If you got a compulsory ten dollars a year from everyone, would that do it? i suppose. we'd miss a few interesting surf bys - but not that many.

I'm wondering what to send. I can't send much, but I wouldn't mind paying a sub like that every year.

there seems to be some dissatisfaction with the quality of mailings. I think it must be hard to understand the British experience.   

To us the internet is very liberating. In my area there is the national folk dj and the syndicated local folk dj. If you're a folksinger - seriously trying to do something with the form, and you don't enjoy the support of these two herberts - then before the internet, you seriously were out in the cold. These characters have stifled folk music for the last god knows how long. the world of podcasts, and webpages like Mudcat have been a ray of hope in a long and very dark tunnel. those of us in our 50's have seen the best songs of our generation never escape from tiny folk clubs - and we are starting to see some of the artists die without ever receiving a fair hearing.

thanks for what you do. I can understand that you think our gigs are hopelessly small time, but they are what we have done with our lives. Though we wear a cheery face most of the time, but what we write really are notes from the underground.

thank you for your help.

big al whittle