I am writing an article on split releases in DIY / noise music for my next zine. Got some good stuff so far, but more contributions makes for a better read, so....
I am looking for quotes / anecdotes on why you think splits are GOOD / BAD, also any horror / success stories from past experiences. Your favourite splits? What's the worst split? Whats the weirdest split that actually works.....
Why are splits so common in noise / DIY? (I have quite a lot already on this, but I may have missed something....)
You can DM or reply here if it makes for good reading
Not looking for personal attacks if you have bad experiences, so maybe censor names of parties involved unless its universally accepted that X is rubbish at keeping their word
Happy to credit any contributions and include a URL to your work.
Splits rule! This is just my opinion, but for me the most logical reason for split releases is that it is a very economical use of resources. If you are going to release a tape or CD, well each of those things hold almost 90 minutes worth of music, so for basically the same amount of work, you could get 2 artists/projects out into the world instead of 1. Whenever I do a release that has like 20 minutes of blank tape on it (since for my label I use 90 min cassette stock that I already own), i grumble that the extra space could have been taken up with something else that is essentially a separate 20-minute release. Plus with splits, ALL of the material is showcased/emphasized as opposed to slogging through a full length and picking favorites. Since a split is generally shorter, I feel like the listener devotes more attention to both sides. Also this probably goes without saying, but the variety. I also enjoy splits from things I already like with things I'm not familiar with. Like, I love Astro. If there's an Astro split, I think gee, someone somewhere believes that if you like Astro then you will also like this for a million possible reasons. Maybe the two are complimentary, maybe they are complete opposites whose differences make for a compelling release. Whoever made or released it believes that the material is best showcased alongside this other act. Honestly as a music nerd I find that dare very hard to turn down.
Splits are one thing.. can't say I can think of any that went wrong. Collabs on the other hand are a different beast.. I started several that were never finished.. in most cases it was because one person had a higher standard than the other for what could be released.
There's probably an objective answer as to why splits are so common in noise, one that can be backed-up with empirical and historical evidence, but how I see it is it all comes down to cost, promotion and tradition.
If I, as a label, want to put out a tape, having two names on a release may in theory reach a wider audience than if it were a solo release (e.g. Macronympha / Richard Ramirez could get more eyes on it than just one or the other).
Also, having two names on one release theoretically costs less than two releases by two different names; if your split tape is a c90, that's essentially like having two full-length albums on one tape, which in turn could be a further incentive for customers to buy it.
Certainly there's exceptions to these approaches: in the Macronympha / Richard Ramirez example, it's worth noting their styles are somewhat similar so there's already a bit of overlap between the audiences for either artist (and both artists are already in a niche genre to being with: there's a "cap" to how much wider you can stretch your appeal).
Similarly, the cost of the format could be irrelevant; I've seen free >100-way splits (though at that point wouldn't they be compilations? lol) and really elaborate, expensive splits alike, and yet they're equally as likely to be left untouched... but I digress.
If we live in a world where >100-way splits aren't out of the ordinary, then I think that's the point where the idea of a split has become a tradition or impulse rather than something
You say splits are common in noise but they're also common in punk/hardcore, too, and for much the same reasons: vinyl is expensive to produce, and if I can mitigate the cost a bit while simultaneously also promoting (if I'm a label) or co-promoting (if it's funded by the artists themselves) another band, why not?
I wouldn't be surprised if someone traced the "lineage" of noise splits back to punk splits or even further back, as the two genres have always had a lot in common (e.g. DIY ethos, black & white xerox aesthetic, raw/loud sound quality, attitude, etc.).
One other thought: I sort of started my noise """""career""""" at a time when netlabels were going strong, around the year 2009 B.B./B.F. (Before Bandcamp/Before Facebook). Back then, splits were kind of a way of reaching out to other people in the scene; a way of networking. Now we have Facebook so it's a lot easier to make connections and check out what others are doing, while Bandcamp makes it easier to present our work in a professional yet easily navigable way... but that wasn't really the case in 2009. Sure there was MySpace, but their player was garbage; also Bandcamp at the time was just this novel, beta technology (I think it was called like drop.io or something back then?). I can only imagine how much more isolated and insular the scene was before this (before even the internet came into popular use) but the point I'm trying to make is, back then, it was a legit networking strategy. Now I feel like splits are done more out of cost convenience or even just for the hell of it than as a social thing, though I could be wrong.
EDIT: no idea why my text is coming out as bright white (or is that just me?)
So, it's pretty easy to guess why splits became a common practice for independent/DIY labels and artists: Groups could pool resources together to fund releases. Two bands could potentially split the cost of releasing a record. Loads of punk/HC/"etc." VA's from back in the day and still today are funded by multiple parties as well.
I think it's still the main motivation, but the practice has evolved somewhat over the years... Splits are something of an anachronism, even more than physical media itself (to SOME people, anyway) These days, a lot of times bands who are mutual friends/fans will agree to release or be invited to participate in splits out of simply wanting to share a record (some early Anal Cunt splits were a good example of this. I know Seth gushed about Patareni for example, and was the one to encourage, perhaps even insist on, their split 7").
Also, to quote part of an old post I made on the merzbow.tk forums:
It's the same reason labels release endless, mediocre Agathocles splits in five different colors and overcharge for the test pressings on ebay: Collectors buy them, and the scene and labels are sustained by it. It's less about sheer profit and more about keeping the network of bands, fans, labels, communities, venues, etc. alive and communicating and providing mutual support without big labels and corporate backing, I believe. Nobody in the underground is really getting rich doing any of this. It's just the way of "punk rock" economics.
The quote isn't really related to this topic, but the last half pretty well sums up why so many punk/grind/etc. bands release split after split after split.
Soloman Tump wrote: ↑Mon Aug 02, 2021 3:06 amWhats the weirdest split that actually works.....
Not sure if it especially 'works' but this has got to be one of the most incongruous split lineups of all time. I actually own this, bought new-old stock from the label a couple of years back at a record fair
One thing that slightly annoys me about splits these days is the trend (mostly in grind/noisecore?) of the acts bandcamp-rereleasing / putting on youtube just their tracks own from the split and not the other act/s?!
timdrage wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 5:32 am
One thing that slightly annoys me about splits these days is the trend (mostly in grind/noisecore?) of the acts bandcamp-rereleasing / putting on youtube just their tracks own from the split and not the other act/s?!
Yeah i've noticed that on a couple of noise / industrial releases. I guess its a way of claiming separate digital revenues.
Just checked - and both releases I had in mind link to the other side of the split, so yeah, buy the bits you want. That doesn't make it a split tho.
