Abstract
This chapter examines the use of zines to promote the subcultural activities and institutions central to Ottawa, Ontario’s independent punk scene. It argues that zines both promote and emerge from the creative, social and professional activities shaping the city’s music scene. This is accomplished through a close reading of the zines Small Talk, City Slang and The House of Targ Zine that highlights how social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram are integrated within the distribution and promotion of these zines. The chapter concludes that the convergence of fanzines and social media platforms not only suggests the promotional allure of fanzines, but also raises further questions about the commercial value of DIY activities for these social media platforms.
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Notes
- 1.
The genres, in total, included: Alternative/Grunge (1); Alt-pop (2); Ambient Rock (2); Ambient/Shoegaze (1); Art Rock (1); Bluesgrass/Folk (1); Blues (1); Blues/Folk (2); Blues/Rock (2); Classical/Experimental (1); Country (2); Dream Pop (1); Electro (1); Electronic (4); Electronic Dance (1); Electronic/Experimental (2); Electronic/Rock (1); Emo/Punk (1); Experimental (4); Experimental Folk (2); Experimental/Instrumental (1); Experimental/Punk (1); Folk (16); Folk/Pop (1); Folk/Punk (1); Folk/Rock (4); Folk/Roots (1); Franco Pop (1); Funk/Pop (1); Funk/Soul (1); Garage (4); Garage Rock (2); Garage/Psych (2); Garage/Psych (2); Garage/Punk (2); Garage/Shoegaze (1); Harcore/Punk (1); Hardcore/Punk/Metal (1); Hip Hop (41); Hip Hop/R&B (1); Hip Hop/Rap (1); Hip Hop/Rock (1); Horrorcore Rap (1); Indie Folk (1); Indie Punk Rock (1); Instrumental (1); Irish Traditional (1); Jazz (1); Jazz/International (1); Metal (5); Modern Jazz (1); Noise Punk (1); Noise/Garage (1); Poetry (1); Pop (2); Pop Punk (3); Pop/Blues (1); Pop/Folk (1); Pop/Soul (1); Post Metal (1); Post Rock (1); Prog Rock (1); Progressive Folk (1); Psych Rock (1); Punk (13); Punk/Hardcore (1); Punk/Power Pop (1); Punk/Rock (1); R&B/Hip Hop (1); Rap (2); Rock (14); Rock Instrumental (1); Rock/Post-Punk (1); Ska/Punk (1); and World/Soul (N/A, 2014).
- 2.
Refer to House of Targ’s (N/A) January 2016 and January 2015 issues to see the recurrent format this zine follows.
- 3.
Bruised Tongue’s Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Bruised-Tongue-124615900647/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/bruisedtongue) accounts.
- 4.
Small Talk’s Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/smalltalkottawa/) account.
- 5.
House of Targ’s Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/houseoftarghouseoftarg) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/HouseofTarg) accounts.
- 6.
City Slang’s Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/cityslangradio/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/CitySlangRadio) accounts.
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Fanzines, Magazines and Clipping
Black lives matter on tech wall (2015) (ed. S. Mugoli), Vol. 22, Small Talk.
Bruised tongue 4 eva (2014) (ed. C. Proulx), Vol. 5, Small Talk.
Bruised tongue 4 eva! (2014) (ed. P. Richardson), Vol. 5, Small Talk.
City Slang: Bruised Tongue! (2013) (ed. T. Boisvenue & E. Sayer), January, Retrieved from http://www.cityslang.ca/i89woxcexmla7sko93n5iv4d9xbpy9/episode3.
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The House of Targ Zine, 10 (2015, January). Retrieved from http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5335e7a1e4b01dab8f088be1/t/54add6d0e4b06532c838bfde/1420678864751/Jan-+v6-WEB.pdf.
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Audette-Longo, M. (2020). Feel the Noise: The Promotional Allure of Punk Fanzines. In: Guerra, P., Quintela, P. (eds) Punk, Fanzines and DIY Cultures in a Global World. Palgrave Studies in the History of Subcultures and Popular Music. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28876-1_6
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