"Help Ian A. recover after fRoots"
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You’re probably reading this because you were a fan of fRoots magazine: maybe your life was improved by it in some way. You’ll have heard that the company publishing it was finally forced to close down this past summer. My final hurdle is to keep the bank at bay – hence this fundraiser.
I have been persuaded by many of our supporters to create this GoFundMe campaign – not to help me gain personally, but so that the fRoots story can finish without much further cost to me.
The closure of fRoots was the end of a huge contribution to and catalyst for the folk, roots and world music community over the past 40 years. Founded by myself and a small group of friends in 1979 and edited by me throughout, I began looking towards retirement about a decade ago, but continued because I wanted and needed to explore every avenue to place the magazine into good hands beyond my tenure. Sadly, it was not to be.
The years since the beginning of this century have been challenging for all publishers, especially independent specialist ones. Technological changes, international events and the economic environment all conspired against the hard working team behind fRoots. But we kept going because, as many people told us, we were unique and invaluable for publicising and encouraging artists, events, new music, audiences, diversity and much more – a platform for musics which get very little other mainstream media support.
If you don’t know the magazine’s full story, please take a few minutes to watch this short tribute film made earlier this year when I was proud to be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by Folk Alliance International.
And this was what the Guardian said when the closure was announced:
click here
When all possible avenues for locating funding or potential buyers were eventually exhausted, the publishing company was finally forced to file for insolvency. However, even though the company owes me nearly £90K which I invested over the years and which I have absolutely no likelihood of ever recouping, I still remain personally liable for the company’s bank overdraft which I guaranteed back around 1990 and stands at £30K.
Anyone who has tried to make a living out of music – in whatever capacity – knows how rare it is to get to retirement age with any savings in place and at 72 I’m no exception. If this fundraiser succeeds, the fRoots story can be closed fairly, without much further cost to me. Then its legacy for everyone who has ever been involved with it and worked so hard on it over the past 40 years can also survive honourably.
Thank you for reading this far.
Ian Anderson
I have been persuaded by many of our supporters to create this GoFundMe campaign – not to help me gain personally, but so that the fRoots story can finish without much further cost to me.
The closure of fRoots was the end of a huge contribution to and catalyst for the folk, roots and world music community over the past 40 years. Founded by myself and a small group of friends in 1979 and edited by me throughout, I began looking towards retirement about a decade ago, but continued because I wanted and needed to explore every avenue to place the magazine into good hands beyond my tenure. Sadly, it was not to be.
The years since the beginning of this century have been challenging for all publishers, especially independent specialist ones. Technological changes, international events and the economic environment all conspired against the hard working team behind fRoots. But we kept going because, as many people told us, we were unique and invaluable for publicising and encouraging artists, events, new music, audiences, diversity and much more – a platform for musics which get very little other mainstream media support.
If you don’t know the magazine’s full story, please take a few minutes to watch this short tribute film made earlier this year when I was proud to be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by Folk Alliance International.
And this was what the Guardian said when the closure was announced:
click here
When all possible avenues for locating funding or potential buyers were eventually exhausted, the publishing company was finally forced to file for insolvency. However, even though the company owes me nearly £90K which I invested over the years and which I have absolutely no likelihood of ever recouping, I still remain personally liable for the company’s bank overdraft which I guaranteed back around 1990 and stands at £30K.
Anyone who has tried to make a living out of music – in whatever capacity – knows how rare it is to get to retirement age with any savings in place and at 72 I’m no exception. If this fundraiser succeeds, the fRoots story can be closed fairly, without much further cost to me. Then its legacy for everyone who has ever been involved with it and worked so hard on it over the past 40 years can also survive honourably.
Thank you for reading this far.
Ian Anderson
Organiser
Ian Anderson
Organiser
England
