Amanda Palmer's huge success on Kickstarter

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/1/12 at 5:31pm

Dearest Madonna,


THIS is what a busy artist looks like!

[binau]

Posted: 5/1/12 at 8:47pm

I wish that they'd try this for some cast recordings that wouldn't be produced otherwise (e.g. the JAY RECORDS ANYONE CAN WHISTLE or a Bernadette/Stritch NIGHT MUSIC sampler :P).

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 5/1/12 at 9:54pm

I love this woman. Can't wait to see her June 28th!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/1/12 at 10:23pm

Not to coin a term, but even at the time Madonna's selling what was left of her soul to Live Nation seemed hopelessly regressive.

I can't decide what level to Kick in for Amanda.

[missthemountains]

Posted: 5/2/12 at 2:43am

^^I will be seeing her on the 28th as well, Glinda! Seen her in concert twice and she is wonderful. She NEEDS to do more theatre stuff.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/2/12 at 5:14am

I don't get the whole kickstarter thing.

Ask me for a donation, so that I can have the PRIVLEDGE of purchasing the material I helped finance? So that you can make the profit? (I understand that not all ventures end up profitable.)

To me, it just too often sounds like using fans, adding to the stagedoor delusion as it were, giving them more hope of a relationship -- maybe even the expectation.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/2/12 at 11:31am

I hear what you're saying. But it's not like you don't get some pretty great things for every level of donation should you choose to take part, at least in Amanda's case. Since, obviously, the old model is dead (cf Madonna's latest flop), maybe it's time to return to the days of art patronage.

[ahhrealmonsters]

Posted: 5/2/12 at 1:28pm

dramamama- I completely agree. It just rubs me the wrong way.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/2/12 at 2:59pm

Do you guys mean generally speaking, or in this case with Amanda specifically? Because in Amanda's case, if you give $1 or more you get a digital copy of the album with bonus content. $1!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/2/12 at 3:17pm

It has nothing to do with her. (I like her, actually.) For me it's an overall type thing. I feel like nearly any independant musician I enjoy, has hit me up to help produce their next album.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/2/12 at 3:23pm

But isn't that what an ad campaign for an album essentially does in the traditional model? Do the people who are hitting you up offer you anything for your donation? I think if they do, they're using a different model that might require an adjustment in audience perspectives.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/2/12 at 3:31pm

Namo, that may very well be the truth. I'm old and change comes slow to me. And yes, MOST have definitely offered something in exchange, so I suppose its more like preordering but the money goes to use right away.

I'll let that different perspective stew with me a bit.

(Look posters, since I was open minded about another's opinion, it was truly a discussion -- and one that might change anothers mind. What a concept.)

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/2/12 at 10:45pm

We are modeling such civilized behavior! I'd like to think of it as being an arts patron and getting a souvenir. Although I have previously given to a documentary I'd like to see and when I see it, I want to see my tiny little name scroll by in the end credits!

[trentsketch]

Posted: 5/2/12 at 11:29pm

The whole point of Kickstarter for this kind of project is getting projects off the ground without all the wasteful spending of the larger entertainment machines. Amanda makes that argument really clear in her video when she talks about her estimated budget for this album and how much her former label planned to spend on it. She was trying to raise about 5% of just the recording budget, which would be 2% of the total budget for the album.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 5/2/12 at 11:52pm

It does take some adjustment and Im not totally there yet. I have contributed to some kickstarter campaigns. The problem is now everyone is doing one, so it feels like all my favorite artists have their hand out. Its not just musicians-its actors, painters, writers.

It's hard to not be a little resentful. It can get annoying. Like I said it takes some adjusting. Its totally understandable with the times we live in.

The other irritating piece is that if you are friends with them on facebook or on a listserv the promotion becomes intolerable. "Please share!!!!", usually every day.

I'd like to start a kickstarter for a down payment for a house. Do you think my favorite artists would kick in? lol

Updated On: 5/2/12 at 11:52 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 12:04am

I stopped following Amanda on Twitter the day she announced the yard sale to make rent. This was when she had just met Neil Gaiman. I was too interested in The Dresden Dolls and her performances to need to know as much as she tended to share. Now I just focus on her creativity.

Still, I like the idea of helping out artists I like when I can afford to. I tend to help out when I get something for the investment.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 12:12am

Namo I agree. Sometimes the line between us and our faves is really gone with technology. Sometimes I feel some of the mystique is gone lol.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 4:36am

But I think it also feeds on the young....that likely don't think as much about whether or not htey can afford it. (And I mean HS and college kids.


While part of me like what Palmer says about corporate overspending, I'm not sure if I totally buy it. If she can produce the album for so little, will the price of the album be significantly lower? Unlikely. So in the end, she is likely to make significantly MORE than she did with the company -- a much higher percentage going in her pocket.

(Yes, I know I am a cynical person.)

[tazber]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 5:29am

Still, I like the idea of helping out artists I like when I can afford to. I tend to help out when I get something for the investment.

This is where I'm at. So many times have I wanted to hear new material from a beloved artist only to never get the chance because he/she wasn't a sound enough investment for a label.

The amount of enjoyment I get from some artists far outweighs a small contribution.

The down side, as betty mentioned, is that everyone is doing it. I choose carefully.

Updated On: 5/3/12 at 05:29 AM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 11:18am

"If she can produce the album for so little, will the price of the album be significantly lower? Unlikely."

Given that the starting price for the digital album plus extras is a dollar, I would say that's a yes. And that means young people can get the album for just a teeny bit more than they usually steal things for on line, meaning they could possibly learn the value of supporting artists for what they create. Or not, I dunno.

But, you know, people who aren't into the Kickstarter thing but want the album can still buy it when it comes out.

The remarkable thing is that she had a 30-day goal of $100,000 and but she got a quarter of a million the first day.

Updated On: 5/3/12 at 11:18 AM

[tazber]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 11:45am

Namo, did you mean to link this thread?

I ended up in a spiral

Updated On: 5/3/12 at 11:45 AM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 11:46am

No, BWW did it all by itself!

[tazber]

Posted: 6/25/12 at 11:13am

These contributions were purchases, not donations. But more than that, the fans making them were also voting with their wallets for a new system of paying for music from their favorite artists; one that bypasses labels and other intermediaries completely. And, in Palmer’s case, the vote was a landslide. With $1.2 million raised, Palmer set a new benchmark for music projects on Kickstarter. That result is exciting but it’s not really surprising. The platform is tailor-made for someone like Palmer--a recognized artist who has always cultivated a close relationship with her fans. Funding her album via Kickstarter just allows her to take that relationship to the next level, allowing fans to feel literally invested in the art and artist they love.
Update - success!