So here's what's coming. In the near future I'm opening a strand called The Subscriber Tapes.
If you're a Patreon Archivist, you'll be able to send me a tape that means something — the aircheck you made off the radio as a kid, the mixtape a friend put together, the show you set the timer for every week — and I'll do for it exactly what I do for my own: transfer it properly, do what the tape will allow to clean it up, pick out the highlights, and give it a home on the archive with your name on it, for as long as this place exists.
A word on restoration, because I'd rather be straight with you than make a promise I can't keep. Every tape gets the same care the rest of the archive gets. But some give up more than others — a clean recording can come back beautifully, and a tape that's been through the wars might only ever be listenable, not pristine. I'll always tell you honestly what yours is likely to give before and after, and I'll never pretend I can rescue something the tape simply won't let me.
How it will work
- 1
Be an Archivist
The Subscriber Tapes are open to supporters on the Archivist tier. That's what makes the extra time — the transfer, the restoration, the write-up — possible.
- 2
Tell me first, then send
You get in touch, we agree it's a good fit, and only then do you post it — by tracked, signed-for, insured post (more on that below).
- 3
I do the work
I digitise it on properly maintained decks, treat the audio as far as the tape allows, mark up the highlights and moments, and build its page.
- 4
It goes to the world — with your name on it
Your tape joins the archive with a permanent credit to you, and an optional dedication. Then I post your original safely back.
The honest small print
- It's a special, limited opportunity — not a bulk service. To keep the care in it, it's one or two tapes per person.
- Most Subscriber Tapes will live behind a subscription. That's not me getting rich — it's what covers the real extra hours of editing, uploading, highlighting and hosting each one takes.
- Restoration is best-effort, never guaranteed. I'll get every tape as far as it will go and tell you honestly what to expect — but some are too far gone to sound perfect, and I won't promise otherwise.
- Open to Archivist-tier supporters. If you're not there yet, that's the tier to be on when this launches.
Before you send a tape
Please read this properly — it protects your tape and it protects both of us.
- Talk to me first. Never post a tape before we've agreed it. Anything that turns up unannounced I can't be responsible for.
- Tracked, signed-for and insured, always. Use a service with a tracking number, a signature on delivery, and cover for the value to you. Keep your proof of postage.
- Send a copy, not your only copy, if you can. Tapes are fragile and irreplaceable. If it's the only one in the world, know that going in.
- Pack it to survive the journey. A padded envelope at the very least; a rigid box is better.
Posting a tape is your decision and travels at your risk. Once it's in the post it's in the hands of the courier, and if something happens in transit — loss, damage, delay — that's between you and the service you chose, which is exactly why the tracked, signed and insured part isn't optional. I'll treat everything that reaches me with real care and log it in and out, but I can't accept liability for a tape while it's travelling to or from me. Send it only if you're comfortable with that.
Get on the list
Want to be one of the first?
This isn't open yet — but if you'd like to send a tape when it is, tell me now and I'll come to you first. No tape gets posted until we've spoken.