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Cancel Auto-renew or membership completely?
I do not post much, but have been around for a while. Last year I was contemplating going down to Digital, but decided to stick it through with Analog. Literally in all my years being part of the Club (other than first year, when I got a poster, stickers, Mag, Tshirt, Vinyl and downloads) the only thing I have received in the last few years, are the Tshirt and downloads. No mag, no swag, no vinyl. I am in Canada, so I pay $50.00 a year. Their last tours in Canada I ended up getting better seats through Ticket Master (last minute release of tickets at great value, amazing seats) I stayed with Analog, hoping things would improve, but with the latest of non-existent vinyl being discontinued, I just do not want to be stuck with another really crappy TShirt (that DEEP one, was an embarrassment and ended up donating it to a thrift shop) and no hope of getting any vinyl (and have serious doubts I will ever see the one's that are owed) I just do not understand the benefits of remaining in the "Club" anymore as the latest announcement was so vague, and really offered nothing in the way of information or even hope of better things to come. Thinking about cancelling auto-renew, or even membership altogether now. Can someone please explain to me (be polite please as I am being serious) Why I SHOULD remain a member? (PS I no longer travel to shows outside Canada) Maybe I am wrong, but I just am not feeling the "benefits" of any membership, nor do I feel any sort of "appreciation" from being in the once fantastic Club anymore. Just my feeling and opinion. Thanks and Cheers,
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This is a very good question.
Only reason for me to say yes at this point is we still get dibs on the posters.
I cannot agree more.
Keep in mind during the grace period, you can keep your number, but you're not eligible for ticket sales. I'd imagine you're also not eligible for contests or exclusive sales.
Luckily, I don't renew for a few weeks. I'm currently still set to renew as analog, but obviously I'm also in the same "wait and see" boat.
We're in the same boat (I'm coming from the interior to Van or Seattle... you're hopping on a ferry). I'm completely okay with travelling to see them- it's the only way I can (they aren't playing my home town).
Just prior to this announcement, I switched to digital given the obvious problems with the analog membership. I'll keep my membership active for at least one more show in Vancouver (have always gotten great tix).
The band is awesome. Like after every PJ show I see... I left Seattle completely enamored with them. And like always, the shine wore off after a while. This is the pattern for this band and me. I can accept this. They're not DMB for committing to tours every year, but they aren't completely inactive like Tool. They sit in the middle of the spectrum and that is fair. It is what it is.
When someone comes to Gothenburg though, 10 minute tram ride.
I don't think he was complaining. I think he was just describing his personal circumstances.
I just wanted to bring myself into the discussion. Being in the centre a bit. I'm so lonely now after christmas and all.
I think many have been questioning the benefits since they dropped seniority seating. If you've been a long standing member, the pros of being a member have been declining for years and this is the latest blow. I switched to Digital for 2018 and will renew again this month for Digital again, but with very half-hearted enthusiasm,
I remember for years setting myself reminders, marking my calendar and legitimately stressing over the fear of my membership possibly lapsing. No longer the case.
This isn't the first time. And I don't see signs of them taking strides to make it not happen in the future. Even with it being so easy. It's just a Macbook-Pro-keyboard-we-paid-for away.
I was referring to access to tickets. I know if I am lucky enough to get 10C reserved that I am seated by seniority, but based on where I live (NY) it's been very difficult to get those seats. I understand why they changed it and I've come to terms with it, but I miss the old days where I wasn't always getting shut out.
Anyway, that was just my personal example of when the 10C decline began for me. My point was that combined with reduced touring, the poorly run 45 RPM program and now it's demise are all just part of a downward trend. I don't feel like it's been particularly beneficial to be a member as it was in years past.
For the past 10 years or so, if you didn't win a ticket lottery, other than the vinyl single, what did you really get for being in the analog club? Some magazines. Digital bootleg codes. Luggage tags. Patches. T-Shirts. Opportunities to buy merchandise.
These aren't nothing, just for me pales in comparison to when I first joined. They toured far more often and the 10C secured more tickets and I looked forward to the 45. So now I'm left with the list above and the lottery game. It's a bummer.
so....what are you going to do?
We still have a few days, hopefully we hear what's going on before we have to pay.
The other thing that I never really got is that after they did the box sets for the first three records, everyone kept asking about the No Code, Yield, and other anniversary boxsets, and the response from the band always steered towards "it was nice looking back, but we really want to look at the future" and "we don't want to just be a nostalgic band", yet everything since, from the merch, to setlists, is so steeped in the past, and there's been no sense of excitement or anything new coming for a long time. I often wonder if there are differing opinions in the band about that, or if they're all sort of in that same mindset collectively, but the result seems to be much less MUSIC and a lot more STUFF to sell lately. Let me be clear- I don;t blame the band for taking advantage of any level of comfort they achieved. I just wish they'd be clear about what their intentions are, especially when they're asking for our membership dues, with little information, and not even delivering products we paid for YEARS ago. For those reasons, it's just not a hard debate anymore.
Cincinnati 2014
Greenville 2016
(Raleigh 2016)
Columbia 2016