playing for free - amanda palmer - are you serious?

As a pro, I get compensated for my work. Such a one-night-for-free arrangement would normally not appeal to me (although I could name many exceptions!) But let's say that I just toyed on an instrument, for fun, and don't do any paying gigs. If I was offered a spot in a low-budget gig as non-essential stage dressing that gets to make some musical sounds, should I become indignant and demand money?

Based on the article, that's all that's going on here. Pros aren't being asked to devalue themselves or other pros.

Sorry, but I have a unique knowledge of why this stuff is done. Sometimes that's a curse. But if we're going to share knowledge, all perspectives need to be brought up.

Bermuda

Much of the outrage is not asking pros to work for free, but her claim she can't afford to pay a band when she raised $1.2 million dollars through kick start.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/rockers-playing-for-beer-fair-play/?hp

Ms. Palmer also said that she could not afford to pay the extra musicians she requests, a string quartet and three or four sax and brass players. The cost, she said, would be around $35,000 for all the tour dates.

The tour began on Monday in Philadelphia, and the band played Webster Hall in New York on Tuesday. Some three dozen dates are listed on the Web site. Tuesday was also the release date for Ms. Palmer’s new album, “Theater Is Evil,” which was paid for by a Kickstarter campaign that raised an enormous sum, $1.2 million.

She asked her fans for upfront money, got $1.2 million, but won't use any of it to support her own tour.

I think the real question is: Is she playing for free? Are the shows for free?
 
i hope he doesn't mind me quoting him here but this is what tommy igoe said about this:

''Well said everyone.
We've all done a few gigs for peanuts because we believe in the statement but this is a tour after a 7 digit kickstarter begathon.
Miss cello is being preyed upon shes just too naive to know. ''

i think you are somewhat right john, maybe some of these folks are just fans. but cello is a serious instrument that takes dedication and practice. and with over a million invested in the tour 35 000 is a pitance. now that was the cost with bus and hotels. takes these off and pay the local musos 100 for a gig and the number drops very low. surely they could have budgeted 5000 out of 1 200 000 to pay the locals.

of course, i never even heard of amanda until now so ... this has been great albeit negative publicity for her.
 
i think you are somewhat right john, maybe some of these folks are just fans. but cello is a serious instrument that takes dedication and practice. and with over a million invested in the tour 35 000 is a pitance.

I thought the kickstarter was for the album, not the tour. They're different.

I know, everyone says money is money, but it's not.

Bermuda
 
I think the real question is: Is she playing for free? Are the shows for free?

She may be playing for free, I don't know if the shows are free, but there are certain expenses that aren't subjective and cannot be had for free: transportation rental and fuel costs, sound and light rental, hall rental, hotels, per diems, and those things that the promoter would normally provide such as meals, local crew, advertising, etc.

So it's completely possible that she's just hoping for album sales, and not personally making anything on the tour. With only a few exceptions, it's a club tour, and not likely it'll pay for itself anyway.

Bermuda
 
If she is playing free that's different. But if she is making big coin, then I thinks its cheap and tawdry lol.
The logistics...what do they do, send a guy out to the next city beforehand to audition players? The local horn players, in each city, how could they do it cold without a rehearsal? Reading the charts, right? How would the band know that whoever the local guys are can handle it? They hwould ave to rehearse them I would think. If they are on tour, how would they fit rehearsals in? They have to screen auditionees somehow. She can't just trust a guy with a trumpet to go up there cold and play with no prior contact. The whole thing just sounds frought with problems. What about security? IDK, I can't see any good reason to do this, except cheapness. Some local "musician" should shank her and stop this practice before it gets too widespread lol. I don't really mean that.
 
Her background is a street musician,so her perspective is" I don't want to get rich making music".So,she'll sleep on a fans couch,and willingly go on tour with a band that dosen't get paid,and pass the hat.She's done so in the past,and thinks this is the best way to "display" her art.She says that she makes sure her band is fed and has lodgeing via her fans.

That seems to be a little hit or miss to me.That's not how you make a living as a musician.How can you raise a family,have a stable relationship and provide a stable enviornment on such a tenuous existance?I guess if that's not what you care about,then it's not important.A little narcissistic if you ask me.

If you're all by yourself,I guess that's fine.But sooner or later responsibility(I know,the word some of us hate) rears it's ugly head.,and you have to think about health insurance,pension,paying the bills and the rest of life after music.

Steve B
 
Back
Top