we jacked the following from http://www.indiegogo.com/savebackspace and suggest that you go there and make a donation or, if you personally can't, tell a friend who can afford to make a donation and save one of portlands last ALL-AGES music venues and all-around baddass space!

Backspace is in Trouble.

Regardless of the role Backspace plays, and that Backspace would like to continue to give to the people of Portland, we have basically been told by the landlord that if we can't come up with $10,000, by the 1st of January, that we will be thrown out. This means we would no longer be able to play a pivotal role in being a community space for the people of Portland. We wouldn't be able to house benefits for local non-profits. We wouldn't be able to give bands an all-ages venue to play in. We wouldn't be able to hold one of the most awesome poetry slams in the world. You would no longer be able to step off the MAX, step into our doors and get the perfect cup of coffee that you depend on to start the day. Local writers would be asked to create in less than genuine venues. Employees would lose their jobs.

We Need $10,000 to appease the property management.

The majority of our current financial crisis come from ASCAP & BMI liscensing. This liscence allows to us to play music at Backspace without infringing on copyrights. However, these outfits, ASCAP and BMI, collect money from venues and coffeehouses for the right to play music at all. How many venues are forced to cough up large sums of money for playing music for the sake of ambiance? How much of that goes to the artist, often the very artists that play in the venue because of the demand created by the music each venue has to pay for the right to play?

Also, upon asking the landlord, why are we being bullied around by property management and liscensing, the landlord responded by claiming the owners don't want a club on thier block. Coffeehouse, bar, art gallery, live music venue? Yes. Club? No.

Yet, in spite of rational thought, outpouring support from Portland, en masse, the landlord, after collecting $11,000 just last month for the lease, is still threatening to kick us out. Normally we would not want to stay where we are not wanted. However, it is no longer just about Backspace. We feel, as do the number of artists and organizations donating to our cause, that Backspace holds a neccessary and pivotal place in the Portland arts and music communities. An attack on Backspace is an attack on the Portland arts. An attack on Backspace is an attack on Portland.

We Don't Want Something for Nothing.

Because we believe of the importance of our role in the Portland arts community, we have the bands, the artists, the writers and the organizations that support our mission to help us show you the importance of our doors staying open. Bands are donating music, shirts, posters, performances. Local writers and publishers are donating whole packages of books.

If you donate to help us keep our doors open, there are some awesome packages of gifts from members of our ever widening community to show their thanks.

We understand it is holidays and people are broke. If you can't afford to donate, please share with your friends. Come in and buy a coffee, come to one of our awesome shows we have set up before the new year. Join us on New Year's Eve.

http://www.indiegogo.com/savebackspace