Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"artists need to make money to eat and to continue to make art.

"artists used to rely on middlemen to collect their money on their behalf, thereby rendering themselves innocent of cash-handling in the public eye.

"artists will now be coming straight to you (yes YOU, you who want their music, their films, their books) for their paychecks.

"please elcome them. please help them. please do not make them feel badly about asking you directly for money.

"dead serious: this is the way shit is going to work from now on and it will work best if we all embrace it and don't fight it."

-- Amanda Palmer, 2009-090-29

A bit farther down:

"it's also not a matter of whether an artist is starving or cruising on a yacht.

"i would hate to see my fans turn on me once i actually have money in the bank with a 'well, i would support you if you were starving, but now that you're eating, no way.'

"fuck that.

"accept a new system.

"feel ok about giving your money directly to paul mccartney. he may be rich, but he till rocks. show you care.

"feel ok about giving it to fucking lady gaga if you've been guiltily downloading her dance tracks for free.

"rejoice in the fact that you are directly responsible for several threads in her new spandex spacesuit.

"it shouldn't matter.

"it's about empowerment and it's about SIMPLICITY: fan loves art, artist needs money, fan gives artist money, artist says thank you."

[ thanks to metahacker for linking to it]