AMTY - A message to you

ival – Hultsfredsfestivalen. The first two issues were in A4 format and quite lavish, but far too expensive to print, with the impact that only one fanzine per year was issued. made a major investment and took the German ska band The Lodgers from Stuttgart to Sweden for two concerts, one in Stockholm and one in Uppsala. During that time we also had Maria Mattsson and Håkan Nyström as co-workers. After the second magazine AMTY was reduced to Stefan alone and the magazine’s future seemed uncertain. The following three numbers consisted of stapled photocopies. In 1994 Rikard Schaffer (who helped with the booklets), jumped on the ska train and breathed new life into A Message To You. Issue number 6, which was published in autumn 1994 was a fresh start. We had begun selling ska related records on a small scale as a mail order and regularly appeared at the club Uptown Skankin’ in Stockholm to offer our fanzines and other goods for sale. There would be another five issues including no. 12 in 1997 before A.M.T.Y. was reinforced further by Henrik Bjugård, who’d previously helped out a great deal with for instance club sales. The first printed mail-order list was issued and another co-worker Anders Halvardsson joined in and made sure we entered the internet. The previous problem of reaching outside Stockholm was blown away and then, as now we got e-mails from ska fans all around the world. Another dream came true in when we started our own record label and made the first release in 1999. During this time we also arranged ska clubs and sometimes concerts. In 2001 with the help of our friend Fredrick Fröderberg a new website was made with improved mail order. At that time the site was by far the best as ska related sites go (the then top modern site gradually became less modern over the following 10 years). Sales took off and we participated yearly in the music festival Augustibuller in Lindesberg to further distribute our merchandise. In 2003 The Hotknives cancelled a gig that we arranged in Stockholm. We found out about this the day before, which resulted in a huge economic setback and as a result of this, we stopped doing all the concerts and club events. However in 2004 we couldn’t resist anymore, we set up some gigs with club stomp it. But after yet another setback gig (thanks to Tantogården) we reenacted the promise not to arrange more gigs for a long time to come. Around year 2006 record sales drop dramatically because of the entry of digital music and downloading. The level of our commitment to AMTY fades a little during the subsequent period. But the show goes on and we continue to release records physically and digitally. With the help of our distributor Sound Pollution, we distribute our titles in all of Sweden, and the digital music world-wide. The fanzine fell asleep and the latest issue until now is AMTY no. 24 (issued in 2007). The fanzine might kick the bucket with a final number 25 sometime. In 2012, we are about to launch a new website with a far better web shop. We released our first LP on vinyl in the same year (after major problems with the record pressing company). We also resume our club. The year 2012 begin, however, in mourning. Magnus Dahvu who’d always been a bit on the periphery of AMTY pass away in cancer (at the end of 2011) and with him a good friend and true ska fan is gone. AMTY of today consists of Stefan, Rikard and Henrik.