The Local Files Club and Ms. Shipton's Travelling Tea Shop

About Local Files Club

My husband and I listened to an episode of Fawkes and Friends with Frank Turner recently. In the conversation, there was a moment about vinyl. The Other and I are vinyl collectors, but it wasn’t until they were talking about the physical constraints of listening to an album as a physical record that I had this spark of modern-day inspiration. Constraints aren't bad, and they often create something beautiful.

We get to scroll, skip, and avoid a lot these days. To not draw out the metaphor, it makes committing to things more difficult. I have my favorite songs on records, but when I listen to the A-D sides, I also see every song so differently once I put them in context with each other. 

While it's not a one-to-one scenario, it is why I don’t review podcasts until I’ve listened to a few episodes. If I only get a few before I review, I try to be clear about it. I want to hear the context, the full bits and bobs, before I tell people what I think about something. 

Which is an interesting idea when it comes to a podcast, and paying for a podcast I don’t get to try out first. Would I learn something from committing to buying something I wouldn’t be sure if I liked? Maybe, or maybe I’d just be disappointed and would have to live with that disappointment. 

The real question is: if I didn’t like it, was my money actually wasted? Is there a line there? Or is paying for art something we take for granted because we don’t have to pay as much up front to experience art anymore? Like, what happened to going to the bookstore just to look, and then stumble upon a book I absolutely adored? Yes, budgetary limits get in the way, but I have read things on a whim because I had the cash to burn.

All of this was brooding in my brain when I received an email about Local Files Club. It seems like a perfect moment for this, and for this question to hit podcasting. What should we pay for, how should we pay for it, and what is the best way to navigate the ecosystem? Especially when people are used to podcasts being mostly free.

Local Files Club is a digital label for audio fiction. These audio fiction pieces, in short form, are available for a one-time purchase. The thing is, they’re yours forever - and you get some extra goodies along with the purchase. I love this idea, and putting it in the context of something like vinyl made everything click for me. It’s directly supporting something I love to enjoy, and even if the taste of one of the pieces isn’t for me - I’m still able to contribute to artists being able to live, at least maybe a little, off their work. 

I think my potential discomfort here is less impactful than the benefits of supporting a label like this. It also just so happens that I was graciously sent a piece to listen to, so I could get an idea of maybe what would be happening. I loved it. 

I loved it, not only because I got everything for free (thank you!) but because it wasn’t audio fiction that I see usually getting attention. This frustrates me, becuase I see cozy, slice-of-life style books and tv being very popular. Why not audio? Spooky podcasts get so much attention, it's a little off-putting.

About Ms. Shipton's...

Ms. Shipton’s Travelling Tea Shop is a slice of life in a parallel universe where magic is real and we to reflect on those we and the church have othered in this world, by seeing how those are being othered in that world. It is clever, short piece that makes you laugh, and leaves you contemplative, but not in an uncomfortable way. Bonus is the soundtrack and other goodies you get with your download. It was so nice to get that little extra, and looking at the price - it's a lot you get for about $11.

What I also love about this whole model - is that if there is piece that I’m not into, I’m not committing to the monthly purchases. As much as that may go against the whole idea of discomfort, I also know that it’s not worth ordering banana pancakes when you don’t like bananas, if you understand where I’m coming from. 

My ideal is that this label ends up having vinyl or cassette options for listeners. It’s a pipe dream, all things considered. I won’t give up hope, and maybe you could help the dream along with a purchase of Ms Shipton’s Travelling Tea Shop to cozy up to as we get into the holiday season. It’s more than worth the $11 USD, that’s for sure. 

I can’t wait to dive deeper into Local Files Club. If you have someone that enjoys audio consider sending this as a gift. Bandcamp does make that possible!

So enjoy Ms. Shipton’s Travelling Tea Shop from Skadi’s Symphony, or wait for the next one. Just don’t forget to tune into Local Files Club for a different way to keep audio fiction going. Their website is here.

I've written over one hundred reviews in the last five years of doing this. Every single review is free, and nearly every podcast I review is free (ha). If you like what I do, consider throwing me a tip on my Support Page so I can keep doing this.

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