Q: What is TAH Records doing?

What are we doing anyways?

Where to start. Let's see, the first record player was invented in 1877, but that is too early of a start.

I know, I'll go backwards. Today we decided to finally make a post. That's too recent, maybe. And perhaps one of the ol' counting-chickens-too-early based on where we are in this post.

Now I've got it, I'll start in the future. Perfect.
Tomorrow (Sat Mar 5, 3-6pm UTC/GMT ), there will be an episode of One Tribe Radio, and Black Eye Butterfly (@ivanc) and me, Simon Fletterman of Double Eagle and Twice As High Records, will be on the show for a giveaway of the first full-length vinyl LP on TAH Records: Thru the Clouds of Smoke. More information can be found at the following peakd post, but the short version is that if you make a gif on theme, you could win a free copy of the LP:
https://peakd.com/hive-193816/@one.tribe.radio/two-more-day-this-is-your-chance

One Tribe Radio is a great show, so you should check it out tomorrow and then return every first Saturday of the month!

From the future maybe we should hop backwards a bit, but not too far so we don't get lost. In our last post, which was in 2021, we talked about the next release from TAH Records, which is The Stress Cones Dub Plate 10" EP (TAH-004), which will be on translucent green vinyl with a pressing of 300:

The Great Vinyl Pressing Back-Up of the Early '20s continues, and vinyl pressing is an interestingly overloaded industry at the moment, and so we can approximate an availability date of mid-late April for this record. The Stress Cones (Black Eye Butterfly @ivanc and Billy Korg @nupulse), along with TAH Records, have some fun plans for the record, including full distribution in both the US and Canada, and a vinyl-backed NFT on the game Rising Star, and so stay tuned as this release is created and becomes more awesome prior to release!!

Speaking of Rising Star, TAH Records and Double Eagle (along with United Duality) have just, in the last week, released the third ever vinyl-backed record NFT on the game, find it on the Records page of the card domain of the game:

These come with a download of both tracks, can be exchanged for the physical vinyl record, which in this case is the United Duality/Double Eagle split 7" (TAH-003). Look for it on the game if you are interested, and find the playlist for the release in any of the following places:
https://soundcloud.com/tah-records/sets/united-duality-double-eagle
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3eAUhM1Cc7itroKxG6SYjpSgfVh9RX2p
https://audius.co/tahrecords/playlist/united-dualitydouble-eagle-split-7%22-tah-003-92112
https://doubleeagle.bandcamp.com/album/united-duality-double-eagle-split-single
https://emanate.live/playlist/61e4955c3029823fe3e92529

Another thing TAH has done since our last post is to make a YouTube page, with all of the playlists of releases, along with various links to artists, and more to be added. Check it out, and subscribe to keep updated on playlists of releases!! Also please check out and subscribe to the new Audius and Emanate TAH pages!

Now it's about time we go into the future again, combined with a little of the present. Today and the last few days, TAH Records has been looking for a pressing plant which can help release our next-next record. This will be the third 7" release from TAH Records, with more details later, but if you like TAH's 7" DIY sleeves & inserts, then you should enjoy the continued colour theory employed in the design of this next-next record.

Instead of giving details on that release, for fear of mistakenly entering the wrong realm on that future timeline, we shall give details on the recent past and present which we feel implies that timeline.

Here is the standard list of things which TAH Records does for a release, along with possible roadblocks, derailings, difficulties, and fun creative experiences. Of course, everything can go crazy at any one of these steps, and many of these steps start and continue in overlapping time segments, with all kinds of realm intersections possible.

Step 1: Decide what the release will be.
This one is pretty self-explanatory, and this is the clear step to return to if too much slips into an unexpected realm, and releases must morph. But this can be my favorite part, it is always exciting to have an idea for a release.

Step 2: Create, or wait to be created, or obtain, the music for the release.
This one is also self-explanatory. Can't have the release without the music. Sometimes the music already exists, and then the music becomes part of a release, and other times music is created explicitly for the release after its conception. The more people involved in the project, the longer this step takes. The Double Eagle Science Team is currently running simulations to determine a precise model for time vs. number of musicians involved (It might be supra-exponential...).

Step 3: Have a rough plan for the artwork.
The full artwork step is sometimes a very long step. For 7" releases, we like to make our own sleeves, which is labor-intensive. We like to make our own card inserts as well. But having a vision which has room to breathe and find itself is important.

Step 4: Get the music mastered.
A good friend of mine said the most important advice he had for a vinyl release is to make sure the music is explicitly mastered for vinyl. This is a subtle and delicate process, as specific waveforms must be altered correctly so that the sound waves sound like a boss through the speakers. For all of TAH's vinyl releases thus far, we have had our tunes mastered by Adam Boose at Cauliflower Audio. Consider him if you need this job done. This part usually takes 1-2 months depending on the number of songs and the length of the queue, but however long it takes it is always worth it.

Step 5: Find a pressing plant where the record will get pressed.
This one can be very tricky. It depends on the size of the record, firstly, as many pressing plants do not press 10" records (we learned this from The Stress Cones Dub Plate). But it depends on cost, of course, and the queue for turnover time from submission to physical product in hand. We are currently at this step for the next-next release, the split 7" TAH-005, hopefully coming in the Fall of '22. While this part is happening, the artwork is being finished for the label, which I like to have done at the time of the order being placed.

Step 6: Make the order, submit music and art files, and then both wait and do things.
Once the order is made, then the future timeline for the release is really taking shape. This wait has, in the middle of it, the creation of test pressings, which are vinyl records of the release without any artwork at all, and these are usually produced in the number of 5-10. This is exciting since the music is then on vinyl! So far (fingers crossed) all of the test pressings for our releases have been fantastic and nothing has stalled out at this stage. Also during this wait, we have stickers made, or other fun promotional items like magnets or coasters (usually from Sticker Mule or Print Runner).

Step 7: Receive the record, promote and sell the record.
This is both the most exciting and most difficult bit. Promotion and sales is always difficult until it is not, as it seems, but I can say we are trying all kinds of fun things on this end. Once we learn more about this side of things, we will make another post about it. This part takes some creativity I am still discovering.

In response to the title:
A: The above is what TAH has been doing!

More things coming soon, so please come back and check us out. Subscribe to all of the things, and listen & enjoy all of the music. Please enjoy yourselves whenever you can!

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