The 2008 Annual Report To Members

[Brian Scherzer]

Each year I have done my annual “Report to the Members” post, first on The PRS Forum and then on TGP. Here we are…again! In case you don’t feel like reading the entire post, I’ll give you the bottom line…..TGP will be entering 2009 in very good health. Last year at this time, I wrote in my 2007 report that, “The Gear Page membership is rapidly growing and we recently leased two servers to help us keep up with that growth, more than doubling our costs. In December 2007 we had 23,000 members.” The rapid growth that we forecast a year ago and planned for by getting a dual-server setup has continued. We now have over 38,700 members, an increase in membership of over 69% in one year!

The best news I can give you is that, having added subscriptions for supporting membership instead of relying on donations, TGP is on a financial even keel and we can afford to continue using our current servers for the coming year. Not only can we handle additional membership growth, but we will be adding features to TGP. We have changed our vision a bit, seeing TGP as capable of being more than just a musician’s discussion site. With a large number of members who are in the music biz, we believe that adding a webzine (online magazine) to TGP is a slam dunk. We have the capability within our membership of writing some excellent articles that could be helpful to musicians. We are planning to add the webzine in early 2009.

There are other changes that you can expect in the coming year. We will be affiliating for the first time with a guitar show…..the Montreal Guitar Show, and will be providing publicity for the show, along with sending one of our moderators to represent TGP and to interview builders, show goers and industry insiders for the new webzine. We feel comfortable with the non-profit status of the show and with its tie-in with the Montreal Jazz Festival. We believe that it is time for TGP to have a stronger presence in the real world, not just on the internet.

On a more personal level, we will be adding Image Galleries for Silver and Gold Supporting Members, which will allow those members to upload and store images on our servers for the first time in TGP’s history. As some of you know, we tried a new look for TGP on December 26th for a few hours. The majority of members did not like the new “skin”, so I switched it back to what we have been using. We may continue to search for ways to “spruce” up the site, but will be looking at membership feedback before making any permanent changes to the way TGP looks.

We believe that the additional features being added can be paid for by a combination of supporting member subscriptions and direct advertising on the webzine. If our current growth continues, we will surpass 50,000 members before the end of 2009. We are prepared to handle the growth and we believe that we can afford to do the planned expansion and changes without needing to ask members for donations beyond the current supporting memberships. In many ways, TGP has come of age and we look forward to the coming year!

[JimmyD]

Hats off again to the crew at TGP. I thought it was an outstanding year for the site. Very well done guys.

Thx much for the info and laughs along the way. TGP remains my first stop on the net when the computer is fired up!

Jim

[rdamato]

Thank You Brian. It is through all of the moderators efforts that this is the premier gear site on the web.

[Vintage]

Thanks all! Love this site!

[dkaplowitz]

Sounds great, Brian. Thanks for the update. Awesome that the new membership/emporium changes have helped with the financial situation. It must be nice not to have to ask for donations every 90 days or so. ;)

I look forward to the webzine.

Curious to know if you thought of having blogs for some of the members who'd be doing articles for the webzine? Or will the webzine be kind of like a blog?

All the best for a successful 2009!

Dave

[DiazDude]

TGP is hands down THE place for guitarists on the web. Thanks to Brian & Scott and all the other mods. Here's to a great 2009!!

[mge80]

That all sounds just awesome. This will absolutely further TGP as the premier gear related site on the web. One I truly enjoy being a part of.

Looking forward to a great 2009...and beyond.

[smolder]

As to the new look... it was really great. Change is always hard and you will ALWAYS get complaints. Have a vision and move forward with it in a bold fashion. Users will adapt.

[rreiser]

Thanks for the good work. I don't think the new look was so bad. It was just different. As creative as we musicians are in some ways we are very set in our ways. Some things we want to stay the same.

[utterhack]

We now have over 38,700 members, an increase in membership of over 69% in one year!

Awesome growth!

Of course, now when people complain that the board's full of noobs and was better in the old days they'll be able to cite figures...

:rotflmao

[edwarddavis]

Thank , you guys are doig a great job ,
happy new years to all the people who work hard on this site and its members too who I am sure appreciate it .

[boog204]

thanks to brian and all the mods... this is an incredibly place that has helped me immensely to become a better musician. it also has severely hampered my bank account and i dig that in every way!

happy holidays to all!

[Mark Robinson]

Brian,
Your work and the work of the Moderator Team is very much appreciated.

Mark R.

[russ]

A big thanks goes out to the admin.,mods, and members/contributers of TGP.
It is a fantastic site!
I spend ALOT of time here!

[amc]

Thank you Brian (and all of the mods)
I appreciate the work that you put into making TGP happen

[thesooze]

Many thanks.

[Thor]

Thank you to all of the folks who help make TGP possible - keep up the great work!!!

Cheers,

Edward

[LowWatt]

Keep up the great work and I hope to see you at the 2009 Montreal Guitar Show.

[bforest4]

Great work, great site, more info here for guitarists than anywhere else and it sure has given many boutique builders alot of business, I think they owe TGP the most!

[waylay00]

Can't wait for the webzine. I'd be willing to write some (I do it all the time on my blog - see below).

[Dana Olsen]

Brian, Your work and the work of the Moderator Team is very much appreciated.

Mark R.VERY MUCH appreciated. Thank you all so much for doing these 'thankless' jobs so well.

Dana O.

[Slyib]

Keep it up! All the best for 2009.

- Brett


.

[darkstar11]

Great report!

I really enjoy the site and it's members.

Look forward to a great '09!

Steve

[Bulldog]

Thanks Brian! Sounds great!

[Lawn Jockey]

Thanks to ALL who make in possible.

:bow

[HipKitty]

Thank you and here's to looking forward to the New Year with TGP!

[nagshay1818]

Thanks TGP. You have helped me enjoy burning a hole in my wallet. I can't say I would have enjoyed it any other place than here :D. Thanks for a great year.

I can't wait for those webzines!

[Redhouse-Blues]

That's awesome!

[sodapopinski]

Sounds awesome. And thank you for being open and letting us havesome input. I did not care much for the new skin, but only because of the colors. Still keep up the good work and thanks for trying cant wait for the next test run.

[bluesdoc]

Thanks again, Brian. And thanks for ditching yesterday's format..... :eek: :) Not only have you created a compelling experience, you have also orchestrated a rich history that I'm proud to be a part of. Onward--->>>

jon

[Smakutus]

Keep up the good work guys..

Jeff

[Glowing Tubes]

Admins do an amazing job here. I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of this community. Sounds like some great and exciting new features ahead for us.
Thank you guys for all your do.

Richard

[landbriancoe]

My wish would be that one of these sites...TGP or HC would start doing some marketing so that we would have a larger audience to sell and buy guitars. There is no reason for us to be paying 15-20% of our gear budget to ebay and PayPal...not to mention FedEx and UPS. I always list my stuff here, but the majority of the time, I end up resorting to eBay because there are just not enough people here.

[forestryguy]

Thanks for everything you do.

[John Page]

Excellent job gentlemen! Payment sent... well worth it!

[54GT]

I hope you guys take pride in operating the best site of its kind. Keep pushing to make it even better. thanks for all the hard work

Corey

[Rod]

Great work you guys.....From all of us guitarists, MANY THANKX!!!!!!!

[Trainwreck]

Thanks for all your hard work....:bow

[Rattles]

Thanks for making TGP the greatest forum on the internet!
There are some fablous people here that I consider family now.
Thanks for all the time and trouble you guys put into this place!

:bow

[frankencat]

Great job guys!

[Leonc]

Brian, Scott, Big Mike, Wes, Jaime, Scott A, Lefty (and anyone who I may have left out)...you guys still run the best website around for serious guitarists. There is still no where better to get informed on topics relating to guitars, guitar gear and playing.

[jzgtrguy]

Right on guys! Thanks a ton for all you do. We are all the beneficiaries of all your hard work.

[gkoelling]

Great news, Brian! Thanks to you, Scott and all the mods for what you do.

[Flyin' Brian]

Brian thanks to you and everyone else. This place is wonderful beyond words.

[aliensporebomb]

I just want to say thanks to the folks keeping this place chugging along - as a system
administrator myself I know it can be a thankless task and a lot of hard work so a tip of
the cap to those that keep the gear page going!

[FlyingDutchman]

Thanks Brian for the update...I thought the new skin looked great..Just wish it had the little green lite next to the username to show who is online.

Thanks to all the mods and admins for the hardwork and all the members here are awesome.

[tripp2k]

Thanks guys for running a an exceptional forum and what has been for me a safe, entertaining and educational place to hang out in. You attract good people here. Happy New Year!

[bigroy]

Thanks to all of you! Keep up the good work!

[enge]

Many KUDOS to TGP and all of the staff and Moderators! Here's to a great 2009!!!!!!!
Dave :):)

[Jazzydave]

TGP is hands down THE place for guitarists on the web. Thanks to Brian & Scott and all the other mods. Here's to a great 2009!!

+1000

Since joining this site, I've met some great people, enhanced my gear knowledge dramatically, and have been inspired to push my playing further and further.

This site ROoOOOoOooOoOOOoOoOOcks!

[crosse79]

tgp is hands down the place for guitarists on the web. Thanks to brian & scott and all the other mods. Here's to a great 2009!!

+1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000

Simply the best - nothing comes close.

[GAT]

Brian,

How do we know when our Gold status is up for renewal?

[Rattles]

Brian,

How do we know when our Gold status is up for renewal?


I've wondered that myself!

[Jujo]

Wow. This thing is huge. I have long feared the day that every guitar owner on earth is a TGP member...

[Scott Peterson]

Brian,

How do we know when our Gold status is up for renewal?

If it's the 'grandfathered' version from a prior contribution, they expire in May 2009.

[Brian Scherzer]

To add to what Scott said, if you were a past Contributing Member, your user title was changed to Gold Supporting Member in May of this year for one year. We did this as a way of saying "thanks" to the people who donated money to TGP, regardless of when or how much it was. In May of 2009 those members will revert to the usergroup of registered member (member or senior member) if they do not get a subscription to be a supporting member. We will post an announcement and make sticky threads to remind people on every topic area.

[GAT]

Thanks guys, May 2009!

[bluesjuke]

Thanks for the good news Brian!

[otaypanky]

:AOK I love it here

Thanks to all ---both mods and members

[John Hurtt]

The TGP is a great site, run and moderated by a bunch of great guys! Keep it interesting everyone!

[holyears]

I wanted to add my thanks to all the Moderators and members of the site. I wish I had more time to read all the interesting threads I see, but I love the fact that anytime I've had a question in regards to gear I search here first and always find great answers, fair opinions, and friendly people ready to chime in and help.

I've recommended this site to my fellow musicians more than any other (aka the one responsible for spreading the GAS to my friends!).

Thanks again!

[pgurlea]

Thank you Brian and to all the TGP moderators for the hard work you do to make this site possible. It is truly a musician/gearhead haven and one of the absolute best resources on the internet.
Paul Gurlea
:AOK

[mr.supro]

Thanks for the efforts and wishing you much continued success in 2009!

[monkmiles]

Thanks for that good info. This is a fantastic site.

[jcotten]

I spend most of my online time on another forum that is more focused on acoustic guitars, but I readily confess my admiration for this place. Great concept, easily understandable rules, truly outstanding moderators and wonderful members! It's obvious that this is a great place to hang out.

My hat, if I wore one, would be off to the entire Gear Page community. Best wishes for an even greater year in 2009!

cotten

[VictoriluxEL84]

Great job and thanks to all who make TGP possible! Great information and a wonderful bunch of folks all sharing their passion for guitar. Looking forward to another great year:)

Carl

[blues revenge]

Thanks Brian. Great job-we really appreciate it!

[todd richman]

Great news all around Brian. This page continues to grow and evolve and the membership has really offered some enlightening info for me personally over the past 4 years plus I have met a few people who I consider friends from here. Hats off to all the mods and hears to a strong, healthy and still growing TGP in 2009 and beyond!

[Yossi]

Thank you Brian and all the staff at TGP.
A job well done. It's been great watching TGP grow.
Keep up the great work.
:BEER

[Patch]

Thanks Brian and all the guys involved in running this great forum!
See you at the Montreal Guitar Show!

[cg]

Fantastic work, guys!

[Cheezus]

glad i found TGP.

honest, thoughtful, respectful commentary on everything i love.

thanks guys!

[catalinbread]

TGP is a great gathering of a particular type of guitar gear nut. You deserve the success and growth!

My only gripes are the potential for conflicts of interests with some moderators and Youtube embedding would be sweet.. But I digress.

Congrats TGP!

[guitarjunky]

Thanks Brian, we are truly honoured to be associated with you at the Montreal Guitar Show!

[lizarddust]

Hats off guys. Thanks for all the work that goes into making TGP such a great place.

[localplayer]

love this site, probably check it everyday--sometimes many times! great job guys

[GibsonSGgirl]

I love this site and have been using it for several years. However, I do not like the new change in membership/emporium rules. If I want to sell a guitar, or advertise that I'm looking for a guitar, I do not feel I should have to be a paying member to get that privilege.

Also, if as you say, the financial stability of the forum is good, then why not open it up and allow everyone to post? Oh well, it was good while it lasted anyway...

I was going to put my SG Classic up for sale here as I wanted to give TGP'ers a chance first before I opened it up to just anyone, but oh well. Guess I'll be advertising on Craigslist since it's one of the only sites left that's free...:dunno

[Leonc]

I love this site and have been using it for several years. However, I do not like the new change in membership/emporium rules. If I want to sell a guitar, or advertise that I'm looking for a guitar, I do not feel I should have to be a paying member to get that privilege.

Also, if as you say, the financial stability of the forum is good, then why not open it up and allow everyone to post? Oh well, it was good while it lasted anyway...

I was going to put my SG Classic up for sale here as I wanted to give TGP'ers a chance first before I opened it up to just anyone, but oh well. Guess I'll be advertising on Craigslist since it's one of the only sites left that's free...:dunno

Oh come on. Boo effing hoo.

Free for who? This forum is most definitely not free for the owners. They pay many thousands of dollars a year just so that you and me and a million other internet users can come here and read about gear. That doesn't even get into the personal time required. Would you shell out thousands of your own money and thousands of hours of your own personal time to provide some service for me?

So the choices were:

a - rely on voluntary contributions from web visitors
b - banner and other ads
c - find a billionaire benefactor
d - rely on people willing to pay to get membership privileges

The results?
a - didn't work. Couldn't raise enough money to cover costs
b - was ruled too intrusive and would call the site's integrity into question
c - Paul Allen has not returned our phone calls :D
d - the lesser of the evils <== best choice, by far (IMHO)

[GibsonSGgirl]

Would you shell out thousands of your own money and thousands of hours of your own personal time to provide some service for me?


Yes actually I would. The question is: would you?

Look there's no need to get nasty with me. By free, I meant free to offer things for sale and wanted to buy. I would much rather know that my guitar was going to another musician who will take care of it, than some random person I don't have any history with. If I have to pay to look for a guitar or sell mine, I might as well use ebay. And I really don't want to have to do that...

[Pa'ani]

Thank you Brian and all The Gear Page moderators and all that who are behind the scenes.
We truly appreciate all your work that you all do for this site at The Gear Page!

Thank you very much,

Dean

[Trainwreck]

Thank You...Thank You...:BEER

[desceneisvals]

Thanks guys!