Amanda Palmer, the rock musician known for using social media to build financial and fan support, has reversed course in the face of fierce criticism and decided to pay volunteer musicians who were invited to join her band city by city on a tour.
“Even though they volunteered their time for beer, hugs, merch, free tickets, and love,†she wrote in a blog posting on Wednesday, “We'll now also hand them cash.â€
On her Web site, Ms. Palmer had previously advertised for string, brass and saxophone players to join her performances for the joy of it. That drew protests from many professional musicians, who said she should pay players for working.
In an interview last week, Ms. Palmer sai d the volunteer musicians were happy to take part and that nobody was forcing them to come up on stage. She also said that while she paid her core band a salary, she could not afford the extra players. The interview stirred up more strong feelings.
In Wednesday's blog posting, she said: “For better or for worse, this whole kerfuffle has meant I've spent the past week thinking hard about this, listening to what everyone was saying and discussing.
“I hear you. I see your points. Me and my band have discussed it at length,†she said. “We have decided we should pay all of our guest musicians. We have the power to do it, and we're going to do it.â€
Ms. Palmer, who raised $1.2 million on Kickstarter for her new album, “Theater is Evil,†said her managers “tweaked and reconfigured financials, pulling money from this and that other budget (mostly video)†to pay the invited musicians - including those who have already performed.
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