3foldComm

Some might say a person who spends their Friday night hanging out with their “Tweeple” on the internet is a bit of a loser. I say maybe these people haven’t heard of independent musician, Amanda Palmer. As more and more people, businesses and industries race to figure out the secrets for making social media profitable for them, the indie music scene is no exception. For a group that prides itself on being more creative, funky and unusual than their mainstream counterparts, creating social media in their own images is an even bigger undertaking. This is why Amanda Palmer shines. Palmer has developed a creative and, dare I say, ingenious use of Twitter for self-promotion.

Through her impromptu “Parties on the Internet,” Palmer has managed to earn more money to support her artistic endeavors than she ever had from her major label albums, all the while engaging in active, meaningful and real conversations with her fans…something still pretty unheard of by major artists. She understands the power of Twitter, frequently using it to arrange impromptu meet-n-greets with fans as she travels the world. She has also arranged “press days” and secret gigs, inviting her followers to special events that include sound checks, live performances and interview sessions – all arranged by herself, not the press or a label.

The aforementioned Parties started one Friday night when Amanda, sitting alone at home, posted a joke: “I hereby call THE LOSERS OF FRIDAY NIGHT ON THEIR COMPUTERS to ORDER, motherf&%*r.” Active and passionate, Amanda’s fan base picked up on it immediately, and the tweet spread like wildfire. As Twitter goes, one thing led to another and soon they’d become the #1 trending topic. Amanda and her fans spent the evening hanging out and cracking jokes on Twitter, with author Neil Gaiman and writer/geek icon Wil Wheaton joining in.

Someone in the Parties even had the idea to create a t-shirt with the slogan, “DON’T STAND UP FOR WHAT’S RIGHT, STAY IN FOR WHAT’S WRONG,”opening the door for offline merchandising. Palmer’s webguy, Sean, also being a “loser” on that Friday night, created and posted a website where the partiers could purchase the shirts for $25. By the end of the night, they had sold 200 t-shirts. After a few days, they had sold 400, grossing over $11,000. All that for two hours of random acts of hilarity on Twitter – and impressive demonstration on social media’s potential for creating relationships and opportunity.

A few nights later, Palmer decided to continue the Parties, this time adding a live webcam auction from her own apartment. With dedicated support and teamwork, Palmer hosted the auction while her assistant, Beth, managed the incoming tweets and bids. Donned in kimonos and drinking wine, they auctioned off the weird and wonderful while Palmer performed her music and answered questions from fans. Again, the Twitter-sphere took hold, and word quickly spread that hanging out with Amanda and Co. on the web was THE place to be. At its peak, they had more than 2,000 people tuning in, with users tweeted suggestions for items (such as signed and chewed postcards and autographed wine bottles).

When all was said and done, Palmer had earned $6,000 auctioning various objects, including clothes and props from music videos, personal items and magazines. In another creative use of Twitter, Amanda arranged a Twitter donation-only concert. She tweeted the gig announcement, stating the first 200 people to ask would be treated to an exclusive 5-hour event, including a sound check, autograph signing and the concert. Amanda asked for donations rather than a flat admission fee, and earned $1,800, after giving $400 to the studio who agreed to help host her event.

Like so many other indie performers, Amanda Palmer has earned next to nothing from her work produced with major labels. However, she’s developed an interesting case study in creating-opportunity-by-social-media,carving her place in the hearts of thousands of fans willing to support her through her own fan-friendly and unconventional means. Palmer’s experience is proof perfect of the power of social media, and clearly shows how smart and forward-thinking artists and organizations should invest their time. It’s not what’s been done that matters…it’s what comes next.

[ Amanda Palmer's Website | @AmandaPalmer ]