In a message dated 6/11/1999 11:10:07 PM, Don wrote: <<"I don't feel that we should restrict access to information.">> Don; Thanks for explaining your meaning in your prior post............. How are we "restricting access to information" if we 'should' choose not to publish this 20 year CD-ROM? Isn't all the information still there in the journal (s)? Aren't back issues of the Journal available for sale? (provided there are any left of course) Aren't all the same subjects covered time and again in Regionals and National conventions? Aren't all welcome to come to these affairs? Why would we needfully become the "bad guys" 'if' we decide we don't want to pay for putting this project forward? Would the non production of this CD inhibit one person from becoming a piano tech? 'If' Wims figure of 55 dollars of our dues is set aside for the journal, and adjusted for inflation over the last 20 years the member who has been paying for the Journal already has aprox. 715 dollars invested in those Journals. In addition a member today is faced with a use of aprox 15 dollars of their dues to fund this CD production. Thus a 20 year member, and there are a bunch of them, is going to have an investment of 730 dollars in this CD and still will not have the CD :-( If the member wants a CD they will have to cough up an additional 100 bucks or so, bringing their total investment to 830 dollars aprox. To then turn around and sell this thingee to anyone who wants one at 100, or 150 dollars, seems wrong somehow..................... That is just the dollars and cents side of it............of course it would be more convenient to use a search engine to find what we want in an old issue! Of course it would be nice to have all the articles written by all the fine techs over the years at your fingertips! .............but no one has answered the question that I asked re: CD-ROM so I.. will.. ask.. it.. again.., i.e. <<" Now just as a hypothetical question..............'if' the making of CD-ROMs were your business and your success depended on sales covering costs and based on the results of sales of a similar (but different) CD-ROM would you invest 'your' money/time/energy in this thingee if the target market for both CDs were the same?">> My jury is still out on this question, but there are two sides, and I hate to see either side portrayed as the "bad guys", in the first place it is not needful and in the second place it is not beneficial to any. I will not make up my mind about this thingee until I have read the committee report and possibly heard the debate on the floor of Council.............but if it should become a reality I will be in line to get one, ya betcha! The concept of presubscription, which several people have mentioned, looks like a very good plan, i.e.; if over half the cost were guaranteed 'before' production than I don't think any could argue against it..........but still it is just a thought. :-) Jim Bryant (FL)
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