This is for music, from Bob Lefsetz:
135. Imogen Heap “Ellipse”
Sales this week: 3,928
Percentage change: -14
Weeks on: 6
Cume: 86,508I’m saying she would have been better off monetizing her social media activities a la Amanda Palmer than taking all that time to make a record for the major label. Working for herself in her own studio would generate a ton of coin in record sales, working for the man, it does not.
And this is from Amanda Fucking Palmer herself:
i got a phone call from NPR (american public radio) a few days ago and was invited to do a studio interview about this topic for their show “on the media” as a result of all the buzz.
the funniest thing about that: at the end of the interview, rick told me i was the only person who sounded optimistic and, well, “happy” about this whole music industry mess.
well…yes. i am happy. why? because i’m not chained…and i’m not even technically FREE! i’m still stuck on my record label!!!!
but it doesn’t matter. i have a direct way OUT of the system that relies not on suits in offices, but on a working wireless connection, the goodwill of my fans, my work ethic, and the quality of my output.
so yes, of course i’m happy.
and as far as i can read hundreds of comments down, so are a lot of other people who are GLAD to have free-er content and less middleman involvement, though it means more personal responsibility.
we just need to agree to make it work.
And:
at a show where people are crowdsurfing, you can’t just stand there on the edges, wondering endlessly if you should jump in or not…biting your nails, hemming, hawing, calculating whether the collected masses will really care about you and whether a few people in the moshpit might be assholes and not pull their weight.
if you wait too long, the show’s over.
you must dive, pray and work on a faith-based system that folks will have your back.
you might wind up on the floor, shit happens. but people will help you up, brush you off, push you back in the pit.
and you, in return, need to hold your hands up in the air when somebody’s flailing body comes in your direction…you cannot duck, you cannot run in fear that you might break a nail…or a finger.
I like that sentence particularly:
if you wait too long, the show’s over.
And if you read this and don’t understand it:
(…i’ve paid filmmakers out of my pocket to make well-edited karaoke videos of me singing avril lavigne songs just because i think it’s fucking hilarious – the industry guys could never understand why i was doing these things. they would ask: why would you spend your time on this when you could be spending it on your career? my answer: this IS my career. i am doing this because it’s FUN and because i CAN motherfuckers)
No one — not even Seth fucking Godin — can help you.
Finally:
ASKING FOR MONEY FOR YOUR ART IS NOT SELLING OUT.
selling out is when you go against your own heart, ideals and authenticity to make money.
Yes.
Posted by mikecane 
The eBook Test 