Being popular in the music business has its advantages: royalties from songs, media coverage - print, radio, television - and public appearances.

For the reporter or the fan, popularity has drawbacks. The more successful the act, the harder it is to arrange an interview. They become selective about who to talk to and who not to talk to.

If you are not a journalist, how would you get in touch with your favorite artist or band member? Simple. Join a fan club. Fan clubs play an important role in the music business. They are a liaison between performers and public. If you don't know where a band is playing, you write to the fan club and find out.

For instance, periodically The Post-Journal receives the 10,000 Maniacs newsletter. Included in it are concert dates, record information, concession information - about T-shirts, buttons and the like - and information on what the current interests the band are. An example: the November/December 10,000 Maniacs newsletter told about the Maniacs' benefit concert for the Concerned Citizens of Allegany County and the "Bump The Dump" campaign.

Fan Club Co-President Ron Poitras recalls how he and his wife Lynne got the call to head the club. "Sophia Leak, Peter's wife (he's the Maniacs' manager) used to manage a rock band I was in. We all got to know Peter through her. The New York office was inundated with tons of mail and they asked if we could use our house as a the headquarters because we had a facility to handle the merchandise."

"It was real important to the band, especially Natalie, to keep the fan mail going," Mrs. Poitras added. "She had initially done it herself all by hand. When that got too big the New York office took it over and they were answering it when they could. Then with the release of in In My Tribe the response was just overwhelming and they had no time for it and they had nobody who had the hours to put into it. It was a problem with a rosy lining. It was wonderful that the band was doing so well, but there was nobody around who could handle the fan mail."

Poitras said heading the club is great for him and his wife. They have a 3-year-old son, and it gives Mrs. Poitras a chance to work and be at home.

But what about the mail? "That really varies," she said. "When we first took it over, which was the beginning of last year, there wasn't that much because In My Tribe been out for quite a while. Also we had just done a mailing with the first order form out of New York which was what a lot of people wanted. When that order form went out, we really started getting mail. it sort of quadrupled after that. When Blind Man's Zoo came out, we were getting about 75 pieces of mail a day. In the summer it slowed down again and when the tour started, it picked up. I can always tell where the band is without looking at the tour schedule because that's where the mail is coming from. It's funny, In December it picked up again because we did another mailing right before Thanksgiving."

The husband and wife team said the club operates on merchandise sales and the band's generosity. "Merchandising brings some money back in, but the printing and the postage are so expensive," he said.

Mrs. Poitras said that the most rewarding aspect of the club is just being able to do it. When people write in, she said, they are sent a newsletter and an introductory letter explaining what the club's function is. Currently, there are approximately 7,000 people registered in the club.

"We don't answer any personal questions that fans may ask of the band," he said. "We forward that mail directly to the person written to. We don't answer personal letters because they answer their own. The majority of the mail is addressed to Natalie."

"A lot of people don't know who to address it to," Mrs. Poitras added. "It sounds funny when they write 'Dear Maniacs or Dear 10,000'. Some people put 'Dear IOK.' We just enjoy the band so much and we have a tremendous amount of respect for the band and the management."