PRO TAPES/ THE ANTI BOOTLEGGERS HUNT!

The last months, I have seen a resurgence of "pro tape" labels and peoples who would strictly bet their balls on this format... Suddenly it seems only pro tapes are good anymore for whatever reason (How did we do the last 20 years?)

When I see some of these "pro" prostate peoples, I occur to feel there's a little trend phenomenon, as if they felt so proud of receiving their new trophy: The totally "in" Plexiglas pro tape! The jet set sensation is in!

But aren't we there for the music before all? Does it make a so big difference if a very good demo is released pro, half pro, totally pro, or Do it yourself? What will you listen at the end? The music, or the pro printed piece of paper or plastic? (Don't tell me the pro tapes from a factory are of a sooo much better quality... We aren't in 1990 anymore and most of the shitty blank tape labels are gone... If you order something from a current decent tape maker it won't break in 3 months...).

A positive point of the pro tape would lie in the factory made copies, so every tapes are meant to have exactly the same good quality sound... Ok, I know some peoples could be a little afraid about the sound "quality", but I know small distros aren't as bad as some phantasms could let inexperienced peoples imagine, and many distros do their job correctly... (Anyway, when a distro isn't too serious, it doesn't last, peoples avoid it...)

Some peoples would complain because they didn't receive a "pro tape" but a copied one with an original pro cover, even though the band stated on their website it should be a black tape with exactly that sticker, otherwise it's not official... So you could even feel as a bootlegger in the mouth of these anti-normal-tape and anti-bootleggers investigators... But are they really informed? How could your copies not be official when you received 1 master and 10 official covers from the label who consciously sent these for you to make copies and sell them on your list? And it's all numbered and original covers, so how could it not be official? (Do they really think I make money selling demos from so obscure bands for this small price??)

Now some "pro tape" labels aren't too professional once you look closely to what happens: They buy 100 black tapes, get 100 good quality pro Xeroxed A4 pages and cut it down by their own hands (The cut isn’t as regular as machines…), then they copy the tapes at home and paste a sticker on each tape... Ok it looks good, but is it really a pro tape? Was is totally factory pressed, with professional ink on the translucent tape, with glossy cover, and most important a sealed packaging? Not really, so it's not what I call a pro tape, it's at least quite false in the years of 15 years of underground activity and shouldn’t be marketed as a pro tape...

I'd rather buy a good DIY tape demo for 3 euros than another average trendy pro tape for 6 euros! Ah! And when you do pro tapes, you don't perpetuate the old spirit of the 80's and 90's, because back then many of the bands didn't have so much money to invest and often choose to xerox their covers... That's why many obscure labels still prefer to make normal tapes and trade 1 master + X covers all around the world...The postage cost is cheaper, and they can send more copies everywhere, and then they can make cheaper prices to please the real underground guys!

I also don't believe too much in too limited releases... Who is it meant to make happy? The Ebay sellers? The sterile collectors?
And what about these "Pro" tapes that contain a shitty rehearsal with unlistenable sound, but with a very nice colored cover and an "expensively" factory dubbed tape?
Why making the content much cheaper than the packaging? Doesn't it remind you the big pile of excrements in a very beautiful packaging?

Sometimes I feel some uber maniac collector spirit is totally from another world and doesn't fir the underground I know, which was built around passion, feelings and merit! This collector stuff is too cerebral, sterile and sometimes greedy...

So before you complain about this not-so-funny termite and the different color of that insect, or you try to look so superior because you have released a pro tape (A what ?) make sure you’re correctly informed and not (blindly?) following the last underground fashion... And eventually keep in mind fashions don’t last very long…