TweeNet - Frequently Asked Questions
I am asked the following questions fairly often, so here I like to answer them here:
TweeNet
Indiepop-list
Music
Shalala-list
TweeNet
You have to send a copy of the record along with a press release to TweeNet, (current address). We don't guarantee to feature your record on the home page, we have to like it to put it up there.
last updated: 22-Apr-2001 by Peter Hahndorf
When the indiepop mailing list was created in September 1994, Steve Thornton, Robin Humble and Peter Hahndorf talked about setting up a web site for it. We planned a network of three sites, Robin came up with the name "TweeNet" and we all agreed.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Peter Hahndorf
First of all, I don't own all the records mentioned in the discographies. I can't make copies of records for anybody who ask, it's simply too much work. I am generally open to trades like the indiepop tape swaps however since I moved to London in April 1999 I don't have access to my record collection anymore. All records, videos and most of my CDs are in Germany so I am unable to copy anything at the moment.
To find most of the older records mentioned on the site you need some luck. The Indiepop Directory lists record stores and mail-orders around the world. Check them first. And there is always e-Bay.
last updated: 1-May-2005 by Peter Hahndorf
TweeNet is the official web-site for the indiepop mailing-list, one section is dedicated to list-related topics, incl. the Popfest pages and the poll.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Peter Hahndorf
To be featured on it own page or band or label has to archive a certain status within the indiepop world. It should have released a few good records and should be established. New bands will not get their own page right away but will get into the discography database and may be found through the search tool.
last updated: 1-May-2005 by Peter Hahndorf
Normally a records gets into the database when I buy it. Telling me about a good record or even point to a sound file on the web is not enough. Sending me a record or CD puts it automatically into the database. If I like it, it will also appear in the News section.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Peter Hahndorf
There is no special promotional page, but you should add yourself to the Indiepop Directory, it allows users to search for particular businesses in certain regions.
last updated: 1-May-2005 by Peter Hahndorf
If you see a strange error message on a page, please let us know so I can fix it. You can reach through the contact page
last updated: 1-May-2005 by Peter Hahndorf
The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English tells us:
twee = "affectedly or inappropriately dainty or quaint".It was used a lot in Britain in the late 80s, often derogatorily. It's used with irony here.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Peter Hahndorf
Before asking for a discography of a band or a label, you should check the TweeNet web-sites. Use the bands / songs search function or browse the static pages.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Peter Hahndorf
If you want to contribute to TweeNet, just contact us via the contact page. You will have to use the online system that we are using to manage all content on the site.
last updated: 21-Jul-2007 by Peter Hahndorf
The majority of content comes from Peter Hahndorf who is also responsible to all technical aspects of the site. Over the years many people contributed to the site. Check the full list
last updated: 21-Jul-2007 by Peter Hahndorf
I am currently traveling around the world and TweeNet has no physical home at the moment to send things to. I also do not spend much time online to listen to new music, so even suggesting downloads will not work.
last updated: 2-Feb-2009 by Peter Hahndorf
Indiepop-list
The Indiepop list is "owned", or maintained, by Steve Thornton in Seattle WA.
last updated: 20-Jan-2005 by Peter Hahndorf
To get on the list, send a message to indiepop-list-request@eskimo.com with the word subscribe in the Subject: line of the header (NOT the message body). To get off the list, replace the word subscribe with unsubscribe. If you are on digest, you'll have to use indiepop-digest-request@eskimo.com instead. It is possible to be subscribed to both lists at the same time, so make sure you unsubscribe from the version you don't want to be on. Also, we can always unsubscribe you manually, but turnaround time is a bit slow, so you're advised to do it yourself.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Peter Hahndorf
Subscribers on the digest list receive periodic large messages (about twice a day) containing a whole bunch of single posts strung together. This is convenient for people who get their email at work or who find it inconvenient to get dozens of individual messages every day.
If you want to subscribe to digest, send a message to indiepop-digest-request@eskimo.com with the word subscribe in the Subject: line of the header (NOT the message body).
To get off of digest, replace the word subscribe with unsubscribe.
Please note that if you are already subscribed as a regular recipient, but wish to change to digest (or vice versa), you'll have to unsubscribe from the one list before subscribing to the other, unless you want to receive both.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Steve Thornton
Some mail systems, notoriously AOL as well as others, tend to strip off the ends of large messages, especially when they're made up of a bunch of attachments. The listowner sees every digest as it goes out, and so far all have left eskimo.com complete. If your mailer is mangling them, you may have to switch back to the regular list.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Steve Thornton
Because that's the way the list software does it. Yes, it's inconvenient, if your mailer is incapable of stringing plain-text attachments together. Unfortunately this is not a configurable option.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Steve Thornton
When the mail system at Eskimo crashes, the mail queue must be restarted, which can sometimes cause duplicate messages if a message was being processed at the time. This is semi-normal and nothing to worry about.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Steve Thornton
The list software automatically removes subscribers who start to bounce email. Unfortunately, this feature is screwed up, and people frequently get removed for no good reason. The only way you can tell if this has happened to you is to try and resubscribe. If you've been removed, your subscription will be accepted; if there is some other problem with the list, you should get an "already subscribed" message back. Unless Eskimo or the list is in fact not running, in which case contact Steve Thornton immediately.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Steve Thornton
Julian Lawton started the indiepop list in the summer of 1994. For several years, a number of pop people had been talking on the 4AD-L list about breaking away and forming their own list. This idea was encouraged by the diehard 4AD fans on that list, since it really wasn't a very appropriate place to discuss Sarah Records and so on. Initially, Julian merely assembled the few posts together and hand-forwarded them to people who said they were interested. This obviously wasn't going to work, so our first true listowner stepped in: Bill Peregoy of Pop Narcotic records. The list was a Majordomo list called indiepop-l@world.std.com at first. The first message was sent by Maura Smale on September 24, 1994. Less than a month later, The World announced that they were going to start charging huge fees for running mailing lists, and Bill was unwilling to continue. So Steve Thornton in Seattle took over, and transferred the list to Eskimo North in Seattle, Washington. It was originally a Majordomo list called indiepop@eskimo.com; since then, it's changed a few times, to Listproc and finally Smartlist, and came to be called indiepop-list@eskimo.com. In late 1999, Steve decided to call it quits and the list was taken over by Jeff Barrus and Tina Henry-Barrus in Washington, D.C. After a brief stint at Onelist/Egroups, the indiepop-list was restored to its former home at Eskimo North, where it currently resides.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Steve Thornton
Yes. Almost every message sent to the list since the beginning is available at the Indiepop List Archives (www.twee.net/indiepop/), older versions of the archives were maintained by Mr. Jason Korzen in Washingto D.C. and Robin Humble in Melbourne, Australia who did the archives for the first 5 years.
last updated: 13-Jun-2007 by Peter Hahndorf
There are currently about 700 people on the list, with past or present members from approximately 20 countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, The United States, and The United Kingdom. The list software unfortunately no longer supports the who or review commands, so there's no easy way to find out who is on the list. Peter Hahndorf maintains a Who Is Who list at Tweenet. It has the names and residences of past and present listmembers, along with their fanzines, bands, labels, radio shows, etc. If you're new to the list (or haven't gotten around to it), you are encouraged to add yourself to the database using the form provided.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Steve Thornton
A TweeFest is a large gathering of listmembers. So far there have been five TweeFests: New York, May 1995; Bristol, August 1995 (during the Sarah 100 party); Washington, D.C., January 1996; and Los Angeles/New York (both in January 1997. See Tweenet for reviews of these events.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Steve Thornton
The indie pop swap is your opportunity to inflict your favorite bands on an unsuspecting list-member! Before the end of every month interested swappers should send an e-mail to keith sawyer [xrayspex@attbi.com] containing their name, home and e-mail addresses and their preferred format. At the turn of the calendar page, all participants will get a message containing the name and corresponding address of your partner. Please get your offering sent out in time for the recipient to get it by the end of the month. Postage is the responsibility of the sender, and it may be an international location.
While the definition of indie-pop differs from person to person, if you focus on making your offering entertaining and educational you shouldn't receive any complaints. Each swap is separate, so those preferring the tape format will not be matched with someone offering a CD-R.
The tape swap is currently not happening, but we plan to resurrect it soon, please check details at the
new tape swap page
last updated: 21-Jul-2007 by Peter Hahndorf
Music
"C-86" was the name of an influential cassette and album put out by the Brit music mag NME in 1986. It was modeled on their earlier cassette from 1981 called "C-81" which had introduced a number of young new bands like Orange Juice and Aztec Camera. C-86 had tracks by the Wedding Present, Soup Dragons, Mighty Lemon Drops, Pastels, Bodines, Primal Scream, Close Lobsters, other bands of a type called at the time "shambling" or "anorak" pop for their jangly-strummy guitars, hyper-melodic songs, and slightly-out-tune vocals, emphasizing all the classic points of the now-familiar indiepop style. There were also a number of songs in a rather different vein from other, crustier, Brit indie styles, like Stump and Half Man Half Biscuit and all that Ron Johnson stuff. But it was the indiepop songs like "This Boy Can Wait", "Therese", "Velocity Girl" and so on that struck deeply in the hearts of pathetic little unpopular wankers like us, and started something of a revolution that eventually turned into "twee" and Sarah and all the rest. When you see "C-86" as a reference point around here, that's what they're referring to - a particular style of pre-Sarah British indiepop that encompasses lots of bands that weren't on C-86 as well, like Talulah Gosh and so on.
At the time, I remember quite clearly that it was not merely a breath of fresh air but a pure blast of it, that changed everything and filled a huge void that I for one had been waiting for, apparently not alone after all. It's the specific thing that sent me lunging after every Subway and Pink and 53rd&3rd record I could find. And you know, that's still the stuff I like best of all. And whenever I hear someone say "like Sarah" I automatically translate that into "oh, you mean like C-86" in my mind. Though instead of being sad and quiet and slightly-out-of-tune like your typical Sarah band, C-86 is more revved up and harmonious and slightly-out-of-tune.
The name is, as C-81 was before it, a play on the C-90 designation on 90
minute blank cassettes.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Steve Thornton
As the time goes by it gets more difficult to get any releases on the Sarah label especially the older ones. A good start place for a search are the various mail-order places. There is a list of indiepop related mail-orders and shop on TweeNet. You can also try the follow up to Sarah, Shinkansen, they may have some stuff left. You can still find Sarah stuff in the shops, but your success depends on your luck and on your location. If a tape is enough for you, ask on the list or participate in the tape swap.
last updated: 7-Dec-1999 by Peter Hahndorf
Shalala-list
The Shalala mailing list was closed down in December 2000 because of server problems and the relocation of the owner from London to Chicago. It may be re-opened in the future.
last updated: 22-Apr-2001 by Peter Hahndorf
They are on TweeNet (http://www.twee.net/shalala/)
last updated: 13-Aug-2000 by Peter Hahndorf
The list was started by people dissatisfied with the content of the indiepop-list. The idea was to create a list for a smaller range of music, which would have less posts. The music was thought to be more similar to the original content of the indiepop-list. A message was sent to the indiepop-list by Mick asking for help in starting a list for the type of music listed below. Several people replied, and the group discussed how the list might be organized. In the end, most of the discussion was done by Mick, Pete, and Tim Hopkins. When all was decided upon, the list was readied, and the initial 100 subscribers were culled from invitations.
last updated: 13-Aug-2000 by Peter Hahndorf
This is a hard thing to define, but we would like to keep the list discussing mainly things like a lot of the bands on Sarah Records, the C86 comp, and Creation Records back in the 1st half of the 80's. It's sort of an ambiguous type of music with jangly guitars that is often characterized as "twee" or "anorak." That's not to say that we only want to deal with bands on those labels, nor is it to say that all the bands on those labels or the C86 comp would be considered content. Also, the bands discussed are not necessarily all from the 80's, nor are they all necessarily from the UK. Try to check the archives and use them as a stepping-stone.
last updated: 13-Aug-2000 by Peter Hahndorf