Mike Shinoda on The Vocal Minority and Members vs. Non-Members

Mike Shinoda recently posted an article to his blog where he addresses comments regarding the official Linkin Park fan club, Linkin Park Underground, and how some choice Twitter users have expressed themselves to him about how this alienates "non paying fans". Below is the opening to Mike's post and a link to the full article.

"A couple weeks ago, the following message caught my eye on Twitter:

“LPUers r ‘First class fans’ cause they fuckin pay.the other fans r nothing to you,cause we dont pay,huh?PISSED OFF! @linkinpark @m_shinoda”

Quick recap: LPU is the Linkin Park fan organization. It costs $60 for a year-long membership. The details of what you get with membership are listed here. I assume the “first class fan” part was in reference to a comment the band made at some point. This person appears to be very (10 out of 10) upset.

It’s sometimes hard to read the nuances of intended emotion in a typed blog post, so I’ll be very clear that I’m not angry, nor do I feel defensive as I write this. I’m calmly sitting in a hotel room on tour, with a cup of coffee and a couple pieces of toast. And this tweet got me thinking about something that’s bigger than the “who is the best fan” question.

So, let’s answer the tweet!... "

Click HERE to Read the Full Article at MikeShinoda.com​

I wanted to post this to generate some discussion on the subject and gauge what the LPA members think. Do you agree with Mike on this subject? How do you feel about this "member vs. non-member debate". It's definitely an interesting post and touches on a number of subject areas that are worth reading about. Sound off on our Forums.

Source: Mike Shinoda

 

Mike nailed it with this one. I honestly agree with just about everything he said.

 

Totally agreed with Mike. Some people need to chill. This band deals with so much bullsh-t it's frustrating. I'd like to see another rock band as famous as LP give back to the fans as much as this band has. Mike, I'm sure you're reading this thread and if you are: Keep doing what your doing. There may be a vocal minority out there that is never pleased with what you do, but I personally think you're doing great. Don't change yourself or your sound for anybody! Oh and congrats on the #2 highest selling rock record!

 

Being a member of the LPU since the 1.5 (or 2.5?) package was out (Included both year's 1&2 packages), I'm glad Mike has stepped up and said something about the fan's senseless quarrelling. This was one of the main reasons why I stay the hell off of the lp.com forum page. Too much of the holier than thou attitudes and too much complaining about what the band doesn't do. I got sick of defending my LPUX membership to fans that sat there and berated the club for being $60 without a package (at the time). I joined the LPU because it was something I wanted to do. Nobody forced my hand. I've been a member since damn near the beginning and member or not, I feel like I'm no better than any other fan. I'm happy with my membership and always have been. Because of my membership, I got to meet the band 3 times. I got to get really good tickets to shows. I have had what seems like a once in a lifetime experience at the LPU Summit. Something I never thought was possible. This makes my membership worth it. Because I'm happy with my membership, I will continue being a member. It doesn't seem like a status symbol, but rather my thing to do. It's always felt that way to me.

Thank you, Mike for saying something. Keep up the good work. Keep doing what you do.

 

And by the way, Mike... All of the music and art that you guys make is both amazing and meaningful to me. I "get it." I have nothing else to say but "thank you" for everything you and the band has ever done. It matters and it all means alot to me.

 

I remember when LPUX first came out and it felt like almost everyone was complaining about the raise in price, saying the band had become greedy and that they were ripping off the fans. What nobody ever realized is that in the years prior to LPUX the fan club had actually been losing money. People were pirating the LPU CDs (which were a huge draw to the fanclub) and this, combined with waning interest in what the packages had to offer, lead to a decline in memberships which made it difficult to sustain the 'overhead' necessary to keep the fanclub running. This price increase was the only way to keep the fanclub functioning without a loss, and even with all the extra things they're offering, they're still not making money...they're just breaking even. The new packages (that were shipped for free to whoever was an existing member when they were announced) came out of the band's pocket and was funded by them. Compare that to other fanclubs that charge double/triple/quadruple and offer far less, and there's no reason to call the LPU a bad deal. 60 dollars for everything they offer is a STEAL.