First of all, our plans for converting our remaining analog databanks to digital has caused some of you to express concern as to whether or not existing computer monitors will still be able to display dates for bands like The String Cheese Incident and artists like Ani DiFranco and Robert Plant. Short answer? While 98 percent of the analog monitors tested in our labs were quite capable of displaying most digitized routings, such as the itineraries for Fall Out Boy, John Prine and Toby Keith, the remaining two percent that went untested may or may not present problems after the digital conversion, which may or may not take place as scheduled. Clear enough? Good. Let’s move on.

Furthermore, many of you have expressed concerns over our planned bandwidth expansion, specifically, whether or not this may affect owners of computer systems manufactured before August 18, 2004. Rest assured, if you are a regular user of our free, basic services, you will not notice any difference in data retrieval regarding tours such as Michelle Branch or Gov’t Mule. However, for our Pollstar Premium users, we will be upgrading our outgoing data packets from the previous industry standard of kilobytes to current megabyte technology. How can you tell which system is best for your computer? Since this feature, like most Pollstar Premium features, is totally out of our control, your best bet is to contact Microsoft immediately. Ask for Bill.

And finally, many of you have asked about our upcoming conversion to high-definition tour date display, and how this will affect schedules ranging Alan Jackson to ZZ Top. High-definition, also called “hi-def” by the those who are syllable-challenged, will result in a greater bandwidth solution guaranteed to add luster and depth to all schedules including the calendars for U2, Alicia Keys and Pat Metheny Group. As to whether or not your computer will be able to handle our upcoming hi-def transmissions, best to consult your owner’s manual on page 431, paragraph 29, sub paragraph 3.

Yes, big changes are in store for Pollstar.com, and, like all changes, the transformation will require patience, understanding and intolerance. Of course, like everything else in the concert business, all scheduled upgrades, as well as the upgraded schedules for the upgrades, remain tentative until firm, and will not be firm until after the events described have already transpired. Thank you for your support.