Why Here? Why Now?

I have hated Facebook since I first became its product about 15 years ago. Trying to administer the All Things Chris Whitley Facebook group over more than a decade has only increased my ire and my frustration. Time to stop bitching and to try an alternative ….

1. Building a better community for Chris Whitley fans

I’ve been compiling “all things” related to Chris Whitley for many years. Currently, I’ve shared these “things” to the FB group, on a blog, on a YouTube channel, etc. My frustration with the FB group is that I have no way to control the order of posts or to provide members with easy access to posts that reflect their interests. I hope to be able to achieve both of these objectives here. Furthermore, members will retain their ability to comment on posts and to reply to those comments, PLUS they will be able to use CHAT to create THREADS and to reply to other members’ CHAT comments. These capabilities will foster more interaction and (I hope) create a better CW community.

2. What and how often

I will share posts 2 - 3 times weekly. These posts will be more along the lines of my current posts on my current WordPress blog. Some will be short, serving to highlight photos, bootlegs, tidbits I’ve gathered, etc.; some will be longer essays discussing some aspect of Chris Whitley’s music, ethos, philosophy, whatever.

3. Try it - it’s free and you just might like it!

I’ve never sought to monetize my passion for all things Chris Whitley, and I don’t plan to begin doing so now. Subscribe for free! And please let me know what you like/don’t like about this site. Also please suggest features, content, capabilities you think would improve our community.

Why Paid Subscriptions?

Much of the content I publish here will be free; so, yes, there is such a thing as a free lunch. Dinner? Not so much. Like many Substack authors, I will reserve some posts for paid subscribers only. Also, older posts will automatically be pay-walled; that is, free subscribers will have limited access to the archive. Please allow me to explain why I have decided to do this.

Why I Do This

As I noted in my very first post, I have never monetized the products of my Chris Whitley OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). Since 2010 I’ve been compiling every thing - audio, video, photos, articles, you name it - to preserve as much as I can about this remarkable but largely-ignored and now I fear largely-forgotten artist. Many of the things I’ve compiled are no longer available: YouTube videos have been deleted, articles once posted on websites are now gone. I’ve expended a lot of time and effort, hoping that I or someone who is much younger (and who still retains enough brain cells) can use what I have compiled to write a Chris Whitley bio - maybe several someones and several bios!

Also, I’m a person who can’t stand to be a free-loader. If I like a song well enough to listen repeatedly, I pay for it. I pay to subscribe to several Sustacks, some for only a few months, others for many. As a Substack author, I feel compelled to offer the owners of this venue some small compensation for using their site, for their hosting my posts. I doubt my doing so/not doing so will make or break them, but I have to offer something in return for using their service. I’ve paid WordPress an annual fee for over a decade to host my ATCW blog there; if I could pay Substack directly, I would, but that’s not their business model. So ….

I Will Not Profit

Please know that I will not personally benefit from any paid subscriptions, but will use whatever funds are generated to provide ‘perks’ for paid subscribers. For example, I still have some physical items I’ve collected over the years - posters, promo photos, rare CDs, some vinyl, etc. Intermittently I will offer these to paid subscribers who can enter a raffle to win whatever is on offer. Any fees from paid subscriptions will cover the cost to mail these items to raffle winners. Also, if I accumulate ‘excess revenue’, I may donate to music non-profits, such as MusiCares or offer ‘rebates’ - basically gift card raffles.

So, if you feel as this pledged-and-now-paid subscriber does, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Also please let me know your questions or concerns in the comments. Thanks!

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