#46: What Am I Doing Here? (and a song by Eric Andersen)

I have

Since the beginning this project has been free and open to all. No paywalls. At first I wouldn’t even accept payment, even though some very nice people were trying to pony up. I wouldn’t let them. I didn’t want to “monetize” until I was sure of my own ability and desire to stick with it and maintain a steady (weekly) flow of material. Once I was sure about that, I started accepting paid subscriptions, but kept the paywalls down—that is: everything (every post, every file, every comment thread) remained accessible to anyone who subscribed (paying or not).

That felt right to me. As a singer-songwriter, I’ve always been reticent: from the moment of a song’s inception, pen hovering above the legal pad, to recording and releasing the final product. I could chalk it up to perfectionism but for the very wise man who once said (looking directly at me), “Sometimes perfectionism is just another word for sloth”. Ouch. In any case, I’ve wanted this project to be an antidote to all that. And it has been. It’s been therapeutic for me. Tossing a “little wild bouquet” into the ether once a week just feels good.

But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be happy to see more of you graduate to the exalted status of “paid subscriber”. The number who have done so is, well, vanishingly small in relation to the several thousand who regularly interact with this project. I’m happy and grateful for all of that interaction, paid or not. But I’m especially grateful for that small group of paid subscribers, those who get nothing for their contribution that a non-paying subscriber wouldn’t also get.

One way to go would be to remove access for certain things: ability to comment, access to certain files, etc. But I don’t want to do that. I like the fact that anyone can stumble in here and start wandering through the posts. So: whatever is already available here (prose, poems, photos, audio) will remain available to all. In other words, I’m not going to subtract anything. Instead I’m going to add. And whatever I end up adding will be available only to paid subscribers.

Here’s where the question of monetization dovetails with a certain need I’m feeling to organize this mess. A physical product might do the trick. The obvious thing would be a new record, or a book of poems, perhaps with photos, or even a multimedia project. Or several smaller projects. I don’t know yet. But the point is, access to those physical products would be conditioned upon being a paid subscriber. There would be tiers (these things always end in tiers). For example: all paid subscribers would qualify automatically for, say, a signed physical copy of a new record. However, only Founding Members would qualify for the toaster.

In effect, this Substack would then be functioning as a kind of Kickstarter or GoFundMe project. The list of those who qualify would simply be the filtered list of paid subscribers. Mailing addresses would have to be gathered.

So to all you paying subscribers present and future, at whatever level, there’s nothing to do (except respond to my email asking for your mailing address when the time comes). For the rest of you, you are always welcome here, paid or not. I love knowing you’re out there. I love your comments. And I understand that a paid subscription is a serious commitment. Not everyone can swing it. I don’t pay for every Substack I subscribe to. No one does! Besides, this weird little project isn’t for everyone.

But if this project has value for you, and if you can afford it, and if the prospect of a CD (or something) down the road appeals to you, I hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber.

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Now here’s a beautiful song by Eric Andersen. I was thrilled to be asked to contribute to a tribute project for Eric. It was released in 2022 by Y&T Records. Check it out!

credits:

RS - vocal, harmony vocal, acoustic and baritone electric guitar, mandola
David Bensimon - charango and keyboards
Joe Bonadio - drums and percussion
Julian Semprini - bombo peruano
Recorded by David Bensimon at La Casita (San Miguel del Monte, Argentina).
Additional recording by Al Hemberger at The Loft (Bronxville, NY)
Edited by David Bensimon
Mixed by Matías Cella at Chochela (Buenos Aires) and by David Bensimon