Articles on how the independent musician can effectively market themselves. Effective Marketing is the key to good music business.
NFTs for Independent Artists – Head Scratcher or Game Changer? A Musicians Journey While preparing for a radio interview for a program aimed at independent musicians, I was forewarned that the host would likely ask me about Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). NFTs are supposed to be the next big thing for independent musicians like me, but […]
 Making a Scene takes a look at Emanate a Blockchain based Collaboration, Streaming and Distribution Platform What is Emanate? Founded in Australia, Emanate is a decentralized blockchain-powered music streaming platform based on the EOSIO blockchain. This will allow artists to earn revenue from the streaming of their music directly into their digital wallet. Like […]
Making a Scene Looks at how The Blockchain is Revolutionizing Content Distribution The first thing we have to accept is a redefinition of who we are. We are no longer just Indie artists, we are “Content Creators”! Whether it is the music we write and record, or it’s the videos we create for our music, […]
Making a Scene Looks at Emusic and their move to Blockchain Distribution! The past few weeks we have been exploring how blockchain technology is going to change the music industry. Many new startups are exploring how this technology can be used to disrupt and revolutionize the creator (and the Music) industry. From Blockchain based streaming […]
 Making a Scene Takes a look at Royal.io It has become clear that the future of the music industry is heading towards a decentralized financial system that has risen as a result of one of the most revolutionary developments in digital technology, The Block Chain! The Block chain is what is going to give […]
Making a Scene Brings you the Indie Musicians Guide to NFTs The newest buzz in the music industry is the NFT (Non Fungible Token), which many are touting as a way for indie artists to take control of their monetization through the crypto currency market. I will be honest on the onset the idea […]
Making a Scene Presents Branding for the Indie Artist What is a Brand? If you ask 30 industry professionals what a brand is you are likely to get 30 different definitions. The basic definition of a brand is the impression, feeling, or view you want people to use to identify you. You cannot buy a […]
We Are The Music! Life After the Pandemic There is light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the pandemic. The vaccines are being rolled out and just maybe by the end of this year we can start looking at getting back out on the road and into the studio to create […]
PLAYLIST SUPPLY Making a Scene Presents an Interview with a Pro – Benji Stein Founder of Playlistsupply.com In today’s streaming world, many indie artists have been struggling to find a way to take advantage of Spotify’s playlisting to get more exposure and generate more income from their recorded music. Many have fallen prey to bogus […]
Making A Scene Presents a Review of the 2021 INDIE BIBLE Introduction Let’s face it, the music industry is changing. For many of us, it seems that it is changing faster than we are able to keep up with. The one thing that is clear, this is a data driven industry and having access to […]
Making a Scene Presents an Indie Artists Guide to TikTok TikTok started out in 2014 in Shanghi China as Musical.ly. The creators of Musical.ly wanted to create an educational app, but quickly found there was little profit in that application. They moved more towards 15 sec videos that allowed users to lipsync to popular songs. […]
For the past few weeks we started talking about Content Creation and Funnel Marketing for the Musician and now it’s time to put the two together and start populating your funnel to effectively capture and move your potential fanbase to your monetization. Filling your Music Marketing Funnel When it comes to building your funnel you […]
Funnel Marketing For the Musician With the shutdown of the gig economy many indie artists have turned to the internet as a way to stay connected to their fanbase and to generate interest in their music. Unfortunately many of these artists are losing some important potential income as well as losing potential fans by not […]
Creating a Music Video on a Budget – John Pagano Band “Misbehavin” The world of the Indie artist has changed over the last 20 years. As the market for CD’s and Downloads diminish, it also has been increasingly important for the indie artist to create video content in order to attract any new market. Let’s […]
As the revenue on Recorded music shrink, it becomes more important for the indie artist to find ways to market their music economically. The focus for the indie artist is now based on reaching and expanding a fanbase that invests in an artists music! One of the important aspects of this type of marketing is […]
Making a Scene Presents a Review of the Indie Spotify Bible! There is not doubt that Spotify has become a major influence in the music industry. For the Indie Artist, this has been a double edge sword, while streaming has taken a large chunk out their revenue of recorded music, it has also opened up […]
Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Ben Flores of JookSMS.com People are addicted to technology. According to a poll, 50% of smartphone users admit they are addicted to their phones, 80% say they check their phone hourly and 72% say they feel the urge to immediately respond to texts. This is the dopamine effect. […]
20 Tips on Creating High Quality Music Videos On A Budget! In the abnormally over-saturated social media and music age, the chance for an unsigned artist or band getting recognition by releasing a song without a video is little to none. Unfortunately, most high-quality music videos released from famous artists start at $20,000 and goes […]
Let’s face it, the music industry has changed as has the music consumer. For almost 20 years we have been in the digital revolution, where music consumerism has transitioned from physical products to digital streaming. You can bitch and moan about it, but the reality is, we are NOT going back to the good ole […]
Creating a Music Video on a Budget One of the most effective marketing tools a band can have, especially in the digital age, is a good production Music Video. Now, I’m not talking about taping some live gig somewhere in bad light with lousy (or questionable Sound). What I am talking about that MTV style […]
Merchandising Your Band Merchandising your band can make all the difference between just getting by and generating a good income on the road. Even if you are a local band, a good merch table, can sometimes bring a gig from the red into the black. I once knew a band in NY whose Merch table […]
Making a Scene Presents An Exclusive Premiere of Misty Blues Band “Hear My Call” Gina is a graduate of Williams College. She began singing in 1990 on a dare by her co-workers and hasn’t turned back since. She began performing in a duet, The Siblings. Gina shortly started her own duet, Cole-Connection, which blossomed to […]
Making a Scene Presents Marketing to the New Music Consumer! On September 9 1957 Elvis appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and a marketing phenomena was born. What followed was a blitz of TV shows, Movies, Fan Magazines and merchandise that propelled this memphis truck driver to become the King of Rock. The image machine […]
Using Instagram for Self-Promotion Instagram is a fantastic platform for reaching out to people and promoting your music. Through Instagram, you can get more work and support as a solo or session musician. So we’re laying out some tips that we hope could help you in this department when you’re using this app. Link to […]
IS Your Single Release “Making A Scene”? The buzzword in the indie industry seems to be the Single Release. Many artists believe that the “Single” is the pathway to that elusive hit in the streaming playlist world. I will be honest with you, there is nothing further from the truth. Let’s take a look at […]
Establishing your brand has always been part of creating a successful music career. Today it may be more important than ever. Now I can hear some of you already! “We(I) Let our(my) Music do the Talking, I don’t have to create a Brand!” Nothing can be further from the truth in today’s music industry. Before […]
Making a Scene Presents Understanding The New Music Consumer Introduction My frame of reference as a music consumer has always been that tactile experience of holding the physical product in my hands. I would read the liner notes, look at the pictures and would have a sense of ownership of the music. With each change […]
Making a Scene Brings you a Simple way to use Instagram on your Laptop/Desktop! One of the fastest growing social media platforms right now is Instagram. Unfortunately in order to post or use this new social media resource you are restricted to using your phone to administer and post to your account. Which is fine […]
Making a Scene Premieres “Make You Shout” Video from the John Pagano Band The John Pagano Band has been known to use innovative techniques to create their music videos. They have perfected the “Video on a Budget” mentality down to a science and are continuing to explore ways to create great video content for their […]
10 Best Music Blogs You can Submit To Now! Major media outlets aren’t exclusive to major-label sounds anymore, but they still don’t spend time on brand-new or largely unheard-of artists and bands – no matter how compelling their music may be. Even though streaming services, playlists and social media have become the new path to […]
Making a Scene Presents the Music Consumer Survey! There are as many opinions on where the music industry is going today as there are musicians that are looking to understand how to reach the new music consumer. Here at Making a Scene we constantly strive to demystify the music industry for the Indie Musician. The […]
Let’s face it, the age of buying music in a physical form is on it’s way out, Radio is losing its influence in breaking new artists and new cars don’t even come with CD players! We are in new territory in the music industry. Record companies and their PR arms are now pitching their artists […]
The idea that streaming services, and in particular Spotify, are integral to a successful music marketing campaign no longer comes as a surprise to anyone who has been following the industry for the past few years. For a lot of artists, the idea of getting their new single included on a massive Spotify official playlist […]
The Indie Artists Guide to Writing a Business Plan When it comes to the independent musician, the music business can be a strange, frustrating and scary concept. A good first step for any indie artist who is serious about creating a career in music, is to create a business plan. The Business plan will act […]
Making a Scene presents a review of The Themify Builder and Themes. Your website is your first impression, these are the tools to create a good one Now I have been building my own websites for a long time. I started when the only way to get a website built was to get a text […]
First Impressions I have attended many music showcase events over the years, two notables being both the International Blues Challenge (IBC)and the Blues Music Awards, both held in Memphis Tn. Both of which present showcases and events geared towards the Blues market as a music genre. I have participated as both a judge and an industry professional […]
by Rhetta Akamatsu As a music journalist, I depend a lot on artists’ websites for information when I am writing articles. So, if you want your website to get you the attention for which you put it up, here are some suggestions: 1. Keep your website up to date! Use WordPress or another easy Content Management […]
As you may have heard, or not heard, Youtube has decided to create stricter rules for Monetizing Videos! We are going to attempt to break down this news and give you an understanding as to how this affects you as an independent artist! WHY? The new channel-monetization guidelines are one part of an attempt to […]
The evolution of technology has led to the development and manifestation of the digital forum as the largest market base. The online market is one that attracts clients from all over the world at the click of a button. Businesses, governments and even private entrepreneurs in different industries have taken advantage of the online forum […]
You want to promote your music online, yet you are a musician, not a professional marketer. Have no fear. You may not be an expert marketer, but how are you with building relationships? Sounds a little bit more doable, doesn’t it? Marketing is essentially meeting new people and developing a relationship with them, which is something […]
by Rhetta Akamatsu Twitter is a wonderful tool that will allow you to get the news out about where you are performing, your newest musical projects and recordings, personal band news and anything else you want your fans to know. You will be able to interact with hundreds and even thousands of fans, if you […]
Where would you host your music if Soundcloud Closes? Recent news about Soundcloud started making rounds in quite a few social media group forums I lurk in frequently. The most popular article shared was the article by Tim Ingham published on Music Business worldwide. Another article by Andrew Liptak published just days later on The […]
Austin born indie blues guitarist-vocalist, Jackie Venson, announces her web series,How to Become a Musician. Venson just released her live album, and has been featured in such publications as Guitar Player Magazine, Austin Chronicle, Austin Monthly, Texas Monthly and Bitch Media among others. Jackie recently performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Now, Venson has created her […]
There has been alot of conversation out there between independent webcasters and independent artists about the new royalty schedule from the Copyright Royalty Board. Some webcasters have cut their loses and ran, some have geo fenced off the whole US market. If none of this makes sense to you, well you are not alone. I […]
Social Media is such a prominent force in the independent music world that it was inevitable that someone would come up with a business model that allows you to purchase Instagram followers, YouTube views, Facebook Shares and more. Many times those numbers of shares, video views are looked at as a form of success and […]
An Exclusive interview with Barbara Newman – President and CEO of the Blues Foundation by Richard Lhommedieu on Mixcloud Barbara B. Newman has been selected to succeed Jay Sieleman as President and Chief Executive Officer of The Blues Foundation, the Memphis-based, international music organization dedicated to preserving blues music history, celebrating recording and performance excellence, […]
This is a real eye opener for anyone in the music industry. Indie Musicians, take heed of what the trends are telling you! .. The global market for recorded music fell slightly in 2014 to $14.97 billion, down 0.4 percent from the year before, as sales of online music matched those of CDs and other […]
Interview with Steve Ceragno from Dropcards.com by Richard Lhommedieu on Mixcloud www.dropcards.com Listen to the Interview to find out MORE! dropcards.com is a way to bridge the gap between the digital download market and your merchandise table. Unlike CD’s your digital content can contain video, graphics, EPK’s, Music, E-Books, Apps or any other file that can be […]
Before you decide to “BUY” likes for your Facebook band page .. you have to watch this! It may hurt you more than help you!
Creating your own Internet Radio Station! All throughout the world there are blues societies, Folk Music Societies, Indie music groups, etc, some big and some small. Each is working within their areas to support and expand their genre in their communities. If you are part of a blues society, a Folk Music Society or any […]
