not that i read, but...

grandpa_shig

i got friends who do. and i was sent this email today.Hey there,Last Thursday we received some distressing news--the kind of newsthat made our very bones ache when we heard it; the kind of news thatfelt so significant we simply couldn't function after it sank in.With a few days time and the ability to process it, we decided it'snews worth sharing: It was a letter from the president of theIndependent Press Association, the not-for-profit organization thatowns the company that distributes the majority of Punk Planet'scopies, BigTop Newsstand Services. The letter acknowledged the truthof a rumor that had been running through indie publishing circles formonths now: the distributor was having cash flow problems. Paymentsto publishers for magazines already distributed had been and wouldcontinue to be effected for an unknown amount of time. In case youdon't operate a magazine, the money coming in from newsstand sales isvital to publishers' bottom line. For a magazine like Punk Planet,where our ad rates remain very low to cater to independentbusinesses, those distributor payments are even more critical.This news leaves us in a tight spot: BigTop is the last distributorin the country that specializes in distributing independent pressmagazines like Punk Planet. When we started 12 years ago, there wereclose to a half dozen such distributors; each one that has gone bellyup dragged a few magazines with it. Because BigTop is owned by theIPA, an organization whose mission is to "amplify" the voice of theindependent press, we don't expect that they will go out of business;but we also don't know when we will see the money we are owed.What does this mean for the future of Punk Planet? The truth is wedon't yet know.But we do know there are things you can do that will help us in boththe short term and the long term.1. Please consider subscribing (or resubscribing) and purchasing somemerchandise from our webstore today. ( http://www.ppmerchtable.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv) If you have a product, idea, or event toadvertise, purchase an ad. ( http://www.punkplanet.com/pages/magazine/advertising.html)An immediate influx of cash will allow us to pay off back debts--tocontributors, printers, web hosts, etc--and better enable us toweather any coming storm caused by nonpayment from our distributor.Our annual end-of year subscription sale is just starting now???get awhole year for only $18, or really help us out and buy a couple ofthem! http://www.ppmerchtable.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=PPMT&Category_Code=S2. Please forward this information--or this whole email--on to yourlists and friends, and specifically ask them to subscribe or buymerchandise from us.In addition to a two-year subscription for only $30, you can pick upany of our amazing books???Joe Meno's HAIRSTYLES OF THE DAMNED, BeeLavender's LESSONS IN TAXIDERMY, Mark Anderson's ALL THE POWER, orJay Ryan's brand-new 100 POSTERS 134 SQUIRRELS now available for pre-order! We've also got Punk Planet T-shirts, underpants, and theawesomely cool PPAP: Punk Planet Artists' Prints wearable art series.(http://www.ppmerchtable.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv ?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=PPMT)3. Consider donating to the Community Supported Journalism Fund. It'sa small-fund donations program, made up almost exclusively ofdonations of less than $20, but it's already allowed us to bring youthe amazing END OF RADIO cover story of PP69: four full articles ondifferent aspects of radio creation and tons of teeny interviews withaudio experts: ( http://www.independentsdaymedia.com/csj/). Itwouldn't have been possible without your support!4. Please continue to support independent print media. The paymentissues effecting us are not singular--there are others in the samepredicament that need your support as well.Thanks so much,Dan Sinker[/b]