• Like Filmtracks? • Hate advertisements? • Have spare change? Help keep Filmtracks alive and growing by making a contribution through PayPal to cover the site's basic costs. The amount doesn't matter... every little bit helps!

The following information about Filmtracks and its reliance on your help comes from the site's owner and editor, Christian Clemmensen. Periodic updates about the site's financial health at the top of this page are followed at the bottom by background information originally published in August of 2009 and periodically revised since. Above (and on the Scoreboard) is a chart of the last 15 months of donation activity, updated daily and rounded to the nearest $5. The bars max out at their hightest point when $150 is donated in each month.

Current Status (January, 2012):

With the help of continued donations and new advertisement schemes, Filmtracks finished 2011 in a healthier financial condition than it was at the end of 2010. The site covered its fixed costs but not discretionary expenses (see the background information below for details about these distinctions) in its total balance sheet for the year. For the third year in a row, a loss will be declared on the site's taxes.

Without the help of reader donations, Filmtracks would not have been able to cover its basic costs in 2011. Various new advertisements through Google and Amazon.com added during the year also contributed to increases in revenue, though those sources collapsed mid-December and the site missed its projected earnings to offset non-fixed expenses. A slight decrease in server costs late in 2012 will provide relief, but the site will still require donations amounting to about $100 a month to remain fiscally viable.

As always, your assistance continues to be appreciated, and in response to your support, Filmtracks will endeavor to provide new film score coverage at its current pace of one album per each day or two, regardless of the economic woes. Thanks again to all!

Background Info:

Since Filmtracks has historically served as a bridge between the dedicated film music collecting community and mainstream movie-goers exploring soundtracks for the first time, the site has always remained a free service. Charging readers with subscription fees for accessing the content at Filmtracks would defeat that purpose, and a feasibility study of that possibility in 2010 determined that there likely would not be enough subscribers to allow a fair price point and also pay the site's costs (there are exceptions to this, but all would require the site to fundamentally change its focus). Also not an option is the use of obnoxious advertisements such a pop-unders, excessive keyword ads dividing the review paragraphs, landing pages, or any other irritations that especially newspapers are using today. I would rather close this site than employ those money-making tactics.

During the first dozen years of Filmtracks' existence, financing the site was never a problem. Through a combination of sponsorships and commissions, the site always maintained the ability to cover its fixed expenses and expand when necessary. A number of factors in late 2008 changed this reality, however. In part likely due to the global recession, revenue to Filmtracks through commissions and content-related keyword advertising decreased to 35% of previous levels (despite practically no traffic or click decline) while reduced money in the industry caused a temporary loss of contractual sponsorships in late 2009 and a total loss of those partners in late 2010. Filmtracks' traffic base has remained consistent, but those visitors are rarely buying through affiliate links anymore and sponsors, despite their desire to continue advertising at Filmtracks, have tightly restricted or completely eliminated their marketing budgets.

The size of Filmtracks' viewership requires a dedicated server and all of its associated costs to host the site (including substantial bandwidth), as well as a plethora of smaller fees relating to banking, domain names, business licenses, etc. As of a necessary server upgrade in May, 2010 (and extending into 2012), the absolute minimum amount of money Filmtracks needs on a monthly basis simply to survive is $590. This figure is the lowest number that could be obtained after all cost-cutting measures. If you include auxiliary costs such as CD/digital purchases for reviews, rent and utilities, ISP access costs, and other items that I might buy even if not running Filmtracks, that number escalates to $810 per month. I have not paid myself a salary for my work at Filmtracks since 2004, nor do I plan on doing so in the near future. In fact, the site has technically shown a loss on taxes since 2007 and declared substantial losses in 2009 and 2010.

On the bright side, a handful of (sometimes anonymous) Filmtracks visitors have, since 1999, sent donations to the site through personal checks, cash in the mail, or transfers via PayPal. These dedicated readers range from close friends to complete strangers from around the world and, regardless of their identity or level of generosity, their support is much appreciated. To help solicit assistance to cover Filmtracks' costs from 2009 forward, this page was created, facilitating and encouraging such donations. The link at the upper right of this page leads to a PayPal donation form that you can use to send any amount of money you choose to Filmtracks, regardless of whether you have a PayPal account or not. That service takes $0.30 and 2%-4% for their own costs out of the donated amount if you use a credit or debit card (PayPal balance or bank transfers have no fee), and you can choose to cover this small fee if you want. For those who prefer the old fashioned method of support, you can send cash or a check made out to "Filmtracks Publications" to the mailing address on Filmtracks' contact page.

It is my hope that support from Filmtracks' most dedicated readers during this time of economic woes will keep the doors open until revenue through traditional means returns to previous levels. In the meantime, I plan on continuing to operate and write for Filmtracks as though money were no issue. Keep checking back for new content!