Comments on: Amanda Palmer is “Not Afraid To Take Your Money” http://therumpus.net/2009/10/amanda-palmer/ Books, Music, Movies, Art, Politics, Sex, Other Sun, 27 May 2012 03:50:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: juliannechat http://therumpus.net/2009/10/amanda-palmer/comment-page-1/#comment-90090 juliannechat Fri, 14 Jan 2011 01:30:19 +0000 http://therumpus.net/?p=34589#comment-90090 Allison, it is good to hear you confirm that every bit counts. I expect AFP's approach to money benefited from what she learned as a street performer (living statue etc). I chose to pay $10 for Amanda's single "Map of Tasmania" ("name your price, no minimum"), which was what I could afford. In the lyrics, in between support for women not interested in waxing our nethers back to the baldness of primary school (and those who love us*) is a short version of her manifesto: ...we are the media ...we start the mania [*including a soupçon of personal sex-related info in this comment, just to fit in with y'all at The Rumpus] Allison, it is good to hear you confirm that every bit counts. I expect AFP’s approach to money benefited from what she learned as a street performer (living statue etc).

I chose to pay $10 for Amanda’s single “Map of Tasmania” (“name your price, no minimum”), which was what I could afford. In the lyrics, in between support for women not interested in waxing our nethers back to the baldness of primary school (and those who love us*) is a short version of her manifesto:

…we are the media
…we start the mania

[*including a soupçon of personal sex-related info in this comment, just to fit in with y'all at The Rumpus]

]]> By: Lindsay Price http://therumpus.net/2009/10/amanda-palmer/comment-page-1/#comment-10177 Lindsay Price Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:23:54 +0000 http://therumpus.net/?p=34589#comment-10177 Why are artists always expected to give away what they do for free? Why are we supposed to be embarrassed to charge? Why are we told to keep the fee quiet? The dentist isn't embarrassed to tell you what it costs to get your teeth cleaned. He's rather vocal about it actually. I like Amanda isn't afraid to fail. That she's well aware the times they are achaning and instead of sticking her head in the sand and waiting for someone else to do the dirty work, she's getting her hands in the mud. We all should do the same. Hey A, fancy meeting you here. :) Why are artists always expected to give away what they do for free? Why are we supposed to be embarrassed to charge? Why are we told to keep the fee quiet? The dentist isn’t embarrassed to tell you what it costs to get your teeth cleaned. He’s rather vocal about it actually.

I like Amanda isn’t afraid to fail. That she’s well aware the times they are achaning and instead of sticking her head in the sand and waiting for someone else to do the dirty work, she’s getting her hands in the mud. We all should do the same.

Hey A, fancy meeting you here. :)

]]> By: Allison Williams http://therumpus.net/2009/10/amanda-palmer/comment-page-1/#comment-9989 Allison Williams Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:13:49 +0000 http://therumpus.net/?p=34589#comment-9989 I am a street performer. I also do festivals, corporate events and theatre shows. The street performer model works like this: We give away the product for free. After the audience has enjoyed the product, some of them - fortunately for us, most of them - give us money. The ones who can afford to give more subsidize the ones who can't. I'm seeing Amanda Palmer perform for a $20 concert ticket next month. Way cheap for live music. I read her blog for free instead of buying her book. I watch her videos for free on YouTube and buy a song or two on iTunes. And if she wants to auction off art in the middle of the show, go for it, baby - I don't have to bid. And the person who can afford to pay $200 or $500 for an amazing painting gets something far more special and unique than a mass-produced t-shirt, and it keeps my ticket costing $20. I am a full time professional artist. I can only be good enough at my work to make money because I can afford to do it all the time, 40-80 hours a week. And I can only afford to be full time if people choose to pay me. The "everything should be free on the internet" model is great - if what you want is homemade videos of cats doing wacky antics. If you want art, start paying. And it's OK if you can only pay a quarter, because every little bit counts. To misquote the lovely Debbie Allen: You want art? Well, art costs. And right here is where you start paying. I am a street performer. I also do festivals, corporate events and theatre shows. The street performer model works like this:

We give away the product for free.
After the audience has enjoyed the product, some of them – fortunately for us, most of them – give us money.
The ones who can afford to give more subsidize the ones who can’t.

I’m seeing Amanda Palmer perform for a $20 concert ticket next month. Way cheap for live music. I read her blog for free instead of buying her book. I watch her videos for free on YouTube and buy a song or two on iTunes. And if she wants to auction off art in the middle of the show, go for it, baby – I don’t have to bid. And the person who can afford to pay $200 or $500 for an amazing painting gets something far more special and unique than a mass-produced t-shirt, and it keeps my ticket costing $20.

I am a full time professional artist. I can only be good enough at my work to make money because I can afford to do it all the time, 40-80 hours a week. And I can only afford to be full time if people choose to pay me. The “everything should be free on the internet” model is great – if what you want is homemade videos of cats doing wacky antics. If you want art, start paying. And it’s OK if you can only pay a quarter, because every little bit counts.

To misquote the lovely Debbie Allen: You want art? Well, art costs. And right here is where you start paying.

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