From: "Bob Hutton" <bob_hutton@standardlife.com>

> And who am I  to decry people spending their money on whatever they want 
> ... but to me this somehow smacks of taking advantage of your fans' good 
> nature.  The fans may be happy to cough up, but is it right for the band 
> to ask in the first place?  $50 is a lot to pay for an autographed CD - 
> unless the CD launch party is a fantastic event with a few "free" drinks 
> included!


I fail to see anyone being taken advantage of. Band needs to raise some cash 
to record, asks its fan base if anyone is interested in helping out, and 
whatever they collect eases their financial burden. Offensive would be 
saying something like  "If we don't get $5000 by July we won't be able to 
record anymore and it will be YOUR FAULT!"

It's *voluntary*, Bob, and it's not like the band is pissed off at the fans 
who don't contribute. Haven't you ever bought a CD at a show from a band 
knowing full well you could get a used copy cheaper on Amazon or in a dump 
bin? And maybe a $20 t-shirt that you figured was probably a $12-15 value? 
But you knew the band was on the road, not making much money and that $20-40 
might mean the difference between a proper breakfast and Slim Jims in the 
van. Plenty of fans enjoy the show, go home and spend nothing at the merch 
table. Some drop a few bucks. Life goes on. Same here.

b