A reader writes, “Amanda Palmer of Dresden Dolls, etc., passionately rants about artists’ fear of asking fans to support them directly, and the evolution of new artist-fan relationships as corporate middle-men go as the dodo.”
I was at a dinner with Amanda a few weeks ago and we talked about this at length. She’s not only incredibly interesting on the subject, but also insightful — and successful at it.
i can’t help it: i come from a street performance background.
i stood almost motionless on a box in harvard square, painted white, relinquishing my fate and income to the goodwill and honor of the passers-by.i spent years gradually building up a tolerance to the inbuilt shame that society puts on laying your hat/tipjar on the ground and asking the public to support your art…
i did this for 5 years, and i made a living that way.
dollar by dollar.
hour by hour.
it was hard fucking work.and for the last 10 years, i have been working my ass off in a different way: tirelessly making music, traveling the world, connecting with people, trying to keep my balance, almost never taking a break and, frankly, not making a fortune doing it. i still struggle to pay my rent sometimes. i’m still more or less in debt from my last record. i’ll lay it all out for you in another blog. it’s just math.
if you think i’m going to pass up a chance to put my hat back down in front of the collected audience on my virtual sidewalk and ask them to give their hard-earned money directly to me instead of to roadrunner records, warner music group, ticketmaster, and everyone else out there who’s been shamelessly raping both fan and artist for years, you’re crazy.
why i am not afraid to take your money, by amanda fucking palmer