This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply. Each August I do an evaluation of how this website’s running, how our traffic numbers are doing, and what kind of revenue we’re bringing in from advertising, merch, and from our supporting members. It’s not the most fun part of running this website, but it’s one of the necessities to make sure we’re still on the right track and to assess the website’s viability for the upcoming year. I use this time to figure out what kind of freelance work I’ll need to schedule out for the rest of the year, as well as what projects I can focus on during the last quarter. Based on these calculations, I am exactly 90 supporters short of this website hitting my goal for the year. That means if 90 more people sign-up to any tier of the supporter membership by the end of this year, I’ll be sitting right where I want to be and it’ll be a massive weight off my shoulders. My plan, if I can hit these numbers, is for my next big project to be a rethinking of the homepage. I have wireframed a refreshing of the main website’s design, and that’s what I’d like to tackle next. So, this is my yearly pitch to everyone that reads this website: if you like reading the news and content during the week, like reading the newsletter each Friday, and/or like reading or participating in our community, please consider becoming a supporting member. Every tier gives you the same perks: no ads on the website, dark mode, extra features in the forums, and it basically comes down to about seven cents a day. Thank you to everyone that reads this website every day and for helping to make it what it is. I try not to post about this sort of stuff all that often, but once a year I like to try and update everyone on where we’re at and how everything is currently working out. Expand - View Original
The price to support this place for a whole year is less than you spend on a good vinyl record. The community and information here can't really be found anywhere else - believe me, I've looked.
I literally wrote my thesis about AP.net and the transformation of subcultures on the Internet back in...2006. Christ, I am old balls. AND YET, STILL HERE BECAUSE THIS PLACE KEEPS ME YOUNG.
The amount of music and news I've gotten from this site over the last fifteen years has been incredible. I wouldn't know and love more than half the bands I do without this place. I still "ctrl+t a b" out of habit. It's awkward when I do it at work when I'm trying to show somebody something.
I don't know if I can say it's the best $25 that I spend a year, but I can certainly say that it's the $25 a year that I feel the best about. You also get some really cool behind-the-scenes and top-secret things from @Jason Tate in the supporter forums that you don't see elsewhere too. So yeah, I'm two subscriptions in and have no plans to cancel anytime soon. I recommend it to others!