Editing They Might Be Giants (section)

==={{anchor|Dial-A-Song|Dial-a-Song}} Dial-A-Song (1985–2008)===
{{Redirect|Dial a Song|the compilation album|Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants}}
At one point, Linnell broke his wrist in a [[bicycle safety|biking accident]], and Flansburgh's apartment was [[burglary|burgled]], stopping them from performing for a time. During this hiatus, they began recording their songs onto an [[answering machine]] and then advertising the phone number in local newspapers such as ''[[The Village Voice]]'', using the [[moniker]] "Dial-A-Song".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodgers, Robert |date=March 9, 1998 |title=They Might Be Giants Anthology |url=http://www.lctn.com/education/hallshigh/tgrtime/dial.htm |access-date=April 7, 2006 |website=Dial-a-song}}</ref> They also released a demo cassette, which earned them a review in ''[[People (American magazine)|People]]'' magazine. Authored by Michael Small,<ref>{{Cite web |title=They Might Be Giants: Flood |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/they-might-be-giants-flood/ |access-date=2023-12-25 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> the review caught the attention of [[Bar/None Records]], who signed them to a recording deal.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chuss |first=Eric J. |title=TMBG New York City Where Everyone's Your Friend |url=http://www.tmbg.org/learning/nyc/ |access-date=January 14, 2007 |website=The Unofficial TMBG site}}</ref>

From the 1980s until 1998, Dial-A-Song consisted of an answering machine with a tape of the band playing various songs. The machine played one track at a time, ranging from demos and uncompleted work to mock advertisements the band had created. It was often difficult to access due to the popularity of the service and the dubious quality of the machines used. About this, one of Dial-A-Song's many slogans over the years was the tongue-in-cheek "Always Busy, Often Broken".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Silver |first=Curtis |title=New They Might Be Giants Album Raises New and Troubling Questions |url=https://www.wired.com/2011/11/new-they-might-be-giants-album-raises-new-and-troubling-questions/ |access-date=2024-09-18 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> The number, (718) 387–6962, was a local Brooklyn number and was charged accordingly, but the band advertised it with the line: "Free when you call from work".<ref>{{Cite web |title=They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants, Cd, 1987 |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/435516-They-Might-Be-Giants-They-Might-Be-Giants |access-date=16 June 2024 |website=Discogs|date=1987 }}</ref>

At one point in 1988, the Dial-A-Song [[answering machine]] recorded a conversation between two people who had listened to Dial-A-Song, then questioned how they made money out of it. An excerpt from the conversation has been included as a [[hidden track]] on the EP for "[[(She Was A) Hotel Detective]]." In the late '90s, TMBG started switching to a digital unit to update the format for Dial-A-Song but, due to frequent crashes, the band returned to the original format.

In March 2000, TMBG started the website dialasong.com, which was more reliable than the original, phone-based version, as it used a [[Adobe Flash|Flash]] document to stream the songs.

In 2002, Dial-A-Song's answering machine broke down, and fans responded by sending new similar models. In the following year, Dial-A-Song resumed service with a new answering machine. By 2005, a computer system from TechTV was provided to maintain the system, but technical difficulties started bringing the system to an end.

In 2006, Dial-A-Song became increasingly difficult to maintain as a result of unreliable answering machines that had to be replaced. The stress placed upon the answering machine in addition to its age caused excessive wear, and the machine broke down soon after. In August, Dial-A-Song ceased production and because fans started taking advantage of the internet, it was replaced with a page promoting the They Might Be Giants [[podcast]]s.

John Linnell stated in an interview in early 2008 that Dial-A-Song had died of a technical crash and that the Internet had taken over where the machine left off. On November 15, 2008, the Dial-A-Song number was officially disconnected, though the number has at times been re-used in a similar style by other independent artists.

In 2015, Dial-A-Song was reactivated with a new [[toll-free number]]: (844) 387–6962.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://dialasong.com/about/ | title=TMBG Dial-A-Song }}</ref>