What happens when the labels stop paying an advance? You know that’s gonna happen.  With such limited revenue from recorded music, no one’s going to pay you a fortune to make it.  There’s no incentive.  Live Nation might pay you a fortune to TOUR, but who, in their right mind, is going to pay you […]

"This machine kills fascists" These are the words Woody Guthrie had emblazoned on his guitar. Conventional wisdom is you can’t change the world with a song.  I don’t buy that.  The arts are the voice of the proletariat, music, plays, books, they’re the only way the impoverished masses can stand up to power.  But you […]

From: Amanda PalmerSubject: re-Please Drop Me my label-dropping game has become very fun. please pray for me. it’s a lesson in how the future of music is working –fans are literally (and i mean that….literally) lining up at the signing table after shows and HANDING me cash, saying "thank you". i had to EXPLAIN to […]

We’re in New York for the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation Teacher Awards at Carnegie Hall.  They’re not until Friday, but we flew in early so we could have dinner with Malcolm Gladwell, the rest of our time being totally booked.  He told a great story analogizing the world to David and Goliath, but that’s his […]