Info On The 'Friends of FrankBlack.net Club'

The 'Friends of FrankBlack.net Club' was started in December 2003, to help raise funds for our friend Pete, the owner of the server that once hosted FrankBlack.net. We raised enough to not only keep the server going but also to make several upgrades. FrankBlack.Net has long since outgrown this small server and now relies on commercial hosting for reliability and bandwidth. As such, the costs have never been higher, but the site has continued to grow and prosper regardless... thanks in large part to the generous donations of people like you. Frank Black fans.

Very simply put, this is a way for fans of the site and all the services we provide to help out! Folks who wish to contribute can now sign up for even a small donation. Every bit helps! To give you an idea, as of Sept 2008, FrankBlack.Net now consumes over 40 GB of bandwidth - and that's not including the podcast, which runs on a separate server and offers up 100 GB of bandwidth per month when the show is running.

I want to emphasize that this is and will always be completely voluntary, and all will still have complete access to the site and Forum.

Benefits

While we used to hold monthly draws for the Friends Club, this is no longer our practice. Instead, we use these funds to not only keep the servers running but also to procure new exclusives, finance special activities, and do things that benefit the community as a whole - not just one lucky person per month. We still do giveaways and exclusive material all the time in our podcast, for example. We have recorded a live session with Frank Black on his tour bus, inviting community members aboard, using a bit of the money to defray flight costs for example. In the end, the benefit to you is a site that not only gives you the latest Frank Black news but also continues to build an archive of Frank Black material and ferret out songs and information that might never see the light of day.

Cost

It used to be that $5 bought a one-year membership and $50 a lifetime membership. Since stopping the monthly draws, this seems irrelevant but should we ever need to augment donations through ad-based revenue, perhaps existing life members and future donators will be treated to an ad-free site. In the meantime however, we are happy to provide this service, funding it and our labours on the support of the community as always, so any contribution to this will do (please do keep a minimum of $5 CAD though).

The easiest way to make a donation is through Paypal. We will also accept International Money Orders (Canadian or US Dollars, please). We even put a snazzy little button below which should allow you to donate directly with your Credit Card, please click on the button after you fill out the form.

Thank you for your support, and enjoy the site!

-Dean Katsiris (click here to contact me if you have any questions)