ezfolk.. another resource bites the dust :(

recieved in email just now.. sad news


Hi Folks,

I'm sorry to have to announce the closing of the ezFolk website. There have been some things that have happened recently that have made it difficult to continue, and the site will close as of April 30, 2009.

I received an email from Google last week that it appeared the ezFolk website had been hacked and was being used by spammers of some sort. After looking into it I discovered that hundreds of pages in the general site containing tutorials as well as the main page had been modified by an outside source. It's not the malicious type of a hack that will do damage to a user's computer, so don't worry about that, but it is enough damage to the website that it has to be fixed and it is more of a job than I'm able to do.

Compounding the problem is that Google also informed me they would be removing links to the ezFolk site, and although there were still links coming in from Google the last time I looked, there has been a drop of about 50% in traffic since then.

These are all problems that could be fixed over time, but honestly I'm getting older and really can't keep up with the new technology and it would only get worse over time. I started working on ezFolk almost 10 years ago in the fall of 1999, and I thought if I worked hard enough for long enough it would pay off and I would eventually be able to make a living from the site and make it my full-time occupation. That never worked out and in recent months we've barely been breaking even, which means I've been working for free. With a 50% drop in traffic we won't come close to breaking even, which means that to keep the website up and running I will not only have to work for free, which I'm used to, but I will also have to pay the bills out of my own pocket. That's not a good option.

I sent out a payment today to all artists who have earnings of at least $2.00. I didn't send a payment to those under $2.00 because it would probably be more trouble than it's worth on my end and your end as well, but if you have earnings under $2.00 and want me to pay you, let me know and I'll send it to you. You can email me at richard@hefner.com

If you don't know how to check your sales, here's how you do it:

Go to your control panel, then...
Click on "Profile"
Click on "Statistics"
Click on "Sales Stats"

I'm sending this message out to all Artists and Members and posting it in the forums as well. If I've left anything out or you have questions or comments, feel free to respond to the forum message or email me.

I do apologize to all of the faithful users of ezFolk who made the site a good place to visit and I hope we're still friends.

All the best,

Richard Hefner

http://www.ezfolk.com

can anyone help out?

Surviving a recession as a musician....

Kanon Kulpa recently published a post on Branding During a Recession. After discussions with fellow musicians, I’ve been thinking about how musicians are impacted by an economic slowdown.

As prices rise and incomes are stretched, entertainment is one of the early casualties of cutbacks. As Kanon mentioned in his article, people do not necessarily eliminate entertainment, they tend to look for lower cost alternatives. For example, it is a lot less expensive to grab a 12-pack and have a house party than hit the clubs.

For entertainers and venue owners, this can be a problem. As bar revenue decreases, owners and managers are forced to look at their expenditures and ask the question: Does providing music continue to generate revenue, or is it an expense that can be cut?

Obviously, there are many venue types out there; some are 100% dependent on music, others fall into an area where music is optional because they have other streams of income including food service, juke boxes and dare I say it…karaoke. Not all clubs will survive, others will thrive.

Among fellow musicians, we’ve discussed the following issues:

Clubs asking for musicians to take a cut on their rate
It is important to ask yourself: Do you have a good relationship with the club owner? Will the rate go up once things get better? Will a temporary rate cut lead to long term bookings? Remember, you have to balance your expenses (gas, strings, etc) and make an practical decision.

Reducing travel
With rising gas prices, many musicians are reducing their travel distance or asking for more money to travel further. This is a tightrope issue; if clubs are cutting back and you are asking for more money, will you loose the gig? On the other hand, this may be an excellent to and expand your market by expanding your territory.

Cancellations
Some bands are finding that their gigs are simply canceled due to the economic strain on venues. This situation is difficult for the club, the band and the fans who may have been planning on attending the show.

Promoting Yourself
If you continue to bring in fans and generate income for the venue, chances are you’ll fair considerably better than bands who just ’show up and play’. Recessions are a great time to spend extra effort building and maintaining your fan base.

There are no hard and fast answers to the impact of recessions on the music scene. Every market, venue and performer has idiosyncrasies that make each situation unique.

Handling yourself in a professional manner and promoting yourself is essential at all times, but especially so during hard economic times. The important thing to remember is that recessions tend to come and go on a cyclical basis.

What issues have you seen? What have I missed?