Should Composers' Forum Continue?

[Gavin Brown]

Hello Colleagues,

Composers' Forum has been around about 12 years and it's now time to consider if it should continue. There are many boards and web sites out there, plus reddit, plus facebook, so there are plenty of places composers can go to to have discussions with each other. Many of these sites offer free membership, as does Composers' Forum. But Composers' Forum is not free to the admins who run it - it costs $599 a year to keep going. Admins have been paying this cost since the site began, out of a love for music composition. We've asked the members to voluntarily contribute each year to help pay for the site, with limited success, amounting to at best about 10% of this cost. So this year is a decision year - it's now up to you, the members, to decide if this site has had its time and should close down or continue if you would be willing to help pay to keep it going. I'm hosting this discussion so you can share any thoughts you have on this. The site license is up for renewal at the end of October, I will make a decision whether or not to renew it sometime in September, in part, based on anything that comes from this discussion - 

Gav Brown
Composers' Forum
Site Administrator

[David A/ Dolatowski, Ph.D.]

I would definitely like this site to continue. If so, I would gladly contribute a membership fee.

[Stephen Lines]

CF is an excellent site that is excellently run and I'd hate to lose it. I've donated in the past and will do so again...just say when Gav....(and if necessary don't be afraid to set a minimum amount). Also, if it's not going to rock the boat too much, I think a small annual membership fee wouldn't be too much to ask for.

$600 by the end of October is achievable I'm sure, it only needs 60 of us to donate $10 each! In future an annual  'accumulator' showing how the fund is growing month by month would be useful and will give us all a fair idea of how much is needed from each of us and when. I know this has been done unsuccessfully in the past but it's what spurred me on to donate on the spot when I saw how little was being given.

[Gavin Brown]

Now! I would ask new or occasional members to consider $10, long time members to consider more. Running total: 2 members have already contributed $40 based on this thread. Donate link is on the menu at the top

Stephen Lines said:

I've donated in the past and will do so again...just say when Gav...

[Stephen Lines]

Done!

[Gavin Brown]

Thanks Steven! We had another donor too, the running total is now $90

[Norbert Oldani]

I just donated also !

[Gavin Brown]

Thanks Norbert! Running total is now $190!

[Gavin Brown]

$30 received from S.C., thank you! Running total is $220!

[Dane Aubrun]

That was me.... :)

Gav Brown said:

$30 received from S.C., thank you! Running total is $220!

[Gavin Brown]

Thanks Dane, I was wondering!