About
Ploddings (est. 2018) is a non-profit educational resource, focused on American early blues & folk styles for stringed-instruments.
i) Partnership with Mt. Zion Memorial Fund
Since 2023, Ploddings remainds proudly partnered with the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund, led by Dr. T. DeWayne Moore. However, in the interest of opening the transcription tablature to the public, membership fees at this time are not being collected. Instead, the Ploddings site at this time is testing whether it can be of more effective service in the long-run by prioritizing awareness over funds for blues preservation efforts, motivating this modification in direction. In this spirit, those who wish to donate to the Ploddings site are encouraged to instead donate directly to the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund through their website.
The work of the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund includes: (i) the erection of tombstones for musicians such as Belton Sutherland, Bo Carter, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Memphis Minnie, Sam Chatmon, Elmore James, Charley Patton, and Frank Stokes; (ii) the preservation of historical sites; and (iii) the creation of memorials such as the Mississippi John Hurt museum.
How Payments/Donations are Processed
During periods of raising funds (which is not the case at this time), 100% of membership fees on Ploddings are controlled by the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund organization as charitable donations*. To be specific, their bank account is attached to & directly receives all Stripe payments on Ploddings; therefore, no middle-man handling of payments/donations exists.
*For citizens of the USA, that means Ploddings membership fees were tax-deductible, as the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund has public charity status approved by the IRS per section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the IRC.
ii) How Subscriptions Work
Though memberships are not currently active, when they are active, users of Ploddings may sign-up for one-time or recurring fees, representing a donation to the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund account.
A membership grants privileges that include:
- Viewing & playback of transcription tablature, and
- Usage of the slow-downer / pitch-shifter tool.
iii) More Information
In case questions remain, please reach out via the Ploddings contact page. The custodian & builder of Ploddings is "blah"/Blah148. To learn more about the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund, its current endeavors, how to volunteer, or its relationship with Ploddings, please get in touch via their website.