I've brought this over to this section of the forum as it's more general though really.
I'd be interested to know whether other people have suggested improvements / ideas to the Fan Club and what response they have been met with. It's my view that they want nothing to do with anyone that might possibly criticie them or the band (however constructively) and that it is to the detriment of Queen fans as a whole:
Well, here's a story.
I wrote to Jacky back in probably '91 with a number of suggestions for the magazine:
1 - A collector's corner section.
This was taken on, but only to the extent that they just reproduced the pictures that we have all seen of record sleeves - absolutely nothing of interest there. They did this simply because it was the least time-consuming way of doing things.
2 - Bootleg lisings / reviews
Was told "no chance" basically because the Fan Club believe they are as illegal as the record company do.
3 - More rare pictures / press cuttings
Was told that this would be too difficult to do and that printing costs of the magazine would be prohibitive. So, what EXACTLY does the £15 cover gor your subscription, based on the fact that about 20 pence covers postage (which is always late and never quarterly) - that leaves about £3.50 for the printing of your magazine, and I KNOW that a magazine of that size doesn't cost that much to print. They also said that it would be too time consuming to research - I voluntered to do it for free and didn't get a reply.
4 - Band member Q&A
This happened, but the depth of the questionning was absolutely ridiculous. people still asking Brian why he wears clogs and whet Freddie liked for breakfast.
The fact is that they Jacky and Val have become lazy. They have jobs that sustain themselves in terms of them being guaranteed whilst briand and Roger are still "in the business". Anything that takes a little imagination or is showing evidence of thinking outside the box is apparently too difficult. The Conventions pretty much organise themselves now that they ave been going on for so long, so again, they don't have to stretch themselves - it's been the same format for years - sure, people appear to love them, but surely it would be nmore interesting / challenging for the format to be changed.
At the end of the day, they have both done a laudable job in trying to maintain a service, but the fact is that it is tired, out of date and a waste of time in terms of being an information service. What they are trying to do now is to protect their own interests as opposed to serving thise that are best for fans.
The fan club is now essentially useless and a relic of the pre-Internet age, but I remain a dues paying member because I like being a dues paying member of my favorite band's official fan club. Doesn't make a lot of sense but that's how I feel about it.