| fredrogbrijohn 11.01.2006 20:53 |
Did anyone read this on the fan club website? "Our future here at the Old Bakehouse is sadly still uncertain, as the fan club is still not doing great, despite the tour and a slight increase in memberships. We can only really stay here if the new 'landlord' doesn't want to charge an extortionate rent, and even then we will be struggling." |
| TRS-Romania 11.01.2006 21:06 |
my honest humble opinon: the fanclub did great things in the 1970's and 1980's and even the earlie 90's .... but the magazine has been outrun because of information available on the spot on the internet nevertheless, Jacky and Val (if I am right) have gone a great job in the many years they worked for the fanclub, but sadly for them, informationwise we dont need them ...since sites as Brianmay.com and Queenzone fill in the gap of the 4 issues of fanclub magazines the QFC publishes Sorry, but modern technology has outrun them , and they did no respond to market trends or market demands Stefan |
| stateside fan 11.01.2006 22:09 |
i think they are both snobs.to have made it this far since Freddie died is very fortunate. |
| kagezan1313 12.01.2006 17:35 |
Have to agree with you on that one stateside. They're like two sad old crones who're still guarding the door to a barn that burned down long ago. Knock em down and put up a Walmart! |
| bryans permed poodle 15069 12.01.2006 18:08 |
fredrogbrijohn wrote: Did anyone read this on the fan club website? "Our future here at the Old Bakehouse is sadly still uncertain, as the fan club is still not doing great, despite the tour and a slight increase in memberships. We can only really stay here if the new 'landlord' doesn't want to charge an extortionate rent, and even then we will be struggling."Probably lost a lot of membership when GIMP Rodgers joined Brian and Roger (I refuse to say Queen or Queen + because it's fake)and also because hardly any input from John Deacon. I would have thought all the latest fan club mags are just Brian and Roger banging on about Will Will Rock You shows and how marvelous Paul Rodgers is. I know I cancelled my subscription a month after Freddie died. Though it was a nice touch by the fanclub to send me a nice booklet on Freddie's life even though I had already cancelled the subscription. I think it had a letter from Brian on behalf of the band saying something about the "dispicabel press". |
| Togg 13.01.2006 05:29 |
Actually the membership went up! |
| Mr. Scully 13.01.2006 05:56 |
Yes, it must be really hard to stay alive with income of only 80000-100000 UK pounds every year. For that money I will run the fanclub for another 10 years... and my office will be open every day and will have much more Queen memorabilia... and the magazine will be sent out in time, not 3 months after the promised date. |
| Serry... 13.01.2006 06:14 |
Two reasons why I was a member of OIQFC: printed hand-written letters from Brian, Roger and John; black plastic card. |
| Fenderek 13.01.2006 06:29 |
TRS-Romania wrote: Sorry, but modern technology has outrun them , and they did no respond to market trends or market demandsI was never a member of QFC. However, I am a memeber of a Dream theater Fan Club. What do i get instead? Well- for once there was a DVD (Fan Club Onbly) with some cool stuff from the European leg of their 2005 Tour. Look at Metallica- not only "So What?" magazine but all those discs and limited editions they do ONLY for the die-hards. That's the only way you can keep those really, REALLY devoted ones nowadays. OFC is a... relict. I'm jealous looking at other bands, how they and their fan clubs treat their fans. marillion played for two days on the convention, fans chosing the songs... Man, it's actually absolutely ridiculous that the band as huge as Queen can't have a Fan Club worth the band's legacy... |
| Togg 13.01.2006 06:38 |
Mr. Scully wrote: Yes, it must be really hard to stay alive with income of only 80000-100000 UK pounds every year. For that money I will run the fanclub for another 10 years... and my office will be open every day and will have much more Queen memorabilia... and the magazine will be sent out in time, not 3 months after the promised date.Jacky doesn't earn that as take home, she has to run a business from it, so the rent alone can be 60,000 per year Believe me I run a business that turns over much much more, but 99% of it goes on just standing still and being here the same time next year, the artwork and printing of the magazine will run some 15K easily. |
| Fenderek 13.01.2006 06:50 |
I agree with Togg. This money in England really isn't much. It's actually very little... |
| Mr. Scully 13.01.2006 08:34 |
Sure but - who needs the building? It's open only very scarcely anyway - and most collectors have more memorabilia than the fan club. If the building means 80% of the expenses, then it's not needed anymore. |
| Fenderek 13.01.2006 08:35 |
Mr. Scully wrote: Sure but - who needs the building? It's open only very scarcely anyway - and most collectors have more memorabilia than the fan club. If the building means 80% of the expenses, then it's not needed anymore.OK- I agree with you here, they can move ANYWHERE really... C'mon it's open so rarely ANYWAY... |
| Togg 13.01.2006 09:15 |
You can't easily run a business from home with out planning permission for change of use. And frankly would you want fans turning up at your door day and night wanting to see Freddies underpants. Whereever she goes the rent will be very high unless she moves away for London or the Thames Valley. Property is very expensive, rent can be £1000 per week for a small flat here, and buying can run into hundereds of thousands. Regardless of whether you think she does a good job or not before saying you could do better, you have to know how to run a business, it's not easy. |
| Thanks 13.01.2006 15:55 |
The difference with the Metallica & Dream Theater clubs, and I'm sure many others, is that the bands themselves contribute. Members of Queen do not do so since they decided that there was no longer any need for a fan club. Nowadays that could be said to have changed, but the changes in technology in the interim mean that the benefits (to the band) of having a community "on tap" can be equally well achieved by going along with whoever happens to own a conveniently-named website and bypassing the whole process. |
| TRS-Romania 13.01.2006 17:36 |
ok my comments again: Is the QFC printing their Fanclub issues in the UK? Well if they pay 15000 euro (or pounds) a year to print it they should really talk to me example: in Romania we printed 700.000 flyers for the Dutch golden pages: costs 5000 euro including transport to Holland. Price in Holland (delivered at home) 7500 euro Well, if Jacky is smart she should NOT print those magazines in the UK ... I worked at at a company which printed books of Steven Hawkin (Romanian edition) and also did work for several UK companies (brochures/flyers whatever...), and another company I have worked closely with is still printing for: ABN AMRO, Orange, Vodaphone, Procter and Gamble, Unilever, Henkle, L'oreal , etc etc And believe me, my ex boss installed the printing machines (reaching from 10k to 350k each) at this printing house...their turnover in Romania is 10 million dollars a year (for romanian standards that is pretty good)... Let me make clear that I can get her a better printing price, WITHOUT me taking any comission or a profit. I can even calculate here a price based on number of pages, grammage of pages, format of the paper, and the amount of issues... Maybe this will save the Fanclub a lot of money ... Stefan |
| TRS-Romania 13.01.2006 18:04 |
i sent Jacky an email anyway, maybe my advice will help to save some money for the fanclub Stefan |