TED Talk Thursday: Amanda Palmer on The Art of Asking

Punk cabaret performer Amanda Palmer is challenging the rules of the commercial music industry and redefining the way we all conduct business transactions. After years of couch surfing and trading talents and time with fans, Palmer realized that the secret to skyrocketing album sales and sold out shows wasn’t about marketing or margins—it was about putting power in the hands of fans.

From her beginnings as a street performer, to a career as an alt-rock superstar, Palmer learned firsthand that the relationships she formed with fans and the music industry was a perpetually mutable one. One constant remained, though: Ask fans for help, and they will (without expecting much of anything in return, no less).

After inviting fans onstage during her shows to create a “rotating smorgasbord of weird, random circus guests,” Palmer realized that the secret to forging a meaningful connection between her fans and her art was as simple as learning to ask for it. She began to explore crowdfunding and launched one of the most successful crowdfunding projects to date—she asked for $100K and received nearly $1.2 million.

“I think people have been obsessed with the wrong question, which is, ‘How do we make people pay for music,’” Palmer said in her TED Talk. “What if we started asking, ‘How do we let people pay for music?’”

A groundbreaking concept, but not a new one, Palmer’s concept can be applied to any industry. Letting consumers make their decisions as opposed to telling them can yield incredible results.