One of those things that I look forward to each morning is reading the
MMD.  Because of this, I have willingly donated the recommended fee for
each of the two years that I have been subscribing.  During the recent
non-delivery period, I did not even consider going to the MMD web site
to see the latest issues since I just assumed that the editors were
taking a much deserved break and that everything would start up again
when they were done.

I would propose that the archives and web site remain a free service,
but that the daily deliveries be a paid subscription.  Thus, people
who want the convenience of being spoon fed their daily fix of MMD
(like me) will pay for it, but the information will still be free for
those who are willing to do a little extra work to get it.

I have always been impressed by the willingness of many in this
mechanical music field to share their experiences with others.
It is one of the things that makes associating with this group
a real pleasure.

In this spirit, it would be a shame to shut down one of the most
valuable exchanges I have ever seen for this business/hobby.  On
the other hand, I see nothing wrong with being charged for the
convenience of direct mailing, and $30 is not at all unreasonable.
I do not subscribe to my local newspaper, but I do buy occasional
copies when I know that there has been an article that would
interest me.

Jack Breen
Southboro, MA

 [ Jody and I want to make MMD available to all.  We are discussing
 [ various gentle "incentives to contribute" which, e.g., would allow
 [ contributors to access all MMD web pages, while others could not
 [ access the most recent 14 days of MMD, etc.  -- Robbie