Hello MMD.  Perhaps there should be a separate subject line called
"Why do people drop out of AMICA," because this is what my message
is really about.  I was an overseas member of AMICA from some time
in the late 1970s until about 2002, when I stopped subscribing.
(I live in Tasmania, Australia.)

One of my reasons for withdrawal was a financial one.  I had very
recently retired from my job as a university physics lecturer,
a position that does not command a handsome retirement package, and
I was concerned about the cost of the annual subscription.  I was also
a member of the British Player Piano Group (PPG) and of the Australian
group, Australian Collectors of Mechanical Musical Instruments (ACMMI).

However, it was not just the subscription that caused me to leave AMICA.
It seemed to me that a great deal of the AMICA magazine's content was
devoted to describing social meetings of the various chapters, with
emphasis on the sumptuous afternoon teas or suppers that were provided.

And they are delicious indeed; during two separate sabbatical leaves
in the U.S., my wife, Beryl and I have been fortunate enough to attend
several meetings, including a fascinating weekend in Colorado Springs,
where we took two of our teenage children along, too.  We were treated
with great hospitality at these meetings, saw some very impressive homes
and, often, not only mechanical musical instruments, but collections of
other objects as well, such as antique motor cars.  What did disappoint
me a little was that not much music was played; sometimes our host
would play one roll on his player grand and then we would all move on
to the next room.  I do realize that with a crowd of people cluttering
up one's place, spending the afternoon playing rolls on the same
instrument isn't going to please everyone.

We certainly did not experience any of the standoffish behaviour
described by one recent respondent; the other AMICANs were very
friendly.  I think that our coming from Tasmania gave us some cachet
as curiosities!

I did find it difficult to elicit any response from other AMICANs when
I was having difficulties with whatever my current rebuilding project
was.  Tasmania is about as far away as one can get from sources of
restoration materials and persons who are seriously interested in doing
a good job.  There are a few businesses here that rebuild players, but
they are doing it for a living, and don't want to spend time tweaking
and screw polishing.

I would sometimes write a letter to the editor of the AMICA Bulletin,
wait several weeks before the next issue came out and then wait, often
fruitlessly, for a reply.  Now, of course, through MMD, I often get
a reply within 24 hours.

It seemed to me that the PPG Bulletin was much more on my wavelength.
There were more technical articles in it, articles on musical topics
and even some humor.  Social meetings are recorded in each issue, but
more space is devoted to what music was played and less to the supper.
And so it remains.

By the way, Beryl's and my financial situation turned out to be not
as dire as I feared.  We're not living in a cardboard box after all.

John Phillips - in Hobart, Tasmania