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I remember when Chris and I first joined up with JPF about a year ago. I emailed Al and asked "what is the membership fee?" and was really surprised when I found out there wasn't one.

This is a really good topic that can be argued from both sides very easily.

When Chris and I first started Nubzilla's Cafe, we had to make a decision whether to charge the artists we feature on the site or to make it free. Running Nubzilla's Cafe costs us money. There's not avoiding that. And at one point we considered charging the artists a small sign-up fee or monthly fee in order to cover a portion of the costs. After a lot of consideration, we decided we'd foot the bill because we didn't want to discourage anyone from sending us their stuff so we could feature them. Sadly, even $5 bucks can stand in the way, and I'd hate to see some of Tampa's most talented artists go unnoticed by Nubzilla because of a meager $5. But the fact remains, it still costs us money.

When we've done Nubzilla's Cafe Artists Showcases in downtown Clearwater in the past, it has never ceased to amaze me how much it takes in time and resources to make it all happen. Our day starts at 8am, then ends around 2am, that's 14 hours. Then add in the time and cost for promoting the event. It adds up real quick. The City of Clearwater has not paid us to do these showcases, and we in turn cannot offer to pay the musicians that perform at them. Sure, we think their performance is worth something and would love to pay them for it. But it's just a matter of what can and can't be done. So, I am very sensitive to what it takes to make it an event like the one Bob put on at Java Junction happen. You'd be amazed!

So, I agree. We have to keep everyone's best interests in mind, even the venues. I'm one would argue that venues should pay for talented musicians to perform. I see too many venues that CAN pay their musicians well that do not because so many have offered to do it for little to nothing, so why should they pay? On the other hand, there are a lot of smaller venues that would love to pay their musicians well but just can't afford it. And unfortunately, a lot of larger, more corporate venues are going to take advantage of the situation. If a musician prices himself low so he can play at the mom and pop venue and the larger corporate venue hears about it, they're likely to say "Well, I want it for that amount too" because they don't accept the notion that you're not pricing yourself low because that's all your worth, you're pricing yourself low because the mom and pop shop doesn't have the resources to do any better and you like to play there.

As for me, I would not have any problem paying $5 every time we go to a JPF meeting. $10 is a little much in my opinion though. If there's 2 of you and you're gonna buy food and drinks too, your bill can add up real quick! And if you're an artist on a budget like we are, spending $50+ in one setting for food and networking is a little pricey.

I am concerned though that other members may be discouraged from attending even for $5. A couple of my friends play out in the area for a living, and $5 may seem like a lot of money to them. The difference between getting gas to get to their gig or not. So, we have to keep this in mind.

I don't know the answer, but I figure I'd just throw what I know out there so we can all come to a conclusion that's best for everyone.

I think I'm up to 5¢ now.

[This message has been edited by Nubzilla (edited 09-08-2005).]

[This message has been edited by Nubzilla (edited 09-08-2005).]