Sign(s) of the Time. . .

I have been lamenting the decline of this hobby for over two decades, and yet here we are--and so is the sky. So why waste your time reading yet another rant from a "Chicken Little"?

Good question. And one that I am hard-pressed to counter. Nonetheless, the fact remains that the hobby has taken yet another step back on a ledge that grows ever narrower.

There are no new "twists" that are looming to be the proverbial straw. That is at once good--and bad! Bad in that while the patient appears to be resting comfortably on the whole, it is showing no signs of significant, even appreciable, improvement. And while many would take this as ac- ceptable, it is a 'glass half full' viewpoint ignoring the fact that the glass is more than half-empty! For example:

• Releases are down this year. I would normally welcome this as a long-overdue cor- rective measure; but it is being prompted by significantly diminishing returns. And it does not appear to be forcing the manufacturers, as a whole, to critically evaluate their release schedule. 
• The diversity of subject matter/selection appears to be contracting radically. This is quite understandable given the decline in revenue (go with the known from known names); however, it limits the accessibility of/to the hobby.  
• Attendance at shows is down. Fewer spectators, exhibitors, and vendors! Show at- tendance can be rationalized to death . . . and that is precisely what I am afraid of. 
• For the first time, I am hearing from vendors and manufacturers that there is very little "new blood" emerging to fill the vacancies in the ranks. Again nothing new; but the fact that this is being seen as a causative agent by the providers speaks volumes. 
• While the niche vendor population has been relatively stable for the last 10-15 years, it is, for whatever reason/s, declining of late. 
• A whole new competitive sub-industry has emerged in the last 3-5 years: supplies. It's as if the consumer base is being prompted to moult (i.e., replace their current arsenal) to reveal/facilitate a bigger, better self--at a greater cost!
• Other scale/historical craft hobbies are experiencing an unprecedented resurgence!

Personally, I don't see anything that can be done to reverse the trend within a familiar context. . .

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003