What is a Co-op? According to Webster, it's "an enterprise or organization owned by and operated for the benefit of those using its services.
To cooperate is "to associate with others for mutual benefit; to work with another/others."
A showcase is "a setting or framework of exhibiting something at it's best."
When I put all that together in my head and think "Louisville Area Songwriters' Co-op Showcase," I come up with this picture of all these songwriters working together (supporting one another)_ and creating a framework within which the best of them will be presented for the mutual benefit of all of them.
By and large that is not what I see. There are many members of the LASC who have never attended a showcase, and there are others who have only attended when they were on the program. What kind of support is that for your brother and sister songwriters?
The showcases are the main avenue we have for presenting original music to the public, and not incidentally providing many people with their first performing-on-stage experience, which has been an inducement to further songwriting for some past performers.
As the old chestnut goes, "he (or she) who gives, gets," and add to that "what goes around, comes around."
With a membership of over 200 we should have a full house for every showcase we have.
Anynote, let's all get out there and give our support to our "fellow babies," as Johnny Fever would say, and maybe I won't feel obligated to climb up on a soapbox again.