Sublime
An inspiration engine for ideas
I hired a publicist so that the newspapers wouldn’t forget I existed, but other than that, I flew under the radar and went straight to the fanbase, using the golden email list, my blog, and my Twitter feed to spread the news of every release. As I’d do later on Kickstarter, I released both of these records along with Bundles of Extra Things: $15 fo
... See moreAmanda Palmer • The Art of Asking: How I learned to stop worrying and let people help
My own email address was front and center on our website. I emailed back and forth with individual fans daily—about our lives, our gigs, ideas for shows—and often included a few words of den-mother comfort, because much of the fan…
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Amanda Palmer • The Art of Asking: How I learned to stop worrying and let people help
Tell us, Amanda, can you explain this relationship you have with your fans?
Amanda Palmer • The Art of Asking: How I learned to stop worrying and let people help
Hi. It’s Amanda Palmer from The Dresden Dolls. I know you don’t really know me, but I need to ask you for advice. It’s a phone call, not an email.
Amanda Palmer • The Art of Asking: How I learned to stop worrying and let people help
Throughout my career, the fanbase has been like one big significant other to me, a thousand-headed friend with whom I have a real, committed partnership. I don’t take vacations from communicating without warning. We share our art with one another. They help me run the business by feeding me constant information. I cop to my mistakes. They ask for e
... See moreAmanda Palmer • The Art of Asking: How I learned to stop worrying and let people help
Amanda Palmer • The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help
I wrote them a letter-song called “Please Drop Me” to the tune of “Moon River,” performed it live, and asked the fans to video and upload to YouTube (they obliged). The label ignored it.
Amanda Palmer • The Art of Asking: How I learned to stop worrying and let people help
Almost every night of the tour, I did a quick busking experiment and played “Creep” by Radiohead, still the only song I knew, in the parking lot or the lobby of the venue, with a hat at my feet. I liked surprising people, and they laughed, applauded, and threw in dollars and change. The collected take from the hat went to the foundation, and there
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