The Art of Asking

I recommend you to listen to this! Amanda Palmer talks about "the art of asking" on TED – to put it in another way, it is about connecting with people.

Amanda Palmer commands attention. The singer-songwriter-blogger-provocateur, known for pushing boundaries in both her art and her lifestyle, made international headlines this year when she raised nearly $1.2 million via Kickstarter (she’d asked for $100k) from nearly 25,000 fans who pre-ordered her new album, Theatre Is Evil.

But the former street performer, then Dresden Dolls frontwoman, now solo artist hit a bump the week her world tour kicked off. She revealed plans to crowdsource additional local backup musicians in each tour stop, offering to pay them in hugs, merchandise and beer per her custom. Bitter and angry criticism ensued (she eventually promised to pay her local collaborators in cash).

And it's interesting to consider why. It has been suggested that the idea was criticized “because we didn't understand the value exchange – the whole idea of asking the crowd for what you need when you need it and not asking for more or less." Summing up her business model, in which she views her recorded music as the digital equivalent of street performing, she says: “I firmly believe in music being as free as possible. Unlocked. Shared and spread. In order for artists to survive and create, their audiences need to step up and directly support them.”

On Tuesday, I was a speech evaluator for a practice contest speech at the Friendship Toastmasters meeting. This particular meeting was special because the speeches were very personal. And I salute these speakers – especiallly Eri Tang – because they showed courage. And honesty. An 8 out of a 10.