"I feel sorry for them. They are trying to sell pieces of plastic in a digital world. But they're barking up the wrong tree if they think they can Katy Perry or Avril Lavigne me into the Walmarts of the world. Not into it. Never was. Sorry. I never wanted to sell millions of records as my primary goal, nor did I want to be a pop star. I am very fucking happy with what they sneeringly call my 'cottage industry' life." - Amanda Palmer, on the music industry
It's hard to forget when someone famous gives a shit about you. I've been fortunate enough to see Amanda Palmer in person and on stage several times (both with and without fellow Dresden Doll Brian Viglione) and not once--watching her lead massive "Coin Operated Boy" sing-alongs, signing CDs, offering kisses, hugs, moral support, receiving gifts and writing on various body parts in black sharpie—did it ever occur to me that I was witnessing mere commerce; a business transaction between artist and consumer. Years before Lady Gaga replied to her first Little Monster on Twitter, Amanda gave a shit about her fans with more passion and conviction than fifty other artists combined.
Record Rewind: The Dresden Dolls - The Dresden Dolls (2003)
Her (let's call it what it is) revolutionary, barrier-breaking relationship with fans is paying back in a major way—as you might have heard, Amanda unveiled a new Kickstarter campaign this week to help fund her new solo album with The Grand Theft Orchestra and upcoming world tour. The album—written and recorded in Australia earlier this year—will be her first major musical statement since breaking out on her own with the Ben Folds-produced Who Killed Amanda Palmer in 2008. As of this writing, the Kickstarter fund (fans can pledge anywhere from $1 to $10,000, with various rewards and incentives... everything from a digital download of the new album to a photo shoot and house party with the band... for each donation bracket) has raised more than $368,000 from more than 6,600 backers in the first two days alone.
So now comes the part where the clueless mainstream media swoops in—applauding the pluck and spirit of an underground artist willing and able to raise money without the support of a major record label. They'll make reference to Radiohead's In Rainbows and Nine Inch Nails' The Slip—major acts who've opted to cut out the middleman between their music and their fans. They'll applaud the money raised as though that's ever been the point of it all. They'll Google Dresden Dolls lyrics, treating their readers to a little inside nod that, "Yeah, we've been on this Amanda Palmer thing since the beginning. We aren't the media... we are the media!"
Celebrate Amanda Palmer's Birthday With Her 15 Greatest Songs (So Far)
The real success story here isn't that Amanda Palmer raised a lot of money very quickly and will be able to release her album and tour the globe without the old world music industry machine behind her... the story here is about making art and really caring about the people who purchase, interact and live with it. I've seen sobbing teenage girls with "Girl Anachronism" tattoos collapse into Amanda Palmer's arms and watched an entire crowd of people... waiting for an autograph, a photo, or maybe even a similar life-altering experience... completely disappear from her mind. It happens every time Amanda Palmer meets one of her fans. Every single time. You can't market the kind of love that exists between performer and audience where both parties really, really give a damn about the other. It exists in the little spaces between song lyrics... in the dashes of color on a street painting... in the moment you kiss the cheek of someone whose work inspires and delights you and they kiss you back with the exact same feeling of gratitude.
Without the music industry, it's just us and the musicians-- forced by necessity but motivated by love to take care of each other, to hold each other up through thick and thin, good and bad. Amanda Palmer (very consciously, I suspect) has always known that. It's why her new album will be in stores, hands, and playlists this fall... it's why you're going to be hearing her name a lot this year... and it's why 6,656 people and counting are actually thrilled to be paying for music again. "The moral of Pierre is care!" There's never been a better time to.
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Follow Brett Warner on Twitter: @Erasurehead
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