Benefactory in the Cyber Age

MUSIC/ART, DIGTAL TIP JARS, & 21st CENTURY BENEFACTORY: I posted a version of this essay last year, but was recently urged to up-date it and share again....so here it is:

It has constantly been suggested to me that I embrace the "subscription model" as an addition to my more traditional biz models. That is to say, I am now offering payment options for anyone who values my work and wants to support it - both one-off "tip jar" model and ongoing "monthly subscription" model.

This is to cover the additional (and unpaid) work that I do, such as the "Guitar Gods" interview series, my "Classic Covers" video performance series, various cost-free lesson articles and "Ask Me Anything" series, un-paid "Jam with the Skinny Devil" invitation open mic gigs, and more....(as a full-time self-employed musician, the overwhelming bulk of my income is through live performance & teaching).

A more comprehensive list is below, but in short, 2021 alone gave me the opportunity to host 36 non-paid invitation open mic gigs giving stage time to almost 50 different players, plus saw me publish 21 articles/lessons at Skinny Devil Magazine, another FIVE at Skinny Devil Universe, THREE "Ask Me Anything" videos, and another 28 performance videos.  More than that if we were counting since COVID struck....and it looks like we're off to a good start for 2022!

I'll be using my hitherto under-used Patreon page to post a steady stream of past content as well as new content, though the vast majority will be available via SD Magazine, SD Universe, & YouTube.

Sooo....one-off via Venmo or PayPal and monthly subscription via Patreon or PayPal, if you want to support my work!

One-shot support: https://www.paypal.me/skinnydevilmusic​ or www.venmo.com/David-McLean-47 (Pay What You Will)

Monthly support: https://www.patreon.com/skinnydevilmusic​ or https://www.paypal.me/skinnydevilmusic​ (Pay What You Will)

And I've just gotten the new PayPal pay button here:
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=U9PN8H8LM722A



2021 content list:
NINE songwriting articles (see: Sonic Sorcery), FIVE one-off music lessons (from "Signature Chords" to the "America the Beautiful" Superbowl performance), THREE Jimi Hendrix style re-print lessons, THREE Zen Guitar lesson re-prints, and one "Guitar Gods" interview (with Grammy winning Jon Butcher) with more in the cue...all in SD Magazine.

At SD Universe saw THREE "Ask Me Anything" music articles, and TWO large works: "The Music of Black Widow" (info & 3 song charts) and "The Music of James Bond" (info & 26 song charts).

Add to that 28 performance videos and THREE music-centric "Ask Me Anything" videos.