New Caustic Blogs New Caustic Blogs: AFP and the Pitfalls of Transparency (and Why Everyone Should Shut Up)
So it was leaked/exposed/planted that Amanda Palmer, DIY indie Brechtian cabaret diva and all around social media whore (and I say that with the utmost respect—I wish I could give as good social media as she does), doesn’t pay guest musicians helping her out at one-off gigs for her current tour. The main argument (indeed, to me the ONLY argument) people seem to be putting forth is that “OMG SHE MADE ONE POINT TWO MILLION DOLLARS ON KICKSTARTER!!!!”gkhadgj) and that’s she’s ripping off, essentially, fans. [Read More]
Rip Me Off: Respect it, Dissect it, Eject it, and GO
Well over a decade ago I had the pleasure of meeting the incredibly affable writer Chuck Palahniuk at a book signing. At the time I don’t even think I had started making music— I wanted to write. Maybe screenplays, maybe books, maybe just shitty drunken poetry in bars (I had a lot of experience on that one. Let’s just say I don’t revisit it often.) I waited in line with my copies of Fight Club and Survivor in tow and when I got up to him I mentioned I was writing and nervously, jokingly said I ripped him off a lot. He laughed and said something along the lines of “Please rip me off. I rip people off all the time.” [Read More]
The Gentle Art of Self-Promotion...Without Looking Like An Egomaniac
First off: Yeah, I know. Promoting yourself isn’t what you signed on for as a “creative artiste”. You just want to sit in a room with your sequencer/guitar/tuba and make music that the world embraces and play to sold out shows everywhere you travel and get heavenly oral sex from slutty, drunk angels.
Guess what? Tough shit.
The world of music (or, of course, any artistic pursuit) isn’t set up for you to just be “discovered”. And yeah, I also know that you’ll hear about the Biebers and Lily Allens of the world going viral and now having huge careers, but that’s not 99.9999999999999% of how people actually make it in today’s world…nor has it ever. [Read More]
Jet
