TBD

Pay your employees. This is America.

atomicfront wrote:
Oh I see Amanda is allowing fans to play with her at shows and somehow that is bad because she isn't paying them.  Whatever.  I guess the backlash comes from people who nothing about how amanda's shows work. 

the best thing written on that article page is azag's comment.

does this topic really warrant 4000 words? kids will always want to consume but don't want to pay, the internet makes a big deal about things that don't matter, and somewhere, some old dude bitched and moaned about something that doesn't concern him.  boom, 36 words (or, 1% of what was written).

James wrote:
Pay your employees. This is America.

atomicfront wrote:
Oh I see Amanda is allowing fans to play with her at shows and somehow that is bad because she isn't paying them.  Whatever.  I guess the backlash comes from people who nothing about how amanda's shows work. 

They are not her employees.  Her band is payed.  She just invited fans to play at each show.  Which is actually cool.  But I guess they need to backlash her because she quit her record label and did things herself and is actually doing well. 

atomicfront wrote:

James wrote:
Pay your employees. This is America.

atomicfront wrote:
Oh I see Amanda is allowing fans to play with her at shows and somehow that is bad because she isn't paying them.  Whatever.  I guess the backlash comes from people who nothing about how amanda's shows work. 

They are not her employees.  Her band is payed.  She just invited fans to play at each show.  Which is actually cool.  But I guess they need to backlash her because she quit her record label and did things herself and is actually doing well. 

Consider them on-site temps. They should be paid. You don't beg your fans for a million dollars, then, after getting it a million dollars, beg for them to play in your band, then pay them with hugs. It's like demanding a tax break so that you can supposedly create jobs domestically and then, after getting a tax break, moving the jobs overseas.

beetsnotbeats wrote:

atomicfront wrote:

James wrote:
Pay your employees. This is America.

atomicfront wrote:
Oh I see Amanda is allowing fans to play with her at shows and somehow that is bad because she isn't paying them.  Whatever.  I guess the backlash comes from people who nothing about how amanda's shows work. 

They are not her employees.  Her band is payed.  She just invited fans to play at each show.  Which is actually cool.  But I guess they need to backlash her because she quit her record label and did things herself and is actually doing well. 

Consider them on-site temps. They should be paid. You don't beg your fans for a million dollars, then, after getting it a million dollars, beg for them to play in your band, then pay them with hugs. It's like demanding a tax break so that you can supposedly create jobs domestically and then, after getting a tax break, moving the jobs overseas.

pollyphonic spree are chargin 1500 to sing in their chrous and people are payuing it.  I am sure none of the poeple playing with the band expects to be paid.  Just people outide who have to somethign wrong with everything.

people are 100% free to NOT play with her.  they do it because they want to, because it's an honor and a thrill.

sheesh…

Sure they are. But at the same time, her refusing to give them anything for their services (after she raised more than enough to give them something) does make her look greedy and ungrateful.

Professional musicians are honored best when they are treated as professional musicians. Sure, if hobbyist players want to play for free, fine. But you get what you pay for.

I've heard from many professional musicians trying to start a career or just get a little scratch who are routinely asked to play for free at weddings. Yet the wedding party will pay for the catering, photographer, minister, etc. These are musicians who have spent most of their lives honing their skills and paying tens of thousands of dollars for lessons and professional-grade instruments and their care. I've got friends who have played for presidents. They get paid.

I know theyre playing Baltimore but gotdamn, I wish Pig Destroyer were playing DC

Relaxer wrote:
I know theyre playing Baltimore but gotdamn, I wish Pig Destroyer were playing DC

Yeah they need to put up a DC / VA date! That Ottobar gig is going to be awesome though! Royal Thunder is opening and they are rad. Ilsa is evil as hell too.

I'm also bummed that I'm just getting into Metz now after they played DC9 a month ago. Dammit! That said, they're at the Red Palace as an opener on Nov. 17 so that's good.

Great noisy rock album, really digging it.

beetsnotbeats wrote:
Professional musicians are honored best when they are treated as professional musicians. Sure, if hobbyist players want to play for free, fine. But you get what you pay for.

I've heard from many professional musicians trying to start a career or just get a little scratch who are routinely asked to play for free at weddings. Yet the wedding party will pay for the catering, photographer, minister, etc. These are musicians who have spent most of their lives honing their skills and paying tens of thousands of dollars for lessons and professional-grade instruments and their care. I've got friends who have played for presidents. They get paid.

i checked out prices for live performers for my recent wedding and the prices they are charge are far from free.  And when you look at the fact that you can get Polyphonic Spree to play your event for 10k it makes the prices even look more out of line.

i think amanda is looking for fans to play not  professional quality musicians.  if she pays someone to play than the fans wouldn't get a chance to pefrorm.  the whole backlash is ridiculous. 

It's lame for her to do this. Do you think she's going to charge less for her shows since members of the band are playing for free? Of course not, she's going to frantically stampede toward any and every dollar she can. So the ticket-buying fans are getting a discount amateur product but paying full rate.

She raised more than a million dollars from her fans, so she has the ability to pay musicians. Does she seriously require $1.2 million to make a record? What she's doing, and then trying to be all cutesy about it, sucks. I love the Albini line that this move demonstrates that Amanda Palmer is proving she's more stupid than every dumb-fucking band like Creed, Limp Bizkit, GG Allin, etc. who never needed to beg their fans for free money and services.

And really, she can say all she wants that she's just allowing her fans to play but that's similar to Vince Neil saying, hey I was just giving all those bitches a chance to fuck a rock star, and that doesn't make him any less of a pig.

Relaxer wrote:
It's lame for her to do this. Do you think she's going to charge less for her shows since members of the band are playing for free? Of course not, she's going to frantically stampede toward any and every dollar she can. So the ticket-buying fans are getting a discount amateur product but paying full rate.

She raised more than a million dollars from her fans, so she has the ability to pay musicians. Does she seriously require $1.2 million to make a record? What she's doing, and then trying to be all cutesy about it, sucks. I love the Albini line that this move demonstrates that Amanda Palmer is proving she's more stupid than every dumb-fucking band like Creed, Limp Bizkit, GG Allin, etc. who never needed to beg their fans for free money and services.

And really, she can say all she wants that she's just allowing her fans to play but that's similar to Vince Neil saying, hey I was just giving all those bitches a chance to fuck a rock star, and that doesn't make him any less of a pig.

I am guessing you have never seen amanda palmer/dresden dolls/evelyn evelyn live or even listen to their music. The lame bands that you mention don't get money from their fans becuase they were on major labels who handled their promotion, videos, tour, album production, distribution etc etc.  Amanda quit her label when they told her she needed to lose weight.  Even though she is quite skinny. 

She didn't get 1.2 million.  People bought mechandise or if they donated a dollar they got the album on mp3s.  The backlash is there because people can't stand she is doing this without the music industry.  No pitchfork stellar reviews.  No record label promotion.  No hipsters worshipping her on the web. 

Of course the musicians that are playing with her are of amateur level ability.  that is part of the charm.  They are going up on stage and having a good time.  Amanda meets with her fans after shows.  She encouraged the crowd to come and perform when she was in the Dresden Dolls.  She has put out 4 classic albums which have been ignored by everyone except her fans.  I am sure if radiohead offered their fans a chance to sing with them on stage you would be rushing to sign up

She pays here band year round.  Even when they aren't performing.  These are amateur fans who are coming up and having a good time.  The point is not about how great they sound it is about eveyone haveing a great time. 

Anyway she is paying her volunteers even the ones that performed already.  I wonder if you have a problem with festivals that millions of dollars like Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo paying having volunteers or the baseball teams paying their players millions of dollars and playing people who worked there close to minimum wage?  As opposed to people that are doing things because they want to.  Not one volunteer has complained about not being paid.  No one has not shown up.

The thing is ridiculous.  And I am sure if here kickstarter had only raised 2000 dollars and she couldn't produce her album no one would worry about her at all..  It is just because she is actually donig something amazing and she doesn't need the old non working music system and is coming out and saying all music should be free the record industry is finding ways to try and discredit her.

ANd who is steve albini? 

Two dumbest sentences here:

atomicfront wrote:
She has put out 4 classic albums which have been ignored by everyone except her fans. 

atomicfront wrote:
ANd who is steve albini? 

Amanda Palmer blows, that's for sure.

Steve Albini agrees with her assertion that recorded music should be freely available and is as anti-conventional music industry as it gets. So your argument does not really hold water.
He just did a reddit AMA where he addressed the Emily White drama and has been an outspoken proponent of file-sharing as long as I remember. Whether or not you agree with that (guessing most would not) is another debate in and of itself.

Question was answered by the band so I deleted my post.

More Amanda Palmer news

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2012/10/15/amanda-palmers-got-the-world-sharing-health-insurance-hell-at-insurancepoll/?hpid=z5

And here is more Emily White: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/music/2012/10/16/wednesday-chat-with-emily-white-and-lindsay-zoladz-about-streaming-piracy-and-um-emily-white/