What is ABBAMAIL?
ABBAMAIL began on January 13, 1997 primarily as a private internet mailing list for ABBA fans.
Over the last ten years ABBAMAIL has grown to be the #1 web site and internet community for fans who want to keep up to date with accurate, timely information and opinion about the world of ABBA.
ABBAMAIL's internet mailing list grew quickly as more and more fans joined throughout 1997/98 and the high level of subscribers proved to be too much of an administrative nightmare for the ABBAMAIL HQ team. The list was then trimmed down to around 300 active subscribers. At this size, we can maintain and enhance the "Community" atmosphere that is unique to ABBAMAIL. Most of our mailing list subscribers have been part of ABBAMAIL for many years. To keep our commitment to ensuring ABBA fans around the world are kept up to date with the extended world of ABBA, ABBAMAIL expanded its website to provide a comprehensive source of news, views and information for all ABBA fans around the world. The site has continued to grow and it currently contains over 130 megabytes of news, historical articles and opinion-based columns together with hundreds of ABBA and related images. The wealth of information on ABBAMAIL.com is often used by journalists and authors researching ABBA. And thanks to our search facility, all of this material can be easily accessed by any visitors to the site. ABBAMAIL's website is acknowledged as the most up to date internet site for ABBA fans on the web. Fans who want to keep up with the latest developments in the ABBA world have come to rely on the site as their primary source of information. As the site has developed and expanded, so have the number of visitors. The main page on ABBAMAIL's website presently gets about 25,000 "hits" per month. ABBAMAIL's internet presence has grown to include a chat room, an ABBA FAQ, ABBA Question & Answer Archive, Columnists and comprehensive picture and information resources for the broader ABBA fan community. The most recent addition to our website is the ABBAMAIL FORUM - a discussion "board" for fans to discuss ABBA and related issues. ABBAMAIL's website is unique in that there is a strong focus on ABBA fans and the ABBAMAIL community itself. We celebrate ABBA fandom and ABBAMAILers rather than focussing exclusively on ABBA. Through ABBAMAIL, many fans have made new contacts and friendships - and yes, even relationships - with people around the world. Gatherings of ABBAMAILers from Sydney to London, New York to Stockholm have been a highlight of our community for many years. The heart of ABBAMAIL and the driving force behind everything we do is our internet mailing list. ABBAMAIL is about like minded fans who want to share information, make new friends and most importantly, make a positive contribution to the rest of ABBA fandom. As well as sharing the latest news about ABBA, the list is also discusses ABBA-related and other Swedish groups and performers, ABBA's music, image, history, releases, record companies, business dealings and the group members themselves. ABBAMAIL is also a diverse community bringing together different cultures, sexualities and lifestyles. ABBAMAIL subscribers also discuss their lives, loves and hopes, their pasts, present and futures. The official language of ABBAMAIL is English and the list is targetted at a mature audience (over the age of 18). ABBAMAIL is Community of fans that believe in sharing: A relatively small group of people gather ABBA related news and information from around the world which is then uploaded onto ABBAMAIL's website for the benefit of the entire ABBA fan Community. For nine and half years, subscription to ABBAMAIL's internet mailing list was free. In 2006, Universal Music Sweden took legal action against ABBAMAIL which virtually bankrupted us. Since July 2006, a modest monthly charge has been introduced for list membership to ensure the survival of ABBAMAIL. To support our ongoing activities, ABBAMAIL also has a small range of ABBA-related merchandise and a yearly printed news update/catalogue. Here are the answers to the most common questions people ask us: Is ABBAMAIL a fan club?
No, ABBAMAIL is not a fan club. We're a fan oriented organisation but we are not a "fan club".
We are also not associated with the former Australian ABBA fan club that was run in Melbourne during the 1990s. We are a private community of ABBA fans who have chosen to come together for the benefit of each other and for ABBA fandom in general. Is ABBAMAIL officially authorised?
ABBAMAIL has never sought approval from ABBA or their record companies - one of our key goals is to remain an independent voice for ABBA fandom. The members of ABBA, their business representative Görel Hanser, Universal Music and Benny's own Mono Music record company, are aware of our existence. Our activities, have been complementary and beneficial to Universal Music and the members of ABBA themselves. ABBAMAIL helps to promote officially released ABBA related products to a large fan base. ABBAMAIL keeps fans informed and helps keep them interested in Universal's new and existing ABBA product. Universal Music Sweden has also used the resources of ABBAMAIL's internet mailing list, our subscribers and our website when devising and preparing new ABBA releases. We have never been acknowledged or rewarded for this. ABBA's management and Universal Music have, in fact, been deeply hostile to ABBAMAIL. Universal Music Sweden have threatened us with legal action and tried to close us down on more than one occasion - most recently in 2006. ABBAMAIL is not authorised by ABBA, Universal or any of the companies associated with ABBA. And that's how we prefer it. By remaining completely independent, we can also remain uncensored. The information and resources of ABBAMAIL's internet mailing list and its subscribers - together with the extensive historical resources on our website - not only reach visitors to our website but are also used by many other fan sites and forums to advise their subscribers / site visitors about new ABBA releases. ABBAMAIL is also a key supplier of news for the international ABBA Fan Club's quarterly magazine. Who runs ABBAMAIL?
ABBAMAIL is run by Graeme Read and Grant Whittingham
Graeme has been an ABBA fan for more than 30 years and ran the Official Australian ABBA Fan Club which began in 1976 and ceased to exist in 1983. In 1997, Graeme and Grant formed a company - Whitread Pty Ltd - to administer ABBAMAIL and its various activities. Does it cost anything to be part of ABBAMAIL?
There is a modest monthly fee to be a subscriber to ABBAMAIL's internet mailing list. All of our other services are free of charge. Click here to find out about subscribing to our internet mailing list. How does ABBAMAIL cover its expenses?
ABBAMAIL's administration requires considerable funding to cover internet service provider charges, web hosting charges, telephone and facsimile costs, equipment, computer software, printing and stationery costs as well as postage costs. ABBAMAIL's loyal subscribers have from July 2006, paid a modest monthly fee to ensure the community remains viable and that the thousands of fans that visit ABBAMAIL.com each month can continue to enjoy our services. We also have a small range of products of interest to "hardcore ABBA fans" for sale via our webshop. If you enjoy and ABBAMAIL.com, we urge visitors to our site to make a small financial contribution to help us keep the website and all of our services alive. You can find out more about this by reading this page. | 