`.thoughts on the politics of the mixtape.`

The politics of the mixed tape concern the politics of art, for the mixed tape itself is an art, albeit a "lesser" form of expression, ranking more with forms such as the collage, the pastiche, the juxtaposition of found elements. Nonetheless, if we are to grant it the status of art, what follows are a politics, implications that are housed in two distinct spheres: economics and empowerment.

The first sphere in which the politics of the mixed tape are played out is in the modes of production. In particular, the making of a mixed tape represents a high jacking of the modes of production. Every mixed tape is illegal. Thus there is subversive behavior in the making of every mixed tape, whether deliberate or not. Fundamentally, in the eyes of the law, mixed tapes are reproductions of copyrighted materials without written consent of the owner. As such, mixed tapes are a taking back.

Now of course one has to own music to make a mixed tape, a fact which weakens the above, but while it may weaken the argument, the argument does not fall entirely. Why buy more music when you can trade mixed tapes of your own with others? This initiates a sharing as such, the very foundation of the community that has developed around this website. One can avoid purchasing and thus subvert the monetary mechanism by reverting to the ancient practice of trading. While somebody still has to buy the original copy of the music, the economics that might develop around this website would allow more people to more music without money going into the pockets of the record executives.

The argument that immediately surfaces in consideration of the above position is that you are robbing from the musicians by making mixed tapes. This argument, however, has been debunked in numerous zines and this article will not expend energies on that tangent, although let it briefly be stated that (1) if a band isn’t on a label, exposure is more important that money and (2) if a band is on a label, they are hardly making any money on the sale of records.

The power in trading is not to be underestimated, because it introduces a politics of sharing and the politics of sharing – and thus the politics of trust - is the next sphere of the politics of the mixed tape. Trading tapes with strangers is a liberating activity. One copies the tape, meticulously transcribes the song, reproduces a cover and drops it in the mail, a significant expenditure of resources, both time and money, an expenditure without clear reward because there is no certainty that the person on the other end will in fact recapitulate. But they most often do. You have now entered a trust relationship, something not to be taken for granted.

This is a strong relationship and empowering too, because when you receive that tape in the mailbox, carefully packaged and delivered to you, there is a recognition that you were involved in a risky relationship and you were not burned. Trust builds trust whereas distrust breeds cynicism. As such, each positive experience with trading mixed tapes is affirmative in the face of that which denies and rejects. And this affirmation can have political ramifications. While it may seem far fetched and perhaps too insignificant to recognize, there is resonance. Each successful trade builds on the former and leads to affirmation, which can lead to an attitude of hope, fighting against the cycle of despair.

These two spheres, the co-option of the modes of production and the empowering resonance of sharing and trading, comprise the politics of the mixed tape. Together they combine to transform the apparent innocence of making mixed tapes into some more.

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