The MMF and FAC are pleased to announce that the first winner of the 2012 Artist and Manager Awards is Amanda Palmer who will receive the Pioneer Award come November. This award has been created to highlight exceptional individuals who are forging new pathways in the music industry. 

Palmer deserves to be celebrated for achieving such commercial success and critical acclaim in a bold approach to funding her music. Her Kickstarter campaign raised over a million dollars, miles beyond her humble target of one hundred thousand. Not only has Amanda broken a record, she has proven that new models in the industry do work and that fans still care immensely about the artists they love and are willing to pay for music.

Amanda, who is collaborating with awards sponsor, Spotify, to create a playlist of artists who have inspired her, said, “The future of the music 'business' is blindingly bright...you just need to know which direction to look in. The mainstream structures, now collapsed or collapsing, are still on the wrong track, since they keep asking what the NEXT model is. The truth is: there is no next model. Show me 1,000 talented musicians, each with a unique style and personality, and I'll show you 1,000 ways to make a career in music...there is no longer an off-the-shelf solution. My kickstarter was exciting, but it's just the tip of the iceberg. What artists and their audiences will make possible, now that they're able to connect directly without the aid and criticism of the machine, is going to astound all of us, including me...we've only just barely begun a new era of authentic connection with each other.

“I'm honored to be given an award like this...but I'll accept it on behalf of myself AND the 24,883 folks who backed my kickstarter, every one of which helped show the world that enthusiasm for supporting artists and their ventures is - contrary to sky-is-falling attitude of the old music business - alive, well, kicking and, most importantly, WORKING.” 

Jon Webster of the MMF commented: “We are delighted to recognise innovation in the music space and Amanda Palmer typifies the pioneering spirit that great artists have”

The Artist and Manager Awards will be held at The Troxy on November 27th. In partnership with Ticketscript, we are launching ticket sales through their e-ticket system today via www.amawards.org.

The FAC and MMF are also pleased to announce that they will once again be offering philanthropy tables this year. Companies who purchase these tables will have the opportunity of being seated with entrepreneurial artists and managers who are shaping the new music business