D.I.Y. culture
What “do it yourself” meant in practice for a volunteer collective, and a few notes for anyone who wants to put on a show or press a record.
Principles
- No profit: ticket money pays bands, travel and rent; nobody lives off it.
- No hierarchy: decisions by consensus, tasks shared, newcomers welcome.
- Respect: no space for racism, sexism or homophobia at shows.
- Reciprocity: put up touring bands, trade records, support other small labels.
Putting on a show
- Find a room you can trust: youth centre, squat, rehearsal space or café.
- Agree on the deal early: guarantee, food, sleeping place, door split.
- Make flyers and spread them where the scene meets; word of mouth does the rest.
- Sort out sound, door, kitchen and clean-up before doors open.
- Settle money openly and pay the bands the same night.
Making a record
- Agree on format, run size and co-releasing partners; co-releases split cost and distribution.
- Press in runs you can actually sell; the 2007–2008 catalogue ran from 500 to 2,000 copies.
- Trade copies with other labels to widen distribution without middlemen.
Keeping it non-commercial
- Keep prices close to cost.
- Publish what is published openly, including shipping costs.
- Reinvest any surplus into the next show or record.
These notes are general guidance written for this archive, not a reproduction of the collective’s own text.