Amanda Palmer and the million dollar question...

If you're a struggling musician these days just how do you make a living eh? Amanda Palmer attracted a fair bit of flack last year when she seemed (seemed being the operative word) to  be asking bands and artists to play at her shows for free. This coming hot on the heels of her million dollar crowdfunding success (her fans stumped up over $1m to pay for her new album and stuff). In a recent TED presentation she touches on this but, more importantly, she gives her view of a model that could, potentially, offer bands a way of making money. And boy, do most bands need to find a way of making a little. Of course it's a lot easier for her as an established and, it has to be said, particularly engaging personality. The concept of sending round a hat after a gig might smack of begging too but I've always thought of the idea as being more akin to leaving a tip after a great meal. The idea of letting people pay rather than making them pay for music is also an interesting one. Radiohead did it a while back with one of their albums although again they were already up to their necks in fans. It would be interesting to see what would happen at a 'local' gig for instance though. It's not necessarily THE answer to musicians struggling to make a living but might it be an answer...? Anyway, watch the video (cheers to Mr H for the tip off) and see what you think.

Oh, and here's Amanda's latest offering too.



And here's the track that started my unrequited love affair with the divine Miss P...still one of my favourite songs of all time.