ShadowMusic - future of this website

[Iain Purdon]

Greetings to all ShadowMusic members!

This online group has been running in different forms since the tail end of the last century. The current manifestation dates from 2009 when Bob took over the technical administration of shadowmusic.co.uk.

By coincidence, 2009 was also the year our heroes last appeared and recorded as The Shadows. That was 15 years ago for the final Cliff Reunion tour. They - and we - are all 15 years older. The Shadows have stopped and we think it’s time for us to do the same, not losing interest just giving up the technical and editorial oversight of this website.

There’s nothing to say that hasn’t already been said. There’s a wealth of Shads information here, more than you will find anywhere else online, all of it contributed over the years by members who know, overseen by moderators who can vouch for it.

The question is what we do about it. The Moderator/Admin Team have been debating this. We are minded to close it to new contributions and freeze it for use as a public archive. We would prune it, tidy it up a little and make all the useful bits available online to anybody.

We won’t do it yet, because there’s work to be done behind the scenes first. But we thought we should let you know now.

Best wishes – Bob (Admin) and David, Dave, George, Iain (Moderators)

[alewis41]

Wow. End of an era. Thought I was the only one who liked the Shads until I found David's original website which led me to Tony Hoffman's Shadsfax.

Thanks to all the Moderators, Admins and Contributors over the past 25 years!

Andrew

[Ian Miller]

Oh dear, that’s a blow! I also was one of the very early members on David’s original site. Every morning the first thing I look at while drinking my coffee is this site! I will miss it terribly!

Ian

[Didier]

I was the first french member on ShaDowmusic back in 2000, when it was hosted on MSN. Four years later I was the co-creator of a similar french site (fandesshadows.xooit.fr) which is still alive and well.
It would be sad to see this site ending...

Didier

[Alan Taylor]

That's a great shame.

I check this site every day and still find it of interest.

I hope the moderators will reconsider but I appreciate that there is work involved and we currently owe so much to Bob for maintaining the site.

Alan

[UlrichS]

Dear Bob, David, Dave, George and Iain,

What a shock!
I fully understand your decision but it is a pity nevertheless, at least for me.
The first thing when I switch on my computer is looking for any news on ShadowMusic and the last thing when I switch if off, has there been any news in the meantime. Over the years I picked up so many details regarding the Shadows which I wasn't aware of before.
I think it's great that you want to keep ShowMusic's information content accessible as there is such a wealth of details which should not go lost. I will surely be here regularly in the future.

With a tear in my eyes let me thank you all for all the effort (and money) you have put into running this website over more than 25 years and also to all the contributors for making this website so informative.

Ulrich

[Teflon]

I have to echo the views already expressed: So sad to hear this news, but at the same time, I appreciate the reasons behind it. The fan base is getting both older and smaller, and the rising popularity of social media groups probably doesn't help, as they invariably take traffic away from the site. Like others, this site is part of my "Home Page", and it's one of the first places I "visit" every morning. I shall miss it greatly once it closes. One thought: is it worth asking the membership if there is anyone with both the time, and knowledge that would be willing to take over the running of the site? I know this could open up a whole new set of rabbit holes, and may not be a route you wish to go down, but thought it worth mentioning anyhow.

Regardless of the future of this site, I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in its setup and running, and, of course, to all those who have contributed to it's content over the years. I first came here thinking I knew a great deal about the band, but quickly discovered my knowledge was lacking in so many areas! It's an amazing resource, and I've learned so much from the site since first signing up. Thank you!

Cliff

[barryg]

We have seen a general decline in The Shadows music generally especially since Covid intervened in our lives. A number of Shadows clubs have seen a decline in member numbers and there aren't the number of Shads bands around and Shadowmania is a distant, but very pleasant, memory. Time moves on and we're not doing the same things, or able to do them, anymore. It would be a shame to close Shadowmusic but with less interest in it maybe it is the right time for it to close but leaving it open as an archive would be a good idea.

Shadowmusic has been a Shadows music information point for us all and a place where we can all meet up so to speak and we will certainly miss that so I'm going to suggest we have an alternative place to meet and provide and get our Shadows information. Many of us use social media on a daily basis and many bands (generally) advertise their gigs and do promotions on Facebook and many Shadowmusic users, in the UK and in many other countries, are already on Facebook to keep in touch so a Shadowmusic Facebook page may be the answer. There is no cost to provide a page but it does need admin people to set it up and to keep it running without the scams and inappropriate posts being made but if it's done properly at the beginning it will be easier to maintain.

I would like to hear what you think of this idea and whether you would be part of it and support it.

Long live Shadow music.

Barry

[artyman]

As a rather 'beginner' player who was first inspired to play guitar way back when Apache first hit the shelves, the loss of this site would be a great sadness and disappointment to many I'm sure. We all appreciate the time and effort of those skilled enough to run the site and thank you for your commitment. I don't find 'social' media anything like as useful as it doesn't seem to follow any logical thread progress. Like many others I hope you perhaps reconsider, as although the Shadows community may be smaller it is no less enthusiastic, and since I'm still outside the wooden box need it to continue.

[Stan666]

Please don't do it.
Thanks for your tasa, friends.