OKP News: iCrates Goes Analogue?

OK, station break for a sec while we shamelessly plug a Kickstarter campaign for our fellow music-loving online magazine, iCrates. iCrates magazine was created two years ago by an international team of writers, illustrators and designers as the first online platform dedicated to music on vinyl. Along with producing daily content delivering interviews, articles and reviews, the site is also known to host workshops and regular events in support of the local independent music scene. "Independent" is really important to iCrates, which is why if you visit their site you'll notice a lack of advertisements and other gimmicks to make money. Just as (if not more) important as their independence, the online magazine ironically places a lot of value on physicality, as you can imagine loving and writing about vinyl records might necessitate. Their love of the analogue as opposed to the digital is what is driving iCrates' ambitious project to create a high-quality print version of their magazine, The iCrates Annual, a Kickstarter campaign to raise $26,000 for the project. Consider the symbolism: the parallel between a tangible magazine and a holdable record, both of which remove the technological middleman (the iPod/iPhone, computer, internet, etc.), leaving only the music and its lover.

The iCrates Annual will culminate a 96-page, 12" LP format, hand-numbered collector's item full of interviews, articles, reviews, record shop profiles, photo essays, "Digs of the Year," Vinyl Q&A and more -- all in full-color printing on high-end sustainable paper. And just like their site, no advertising. Watch iCrates' info-vid about the Annual, then consider contributing to the novel project (you receive rewards based on your contribution, starting at $2). For more information beyond the video, visit their kickstarter page.