As we pulled away two nights ago from the farm after a monumental day John queued up 'Another Midnight' by The Hip (lyrics, stream).
[11:05:00 AM]

Yup we're still in upstate New York trying to figure out the future of Fairtunes and our lives for the next 4 months to a year. I've been pretty silent about what's going on. I don't know. I just didn't want to talk about it but I do now as John and I sit here bored in the barn (see the photo from our last NY trip).

We're trying to decide if we should:

• Sell it and join the acquiring company to take Fairtunes to perhaps the next level
• Sell it and move on (i.e. John goes to school, I continue as a founding employee of Transpose)
• Find another buyer or sponsor
• Keep it to our greedy selves

We don't know what the right decision is and as a result we're pulling out our hair and going crazy.

There was a point when we'd do anything for money. Now we're a littler bit older and a whole lot more jaded. Will a new company even be able to raise the money we need? Will we raise the money just to blow through it and end up shutting down in 6 months? Is money the magic answer to Fairtunes' problems? What is Fairtunes worth to us? How much longer do we want to be involved? Of course, what is the future of voluntary payments in general?

Last night we flipped a coin to decide the outcome. Would you trust your future to a measly 25 cents?

Do you care? Go vote on the future of my dot.com.
[3:56:49 PM]

Just got off the phone with Larry. I think we set a new record for our longest phone call. As always he's given me a lot to consider, though in situations like this* he always tells us to Have Fun and to Ride the Tiger.

*(footnote): A lot of crazy stuff involving my present employment and Fairtunes is going on. All will be disclosed when the time is right.
[12:38:34 PM]

Want the low down on the music and voluntary payment scene? Check out Music Tech (link now fixed :) ). It's a great history of the past few years.
[10:40:31 AM]

Gospelcom.net, a Campus Journal Daily Devotional for College Age and High School people, has an article on Making Restitution in which they mention Fairtunes and a 5 step process for receiving God's forgiveness for dealing with guilt. A.k.a. Downloading MP3s.

Thanks to John's Jen for pointing this article out, but, I don't think it's the cause for renewed interest in The Tunes.

The article ends with, 'Fess up - then pay up!.
[8:24:40 PM]

There's been a renewed interest in The Tunes this week. What's up with that? Was there some news article about us that I missed? But thanks, lots of recommendations are rolling in.

Well, big changes are in store. Stay tuned. And hopefully everyone will get their Fairtunes wish.
[11:53:33 AM]

Boosting Java Performance.
[1:45:26 PM]

First Monday: Giving Away Music to Make Money. Sounds like something we've been advocating for a year.

Seeing as it's a long article that I doubt you'll read, here's the bit on voluntary payments:

Streaming audio and video allows you to charge on a pay-per-view basis, a constant revenue stream provided the content meets consumer demand. Software could also be used to allow fans to donate funds to musicians based on the number of downloads completed. If fans are pleased with the music they hear, they can provide feedback to works in progress, and form an emotional bond with the artist. They can also support a musician financially with a credit card donation to a third party donating company, who in turn will pay the artist cumulative donations at some fixed period. Eliminating the album concept means that fans can contribute directly to the artist, not the music label, and thus provide the artist with a greater percentage of revenue than is possible under existing traditional contracts. The fact that artists are willing to provide the music for free adds an incentive for fans to treat them fairly.

But, so, great. We all agree that there's a problem, and that voluntary payments could be a solution. But is it a profitable solution for the third party who implements it??

That is *the* question upon which my future depends.
[11:08:23 PM]

Someone just sent $300USD to Halley DeVestern w/The Tunes. Crazy eh!?

If you check out her SHOW YOUR LOVE page you'll see that since this person sent more than $50 they'll get their name added to the CD insert. Now that's a neat idea.
[9:04:23 PM]