A collection of informative articles on Independent Music Business for the Indie musician. Booking, Radio promotion, online promotion, economics, and Music business related news
The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame Celebrates 20 Years! In May of 2003 I had returned from a trip to Atlanta where I had visited the Georgia Music Hall of Fame (now sadly gone), and It inspired me to try and discover the music history of Long Island. What I found astounded […]
Making a Scene looks at the Truth about Spotify Introduction There is no argument that consumer has embraced streaming as a way to consume music! For the consumer this is a no brainer, you don’t have to store you music on a shelf, you don’t have to fill up your phone’s memory with mp3’s and […]
SymphonyOS brings AI marketing power to CD Baby’s 2M artists Introduction Social Media Marketing and Content Creation has become an ever increasing part of an indie artists daily life. Today there is not a scenario where an indie artist does not have to dedicate a major amount of time and effort to create and distribute […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with a Pro – Clay Hawkins of The Open Music Exchange Introduction It is no secret that the current revenue from streaming services like spotify/youtube/pandora, etc. is not sustainable as a business model for the music industry. The Digital Revolution has however proven to be very fluid […]
Making a Scene – Tuned Global and Sona.stream create an Artist-First Streaming Service What is Sona? Music is everything at Sona. Co-founded by producer TOKiMONSTA and Laura Jaramillo, Sona’s vision is a music industry that’s more equitable and rewarding for both fans and artists. This starts with sona.stream, an ad-free music streaming platform with a […]
IMPORTANT!! PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU ENTER ANY NOMINATIONS The independent Blues Awards celebrate the diversity and power of the music that is created by those artists that acknowledge their inspiration and roots are in the blues. These awards will represent not only those “touring” artists who work within the established blues community, but embrace working artists […]
Making a Scene brings you a preview of No Words Atlanta – an Instrumental Music Festival! Atlanta has the Only Instrumental Music Festival Anywhere! Music without words connects directly with the listener, creating a powerful experience. No Words Music was an light-bulb idea that occurred to life-long instrumental guitarist, Ann Wood (PerkinsWood) while attending […]
Spotify will Institute a 1,000 annual stream limit on royalty payments Spotify is looking to institute a new payment model that will require A new minimum annual threshold of 1,000 annual streams before any track starts generating royalties on the service. This will adversely affect the Indie music market and will funnel millions of dollars […]
First-Ever Major Billy Joel Exhibit to Open on November 24th at Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame ‘My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey’ to showcase the legendary musician’s life and career in an exclusive exhibition After nearly a year in the planning, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) has […]
Moises launches AI Voice Studio, a brand new model for artist-first voice modeling Vocalists can now license their own voices and sell their models to producers and content creators DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) like ProTools, Logic, and FL Studio have massively increased accessibility to music making. MIDI instruments, sample libraries, and plug-ins unlocked the sounds […]
Making a Scene Looks at Bandlabs new Aquisition “AirBit” Introduction Bandlab has been quietly (or maybe not so quietly) acquiring indie music assets since 2015! They started by purchasing the Cakewalk DAW Software product SONAR from Gibson and released it as a FREE download (which now they plan to release a new version as a […]
Making a Scene Presents The 2023 Independent Blues Awards Winners! This is the 8th year we have produced and honored independent blues artists with the Independent Blues Awards. The voting this year has broken all records and was the largest voting participation since we began. As always we believe that not only are the winners […]
Making a Scene Brings you an Interview with a Pro – Gerry Roszak of Kondler and Associates Royalty Audit Team Introduction In the music industry, the traditional revenue streams for musicians and songwriters have undergone a significant transformation. With the rise of digital music platforms and streaming services, the way in which artists earn […]
Making a Scene Presents Building a Songwriting Roundtable using Social Media Introduction As a songwriter, it can be difficult to find a group of like-minded individuals to collaborate with and bounce ideas off of. Thankfully, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have made it easier than ever to connect with other musicians and build […]
Laura Zito Cancer Support Hi, this is Mike and Laura Zito. Most of you know, my wife Laura was diagnosed with Stage4 Pancreatic Metastic Cancer in July of 2022. She was given 9-12 months to live at that time. Laura decided she would fight with everything she had to beat the odds, and she did. […]
Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame Celebrates Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary with Hip-Hop Concert Unveiling of LL COOL J Statue, Performances and Panel Discussions with Son of Bazerk, A.J. Rock (J.V.C. F.O.R.C.E.), DJ Jazzy Jay, Dinco D (Leaders of the New School), DJ Johnny Juice and Keith Schocklee (Public Enemy) MC Glamorous and Ralph McDaniels […]
Bandlab Discontinues Free Version of Cakewalk by Bandlab DAW Bandlab, the company behind the popular digital audio workstation (DAW) software Cakewalk, has announced that they will no longer be offering a free version of the software. Bandlab acquired Sonar by Cakewalk DAW after Gibson discontinued the software after it purchase it from Cakewalk, leaving their […]
Making a Scene Presents the 2023 Independent Blues Awards! Congratulations to all the nominees! The 2023 Independent Blues Awards nominations are now in and ready for you to vote on. We do things a bit different than other awards in that we give you the opportunity to explore and experience artists and music you may […]
A Review of the Warm Audio WA-CX12 Microphone When it comes to recording music, having high-quality equipment is essential. Microphones are especially important to ensure the best possible sound. The Warm Audio WA-CX12 is a microphone that has been gaining popularity among music producers and audio engineers. Warm Audio designed the WA-CX12 as a faithful […]
ShineX Music Royalty Monitoring Introduction As an artist, one of the most critical aspects of your career is ensuring that you are receiving the appropriate compensation for your work. One of the best ways to achieve this is by keeping track of your music royalties. One tool that can help you do this is ShineX […]
What is the Music Licensing Collective and Why Should you Care! The Music Licensing Collective (MLC) is a non-profit organization that was established in the United States as a result of the Music Modernization Act (MMA) of 2018. The MMA was signed into law to address the issue of music licensing and copyright law in […]
The Difference Between Compression and Limiting Introduction Compression and limiting are two frequently used audio processing techniques that audio engineers use in music production, mixing, and mastering. While they might seem similar, they serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics. In this blog post, we will explore the differences between compression and limiting and when […]
Top 10 Songwriting Tips Songwriting is a craft that can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience for musicians. Whether you are a seasoned songwriter or a beginner, it is essential to understand the art of songwriting to create a masterpiece. Here are the top 10 songwriting tips that will help you to take your songwriting […]
Making a Scene Turns 9 Years Old! On May 1 2014 we launched Making a Scene as a web magazine that would support independent artists with Interviews, CD Reviews, Gear Reviews, Articles on Music Business as well as keeping a finger on the pulse of the Music Industry and informing the indie music community on […]
The Future of the Music Industry Introduction Music has always been an integral part of human culture. From traditional folk songs to the latest pop hits, music has the ability to connect people and inspire them. The music industry has gone through many changes over the years, from vinyl records to cassette tapes, CDs to […]
AI Songwriting Tools for Words and Music Introduction Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming various industries, including music. The integration of AI in music has led to the development of AI songwriting tools that can compose music and even write lyrics. These tools have become popular among musicians, producers, and songwriters, as they can save […]
Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame Opens their Museum in Stony Brook NY! In 2003 I was the publisher of Long Island Entertainment Magazine, a free music and entertainment magazine that serviced Long Island NY. I had just returned from a tour to perform at the Dogwood Festival with John Pagano when I […]
Acoustic Blues CD Nominees Best Independent Blues Acoustic CD CD’s that were produced with primarly acoustic instrumentation Ghalia Volt Donna Herula Steve Hill Chris Bergson Hector Anchondo Elly Wininger Cole Allen Little G Weevil
IMPORTANT!! PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU ENTER ANY NOMINATIONS The independent Blues Awards celebrate the diversity and power of the music that is created by those artists that acknowledge their inspiration and roots are in the blues. These awards will represent not only those “touring” artists who work within the established blues community, but embrace working artists […]
Making a Scene Presents the 2022 Independent Blues Awards! Congratulations to all the nominees! The 2022 Independent Blues Awards nominations are now in and ready for you to vote on. We do things a bit different than other awards in that we give you the opportunity to explore and experience artists and music you may […]
Bandlab Acquires Reverbnation and Intergrates Tools Into their Platform Intro I first discovered Bandlab when they announced the purchase of Sonar Platinum from Gibson after Gibson discontinued the popular DAW. Bandlab immediately released Sonar Platinum as a free download when you signup for a free Bandlab account. In addition to the Free DAW they also […]
Making a Scene Celebrates 8 Years of Publication! It was on May 1st 2014 Making a Scene Officially came online with a very simple philosophy; Provide coverage for the indie music community and bring the best information to this community on what is happening in the music industry. We have strived to be the #1 […]
Making a Scene Presents The Blues Foundation Announces the Nominees for the Blues Music Awards! An impressive assembly of blues music masters, ranging from Blues Hall of Famers to rising stars, will gather in Memphis on Thursday May 5th, for the 43rd Annual Blues Music Awards. Presented by The Blues Foundation, the BMAs honor the […]
Making a Scene Presents “Creating a Strong Music Industry Middle Class” We have all had to accept the reality that the digital revolution has dramatically changed the way the music industry works. The consumer has embrace streaming as a way to consume music, and you can’t blame them. They are paying less and consuming more […]
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 […]
PreSonus HOME PAGE Fender HOME PAGE FENDER PreSonus Making a Scene Presents an Interview with a Pro – Jim Odom Talks about the Fender/PreSonus Acquisition Ever since the announcement was made that Fender Musical Instruments was “Acquiring” PreSonus Audio Electronics the existing PreSonus userbase started to buzz about how this is […]
Making a Scene Presents – Audius – Blockchain Streaming will unseat Spotify! Intro There is a revolution on the horizon in the music industry and it revolves around decentralized Finance (DeFi) and BlockChain Technology. This trend began with the Etherium blockchain which brought us the NFT (Non Fungable Token), Smart Contracts, etc (See “Indie Artists […]
Making a Scene Presents a Review of Masterwriter – Songwriting and Creative Writing Software! What is Masterwriter? Masterwriter was created over 20 years ago as a software product to help songwriters and creative writers with their process by giving them access to all the tools they need in a single place. It has over the […]
FENDER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS CORPORATION SIGNS DEFINITIVE AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE PRESONUS AUDIO ELECTRONICS, INC. HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. (Nov. 1, 2021) – Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC), the world’s leading musical instrument manufacturers, marketers and distributors, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement of merger with PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana based brand is the leading […]
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 […]
IMPORTANT!! PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU ENTER ANY NOMINATIONS The independent Blues Awards celebrate the diversity and power of the music that is created by those artists that acknowledge their inspiration and roots are in the blues. These awards will represent not only those “touring” artists who work within the established blues community, but embrace working artists […]
Making a Scene Presents the 2021 Independent Blues Awards! Congratulations to all the Winners and Nominees! The 2021 Independent Blues Awards We do things a bit different than other awards in that we encourage you to not only explore and experience winning artists, but all the nominated artists as well. Under each winning Artist is […]
The Future of Music Streaming – The Fan Experience We have been in the digital revolution for the past 20 years and in this time the music industry has been redefined several times over. The reality today is the consumer has embraced streaming as a way to consume music, and in fact they no longer […]
Muddy Waters Home Granted Landmark Status – To Become a Museum Dedicated to the Father of Chicago Blues! The North Kenwood home where blues legend Muddy Waters once lived is planned to be converted into The MOJO Muddy Waters House Museum has been granted a final landmark status by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. This […]
Kerrville Folk Festival Announces Lineup for 49th Year – October 1st-11th The Kerrville Folk Festival has announced their lineup for their 49th year. Highlights of this year’s festival include, James McMurtry, Shinyribs, Trout Fishing in America, Jaimee Harris, Kyshona, Mobley, Heartless Bastards, the winners of the world famous New Folk competition from both 2020 and […]
Blues fans from all over the world tuned into our virtual broadcast of the 42nd Blues Music Awards.Congratulations to all winners and nominees! B.B. King Entertainer Shemekia CopelandBand of the Year Rick Estrin & The Nightcats Best Emerging Artist Album Harlem King Solomon Hicks Blues Rock Album Mike Zito and Friends – Rock ‘n’ Roll: […]
Making a Scene Celebrates 7 Years of Supporting Indie Artists and the Fans that Love them! What was started on May 1 2014 has grown exponentially! With the help of our dedicated team of writers we have brought you In depth CD Reviews, Artist Interviews, Gear Reviews, Music Business articles, Recording Techniques and So much […]
Making a Scene Presents the 2021 Independent Blues Awards! Congratulations to all the nominees! The 2021 Independent Blues Awards nominations are now in and ready for you to vote on. We do things a bit different than other awards in that we give you the opportunity to explore and experience artists and music […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with a Pro Rick Booth – Touring After the Pandemic! As we move towards the end of the Covid 19 Pandemic many artist’s are wondering what the touring landscape is going to look like. Intrepid Artists International is the premiere roots and blues booking agencies and is […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with a Pro “Sammi Alani” of Pirate.com Pirate, whose groundbreaking self-service studio model has evolved into the UK’s largest network of recording facilities, has launched In the United States after 12 months of planning. With the opening of new studios in Los Angeles added to three recently […]