An Insider's View Of Amanda Palmer's Success. Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls has shown very public disdain for her record label Roadrunner/WMG.
So when she made a splash recently by earning $19,000 in 10 hours on Twitter, some in the indie community saw it as affirmation that Palmer's well tuned social marketing skills rather than her label were responsible for her success. Others retorted that the primary reason that Palmer had so many Twitter followers was because of previous promotion by Roadrunner. Which is correct? Is Amanda Palmer a success because of or despite her relationship with her record label?
To find out more, Hypebot turned to Emily White of Whitesmith Entertainment who has a long history with Palmer and the Dresden Dolls" I tour managed The Dresden Dolls from 2003-2006 and later co-managed the band as well as managed the launch of Amanda Palmer's solo career. But kids DID turn up. Around that time the band also signed to Roadrunner Records.
There is no doubt in my mind that all parties had the best intentions. Amanda Palmer Made $19K In 10 Hours On Twitter. Using twitter i’d gathered crowds of sometimes 200 fans with a DAY’S notice to come out and meet me in public spaces (parks, mostly) where i would play ukulele, sign, hug, take pictures, eat cake, and generally hang out and connect. this was especially helpful in the cities where we’d been unable to book all-ages gigs and there were crushed teenagers who were really grateful to have a shot at connecting with me & the community of amanda/dolls fans. i’d also been using twitter to organize ACTUAL last-minute gigs…i twittered a secret gig in LA one morning and about 350 folks showed up 5 hours later at a warehouse space….i played piano, filmed by current.tv, and then (different camera crew) did an interview with afterellen.com.the important thing to understand here is that the fans were never part of the plan.. it cost me almost nothing. the fans were psyched. but back to the bigger, cooler story…. how do you “hang out” on the internet?
And………….. 3. Turn on, tune in, get dropped!!!!! Why Amanda Fucking Palmer Is Never Afraid To Ask For A Fan' Taking A Stand As A Virtual Street Performer Excerpted from Amanda Palmer's blog: listen.artists need to make money to eat and to continue to make art.artists used to rely on middlemen to collect their money on their behalf, thereby rendering themselves innocent of cash-handling in the public eye. artists will now be coming straight to you (yes YOU, you who want their music, their films, their books) for their paychecks. please welcome them. please help them. please do not make them feel badly about asking you directly for money......i am shameless, and fearless, when it comes to money and art.i can’t help it: i come from a street performance background.
LOVEafp. Interview: Amanda 'Fucking' Palmer (Part 1) : Well, for better or worse, the blur has both democratized and frustrated the music business and music-making. It used to be impossible to do any of these back-end production and promotion things (mass-mail fans, create videos, create recorded music) without huge resources from labels, agencies and otherwise profoundly business & profit-oriented organizations. Now that the musician herself can act as all these things, it's empowering. But also difficult - it begs the question of what artists should really be doing with their time. Now there has to be a drastic re-interpreting of an artist's lifestyle...and I think it's hard to make boundaries and limits since everything is so tempting now.
I find myself strangled by the idea that I can promote my music indirectly at ALL TIMES (by twittering from my phone, for instance). There's no saying where my creative mind would be going otherwise. . : Sort of. Being alone is hugely important.