As I said (and you too),it's clearly down to personal preference,just because you don't like a skin doesn't mean it is substandard or not as good as the old days,it just means that YOU don't like it.
So are you saying that the none master skinners skins just aren't good enough for you?Because if you are then you know what the solution is,make your own or buy Master skins.If on the other hand you think it is unfair to have to purchase skins I really don't know what to say apart from look around you,stuff costs money,and in the case of the master skinners here it is well deserved in my opinion.
  

I'd be willing to bet the user base hasn't decreased in recent memory.

The Master Skin process was designed to help encourage new skinners to get into skinning.

I think there's a major variable being ignored: Most of the good skins we speak of in the past are made by people who have left or no longer have hobby time to justify continually making them.

Like anything, new people need to rise up.  Master Skins is one way to encourage this because only someone with MASTER access can make them which requires a great deal of effort and having demonstrated their capability and passion over the course of time to make their way up.

There is a significant misconception if someone thinks that Treetog and Alexandrie and Essorant and all the other long long LONG time skinners are going to simply continue to crank out amazing skins indefinitely.

Like all hobbies, once you get to a certain level, it becomes work at which point it's not a hobby. Master skins encourage skinners who have reached a certain level to still makes skins even when it's not a hobby.

We need an incentive to get NEW artists into skinning. Master Skins is that carrot.

btw, does anyone else see the irony in discussing this in a news item announcing the second (in less than a week) free skin from Stardock Design?

I also got a chuckle out of that Brad.

  

Well, we all know that to be true!  

I'm not saying anyone is under mind control, just that the incentive for them to produce master skins is greater than that of free skins and thus the balance has changed. It is people stretching my words with comments like "mind control" that really make me appreciate posters with an understanding open minded tone like Philly0381 and Zubaz. You can disagree but I would appreciate it if people didn't put words in my mouth.

As far as irony is concerned... it is not about the number of skins it is about which skins I personally prefer. I personally find it strange that they find irony in something that is somebody elses opinion. There is no irony, it is an opinion you agree or you disagree either is fine.

Perhaps I'm just being a bit too cynical and pessimistic, and perhaps I'm spending too much time reminiscing about the good ol' days.

I'm not going anywhere 'till my OD subscription runs out anyway, I'll reevaluate then I guess.

I understand the idea behind the carrot, I think it is faulty, but I understand what frogboy is saying. The whole idea behind a carrot is that it has to be something attainable or just out of reach to keep you intrested, if it is too far out of reach it doesn't work as a carrot. Try putting a carrot 2 miles in front of a horse and see if he runs for it. The only way someone would make it to 6 years or however long it takes is through enjoying the process. While I can see the validity of having masters skins to keep the old skinners skinning(but that could be done if Stardock payed them directly), in my opinion having master skins does absolutely nothing to get new skinners into skinning. For this I think you need a better carrot. I hope this can be taken as constructive criticism because that is how it intended, I say this because I do hope to see more new skinners.
From the carrot comment it seems like the master skins idea was like throwing on a band aid before actually knowing what the injury was, and that scares me. While seeing the current "masters" leave would be very sad indeed, it must also be considered that an event like that is what allows a newer skinner to step up and fill the void, that is a very real carrot. Please people don't take this the wrong way, I don't want anybody to leave. All that I am saying is that if the master skins program was designed to fix a problem, perhaps the root cause of the problem needed a little bit more analysis.

It took you 19 paragraphs to make that completely obvious point? I don't think so.

As a skinner, yes my feelings are hurt but I am not barking back because of that. I just think you are wrong.

Forgive me if I analyze your analysis.

You started by blaming Stardock for the quality of skins that are being released by some Master Skinners (Stardock Design).

By questioning the quality of the work that is being released and blaming Stardock, are you not saying that the Stardock Design team doesn't care about their reputations? In a long winded way you are saying that they have sold out and therefore cannot think for themselves anymore. Hence the mind control comment. It is called hyperbole. It's all over the internet. Please get used to it.

1 year ago we had 3 premium skins to choose from as subscribers. Now we have many. How exactly has the Master Skinner system harmed anything? People cried for years for more premium skins. They finally got what they asked for. They aren't bad skins. I guess they just aren't what you had hoped for. Understandable. Noone has ever made a skin that met my taste perfectly, except myself.
I started skinning so I could match my personal taste.

Jefferey, See if you can answer this 1 question in 1 sentence.



When it comes time to reevaluate, what has to happen between now and then for you to resubscribe?

    

Jeffrey, I have to say that you have made your point as to what you want to see provided here as free content.

I'm left with this one thought, by defination, Premium and Master should be better then regualr or free. That doesn't mean the the work done by the skinner is inferior or less than good on a free skin.

As I wrote before, things do change, hopefully the standard of quality of all skins does not. You have to choose now what you are willing to accept. Understand that alot of use here enjoy and appreciate all the skins that are made available by the skinners, whether free or not.

I haven't mentioned this before but I am not a skinner, but I love customizing my desktop. We all start with a WB and WP and from there we add lots of other things that tend to make are desktops somewhat unique, and usually far from the original theme of the skinner. Some may say that we screw things up, others say we are showing our talent.

Have a great weekend.