[big giant circles]

*UPDATE*

LAST DAY OF THE MONTH
If you have not yet dontated, please consider sending a mere $1 or $2 via paypal to the site!

So, Dave has been working his rear end off on site development and doing a lot of nitty-gritty work that most of us won't even see the benefit of for a while. In addition to whatever stress comes with his obligation and personal dedication to constantly do this work to improve the site (as well as juggling his job and personal life in the *real* world), he has to worry about whether or not the site has the funding it needs to stay afloat. I asked him last night how much it cost to keep the server above even, and it's quite a bit more than I thought. And I'm sure there are PLENTY of people on here who are just as ignorant to the fact that this website which provides awesome forums and tons of awesome music all for FREE is actually rather expensive.

So here's the deal. As I type this, there are 840 registered users (*EDIT* Now, it's around 1000) who have visited the forums this month. If I need to, I'll be happy to take the time to list every single one of us individually. And that's just since April 1st. And that's not counting the hundreds of unregistered guests on the forums at any given moment.

I am asking every individual person who reads this to donate anywhere from $5 - $10 (USD - or whatever your currency's equivalent) to the site this month. Here's the breakdown. If even HALF of those of us who have been here this month contribute a meager $5, that's well over $2000 for the site. I'm pretty sure that would 1) relieve a lot of stress off djpretzel's plate, and 2) help ensure worry-free continuation of this site for a long time 3) assure those of us who contribute that we're helping a great cause stay on its feet and move forward at the same time. So everybody who contributes wins.

NOW THEN

Here's what I do NOT want to see in this thread. If you're absolutely under no circumstances willing to contribute, then DO NOT POST IN THIS THREAD.

And by the way: "I would, but I can't afford to part with $5 this month. Sorry..." is NOT, I repeat NOT a valid excuse. If you're not going to contribute, simply do not post, because I do not want to hear why. I'm asking moderators to remove any such posts if they appear. I'm just as poor as the rest of you, and I know every single excuse there is, and believe me, NONE of them are valid. We all have expenses and bills to pay, and we all need to eat make rent and pay for gas and blah blah blah. If you have the means to get on this website and download the free music and enjoy all the free content that's on here, then you can afford to part with $5. Period. Me, I'm going to lead by example. In addition to purchasing a pair of OCR stickers (which I did) I'm donating $10.

Anyone who does contribute, please post here, because I really would like to keep tabs on how many people are willing to do this, plus, I (and the rest of the community I hope) would be happy to see who you are so I can express my personal appreciaton.

DJPreztel sums up a concern in his most recent remix writeup quite well:

Originally Posted by DJP

Sometimes, because of our content policy, our LLC status, the amount of content on the site, or any number of things, people mistakenly think that we're an actual business that has ample resources and makes money, etc. This is not the case - money from all our ads, shirt sales, and donations combined only barely breaks even these days due to the operational cost of hosting the site. In other words, we always need whatever help you can provide.

Alright then, so that's the deal. Remember, I'm not asking for a monthly subscription or anything. I'm only asking that this month, some of us show a small amount of financial support for the site. I love this place--I stop by several times a day. I'm willing to forfeit McDonald's Value meal or two to help keep it in the green.

Couple of FAQs:
Q: How do I donate?
A: Paypal button on left BELOW SIDEBAR. (looks like this -> )

Q: But I don't have a paypal account...
A: You do not need one. You can make a regular credit/debit card payment without signing up for one.

Q: I don't have the money right this minute--can I contribute later?
A: Absolutely. If you post in this thread, I'll consider that a commitment. It's on your honor to actually pay if you say you will.

Q: Can I just buy an OCR shirt/hoodie/stickers instead of donating?
A: Yes--every little bit helps. Donating, however, is the most direct way to help, since we only get a percentage of merchandise sales, but any support we can get is still very much appreciated.

zircon has offered another way of getting money into the site's reserves. Pick up any of his albums through his website or CD Baby, and he will donate $2 from each sale to OCR (this won't apply if you buy at a discount at CD Baby). You can show you're buying the CD via OCR by emailing him a note (aaversa@gmail.com) after making the purchase through Paypal, or simply writing "OCR" when CD Baby asks you where you heard about the artist. This 'promo' will be running through the end of April.

Q: How much money have we raised so far?
A: Not enough to suit long-term needs. Keep sending! :)



PEOPLE WHO WILL/ALREADY HAVE CONTRIBUTED
-Nekofrog
-big giant circles
-djpretzel
-DrumUltima
-JJT
-The wingless
-chumble spuzz
-Nutritious
-Fishy
-Starla
-megadave
-magewout
-bean
-kanthos
-OA
-inimitable
-mattoco
-Arek the Absolute
-kholdstare
-DJ SymBiotiX
-bladiator
-Shadow Wolf
-D-lux
-the unsung plumber
-GA Jedi Knight
-tweek
-moguta
-The Derrit
-TheWestWind
-DarkeSword
-Tacitus Krekt
-Abadoss
-the prophet of mephisto
-pixietricks
-Doulifée
-The Green Tentacle
-Eilon
-Geoffrey Taucer
-FREAK55
-Poke'G
-Majin GeoDooD
-Another Soundscape
-Miletus
-Darklink42
-archard
-Sobou
-Vivi22
-Rayza
-avaris
-palpable
-Frustration Raptor
-crazy_dewmaster
-Malaki-LEGEND.sys
-rAnDOm_rOguE
-Audix
-Dafydd
-Bahamut
-ifirit
-iskyoork
-Steben
-OverCoat
-The Orichalcon
-1337 1
-Polo
-Raziellink
-Millman
-Less Ashamed Of Self
-linkspast
-bladiator
-zircon
-Cynical
-JTD121
-BardicKnowledge
-Hocus
-pu_freak
-Master_Yoshi
-adonikam
-YoshMaster
-Bobwillis
-MisterBiggler
-Flare4War
-Torzelan
-PsyHam
-sleipner
-Kulaman
-raziel_pm
-Beatdrop
-Black Mage
-badhabit
-Admiral_C
-The G-Man
-Neo Samus
-Bunjiro
-Nancysing
-Barny
-Liontamer
-JTD121
-Aninymouse
-Patrick Burns
-SolusLunes
-Xerol Oplan
-SW Toxa Classico
-Jiggles Mcpuff
-Pyrion
-Cecilff2
-Shortmann
-ProjectSpam
-Murmeli Walan
-Kizyr
-Forty-second
-Ghettoflame
-The Instrumental Light
-amvteknoboy

[djpretzel]

I swear I didn't prompt Jimmy to do this, but his timing couldn't have been better.

Hopefully you noticed the bumper sticker announcement, which is another way you can help us out.

I've gotten some questions lately about hosting costs vs. ads, etc., and it breaks down something like this:

Costs:

• dedicated server: $274 a month
• two additional mirrors: $25 a month
• misc. additional costs: $0-15 a month

Total: About $300 a month.

What that doesn't convey is that if we only break even, we can never do things like shirts, stickers, promotional copies of VotL, etc.

Also, lately, Google ads have taken a huge hit, and we're actually not even breaking even with them.

When you add in Zzounds and Amazon, both excellent retailers we affiliate with through our store, we end up breaking even, but those fluctuate a lot, and Google ads continue to decline.

Bottom line is that, at the worst time possible - when I'm trying to do tons of development to improve the site - I'm having to worry about supporting it as well. Frustrating combination, because I'd much rather be adding features and content than more ads.

In addition to anything else you can do for OCR, please consider shopping through our Amazon store for games, systems, books, music, etc., or through Zzounds when buying music software and instruments.

Every little bit helps!

Thanks,

- djp

[Nekofrog]

I'll throw you $10, but I'd like to see my subs reviewed a little quicker ;)

Where do I send it? I'm assuming paypal.

[DrumUltimA]

i just bought a hoodie :D

[djpretzel]

Originally Posted by Nekofrog

I'll throw you $10, but I'd like to see my subs reviewed a little quicker ;)

Where do I send it? I'm assuming paypal.

Paypal, djpretzel@ocremix.org... link on bottom of sidebar.

We'll probably be bringing on a new judge or two based on current panelist availability. This may help. Also, we'll pick back up with posting once we get past 1700, since we need to coordinate a torrent update with aubrey.

[Nekofrog]

$10 sent. Goodluckhavefun.

[JJT]

I just donated 10, cuz I can't think for myself.

Also, OCR is pretty cool.

[The wingless]

And what has OCR done for me except give me an ulcer, personal debt and a nasty divorce?!

HMMM?!

Fuck DJpretzel. FUCK YOU TO AN IRISH HELL
.
.
.
I'll send $100 when I get off work :/


on a more serious note, I kinda have a bone to pick with the new bumper stickers. They're just... dear me, how to put this delicately, so very *plain*. Which is curious, considering you know of at least one halfway decent graphic designer who frequents the boards.

So I suppose what I'm trying to say is, why are the bumper stickers so... unassuming?

[djpretzel]

Originally Posted by The wingless

So I suppose what I'm trying to say is, why are the bumper stickers so... unassuming?

I like simplicity when it comes to logos, and these bumper stickers are of our logo, basically. Save the OBX-style oval, which is plain because it's emulating that specific look.

Shoot me some ideas sometime if you're interested - I like having straightforward, official stickers like these, but a couple variants might be welcome, since the sunk cost is less risky than with shirts. Also, however: color = more expensive.

Thanks for the support, everybody!

[chumble spuzz]

+$10+10char