Jody --

When I do my bills next, look for a $30 subscription in the mail from me.

I'm a music box guy, mostly, and I see only a few items on the subject,
about which much has already been said.  I'm not complaining -- after all,
I haven't taken the time to write more than twice myself.  But to me this
suggests a "tiered contribution" concept.

How about $10 to $30 a year for us music box types (depending on income/net
worth/generosity of spirit/whatever) and a similar amount for readers
with a general interest in mechanical music, but $20 to $40 for those
who dote on roll-operated stuff?

Plus I think anyone -- dealer or individual -- who promotes anything of
their own for sale to the MMD readers/subscribers should be notified by
return Email that free ads are limited to one per person "and you just
had yours", and that they will be Email-billed for $5 (or $10) for any
future offerings.  Not that you can or would want to chase people down
for the finn, but we should all be prepared to pay something beyond our
subscription contribution for running what amounts to a classified ad.

It costs a lot more than that to reach the MBSI or AMICA membership, and
the MMD is as current as a daily newspaper and so is a *lot* more useful
to both buyers and sellers.

Of course, you should also have a "retail rate card" for commercial
businesses wishing to post long lists of items for sale, not unlike the
MBSI does.

In any case, I'd not just accept but encourage advertising.  Just keep it
at the end of the message list as you do now with items for sale.  You've
built up a valuable promotional medium with the MMD, and I'll bet most
(I'll guess something like 60 to 80 percent) of your potential revenue
will have to come from advertising instead of voluntary subscriptions.

So I'm suggesting that, in the long run, I don't think you can afford
*not* to promote advertising.

Just one guy's opinion -- and remember that one guy is a commercial FM radio
broadcaster....