Photo: BEImages/Matt Baron.UPDATE: Lena Dunham has responded to criticism and has released a series of tweets that suggest she will compensate her book-tour performers.
As an artist raised by artists, no one believes more than I do that creators should be fairly compensated for their work.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 29, 2014This feature of the tour was meant to be a way to showcase local talent and I could not be more excited about it.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 29, 2014Some good points were raised and I've ensured that all opening acts will be compensated for their time, their labor and their talents.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 29, 2014The fact that Gawker pointed this out really proves Judd Apatow's saying that "a good note can come from anywhere."
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 29, 2014I can't wait to hang with the local talent and @PPact on this windy road called life!
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 29, 2014Lena Dunham kicks off her nationwide book tour tomorrow for her new memoir, Not That Kind Of Girl. But, this won't be any ordinary book tour. In fact, it's more like a concert series. Some of Dunham's appearances will include seven performers, functioning as hype men. But, word on the street is the Girls creator isn't paying these artists, many of whom auditioned for the roles.
The New York Times reported on Sunday that these opening acts will be "performing free of charge."
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It's estimated that Dunham makes $6 million annually and reportedly received a $3.5 million advance from Random House for her book of essays.
As for Dunham, her only response so far appears to be in a tweet she posted last night:
I'm not a businesswoman. I'm a business, woman. So let me do my business, k?
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 29, 2014Dunham is the daughter of NYC artists, and has long championed New York's struggling artistic community. She's even expressed concerns about how NYC's creative population is being priced out of the city. So, we sincerely hope that the woman who once said, "We can't have our generation's Patti Smith moving to Tampa. That's going to seriously fuck our shit up," will put her money where her mouth is.