times of high demand one may need to wait in queue. We currently operate at a maximum capacity of 64 tapes a week.

1.8 - Is there a subscription service?

A subscription service is in the works. Check back for details.

1.9 - May I purchase an mp3?

There are no official digital versions of complete bluegreengold releases. Any digital copy has been made by someone from a cassette, against the wishes of the artists. If you choose to listen to this music on mp3, please do recognize that the quality of the sound is likely far diminished relative to the original tape. If you enjoy the music, please consider buying a cassette, or a hand printed label in support of the artists, even if you prefer to listen to music on a computer or pod.

While we wish that everyone listened to music on cassette it is an unrealistic expectation. There are also places in the world where it may not be practical to receive a cassette in the mail. For the deckless and the remote we share the A side of some of our releases in mp3 format. These are available for download here. Digital distribution of complete versions of our recordings is frowned upon.

1.11 - What about cassette copies?

In contrast to our feelings about mp3s, we encourage you to make cassette copies and share those with friends. There is something peculiarly human and pro-social about the cassette. I wish that everyone could experience the joy of trading tapes. I encourage you to register your copies in the tape tree. You may purchase a hand-printed cassette label for your copies.

1.12 - But I thought cassettes do not sound very good

Unfortunately it is often the case that cassettes are made without regard to sound quality. It is also true that most people have not listened to a truly great tape player. However, cassette tapes have the greatest potential for audio fidelity and luscious euphony of all practical audio distribution mediums. Only reel to reel tape can outperform a high end cassette deck with well made real time recorded tapes. Thank you Niro Nakamichi. We suggest that if you love sound that you do a little research on the subject. In time we will be posting our essays on cassettes in the philosophy section. Meanwhile, just consider that cassette tapes offer high quality analog reproduction that can exceed the standards of compact discs, can faithfully reproduce vinyl records, and are also portable. You can still buy a decent cassette walkman. Our cassettes are recorded in real time on assuredly excellent decks. It's fine to listen to these tapes on a cheapo boombox, but to get the most out of your cassettes we suggest you invest a good quality player. When ordering, please let us know what playback device you plan to use for listening and we will choose a tape that best matches your setup.