Social Tapes is a collection of 'social phonography' projects from all around the world. Our definition of 'Social Phonography' is the documentation of life with sound. Collections focus on any facet of life that make us human and that documents the present state of where we are today. Topics such as love, happiness, migration, religion, conflicts, nature, culture, preservation, are all encouraged.
We review all materials and work with the artists to ensure that they meet the following criteria:
- Aesthetic Quality. The audio collections must have a strong point of view and a deliberate and meaningful composition.
- Integrity. The images and the writing must avoid sensationalism, factual information must be accurate, and the recordings must be respectful of the subject and the listener.
- Technical quality. We do not edit files or curate the projects. We do work with the recordists to make sure their work is up to the level required to be released.
Sound can be presented in many ways. To ensure a consistent and unique collection we would like to state what this collection is not:
- Radio. The collections are not a traditional produced radio or news broadcast. The focus is the true sound of the subject or place itself. Interviews and speaking by the subject is not necessary. Each recording is a part of a whole at the same time it can stand on its own. Each recording is a paragraph in a story of your collection.
- A music album. This is not an experimental music album. There should be no addition of composed or improvised sounds or field recordings. Recordists are encouraged to document the best field recordings possible that complement their project focus. Any composition should be improvised live during the recording and post production should be kept to a minimum save for any cutting of unintended noise or the filtering of noise that affects the recording.
Each collection will be presented and released via our website.
Social Tapes is a Bivouac Recording label project and is not a charity. We are not a registered non-profit organization and we do not accept donations. Our funding does come from the collections we sell, so we have to make them pretty damn good. It is only with the equal dedication of everyone involved that allow us to release these albums and bring knowledge and awareness no matter how big or small, to the world.
Finally, Social Tapes is an open project and anybody can be a part of it. We can't be everywhere at once so an international network of like-minded people can truly be beneficial for this project. Please contact us for more information.
If your organization would like a Social Tape made for your project or cause please contact us.
Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoy Social Tapes.