Making a Scene Presents - Streaming Growth is Slowing And That’s Good News for Indie Artists.

For the past ten-plus years, the music industry has sold indie artists one simple dream. Get your music on streaming. Get on playlists. Get the numbers up. Then, somehow, the money will follow. A lot of artists found out the hard way that this dream has a catch. Streaming is real. Streaming is powerful. Streaming can introduce you to new listeners all over the world. But streaming, by itself, rarely builds a stable living.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey's Interview with Jamiah Denzel Rogers

Deacon Denzel and Dirty Church is the kind of band that doesn’t just play a set — they build a room, light it up, and then invite everybody inside. Rooted in the sweat-and-soul tradition of rock, blues, funk, and gospel, their sound feels like a late-night revival meeting colliding with a barroom jam: gritty, joyful, and impossible to fake.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Otis Walker

Otis Walker was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and came up in the deep musical tradition of the American South. He cut his teeth in the music business in Muscle Shoals, absorbing the sounds, work ethic, and soul that have defined generations of legendary recordings. That foundation shaped both his playing and his approach to songwriting, grounding his music in feel, groove, and authenticity.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - More Artists Need to Earn Enough Instead of a Few Earning Everything

For most working musicians, the real problem isn’t that people stopped loving music. Music is everywhere. The problem is that the money stopped landing where the work actually happens.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Dana Maragos

Dana Maragos is a Chicago-based singer-songwriter whose music is rooted in storytelling, tradition, and a lifelong relationship with song. Her journey began early, when her grandmother bought her a $25 guitar in Chicago’s Old Town at just six years old. Growing up on the city’s South Side, Dana learned her first chords from a teenage neighbor, singing along to the songs of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Eric Andersen. Those early influences planted the seeds for a songwriting voice built on honesty, melody, and quiet emotional strength.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey's Interview with Austin and the Syd Experience

Austin & The Syd Experience is a Columbus, Ohio–based funk rock ensemble delivering a fearless, high-voltage blend of hard rock, psychedelic soul, and raw, merciless funk. Known as “ASYD Funk,” their sound is loud, sensual, and deeply groove-driven, built to hit the body as much as the ears.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - Why Streams Don’t Build Careers (And What Actually Does)

For a long time, streaming has felt like the finish line.

You upload your music. You watch the numbers climb. You refresh your stats like they’re a scoreboard. You cross your fingers that the algorithm notices you, blesses you, and turns your song into a “moment.”

And then you wait.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - How AI Can Turn Your Fans Into a Street Team (Without Burning You Out)

For decades, street teams were built on chaos. Flyers stuffed into backpacks. Group texts that started strong and then quietly died. Friends-of-friends who swore they would help spread the word and then vanished the moment real life showed up. It was almost always unpaid labor, held together by enthusiasm, favors, and blind hope. Labels leaned on this model when they were small and scrappy. Indie artists copied it when they had no other options. And most of the time, it fell apart for the same reason every time: nobody had the time, energy, or systems to keep it running.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - Tracking vs Mixing: Two Spaces That Should Never Fight Each Other

Most home studios don’t fail in dramatic ways. They don’t blow up. They don’t announce themselves as broken. They quietly stop delivering results. Songs take longer than they should. Performances feel stiff. Mixes never quite translate. Confidence erodes one small frustration at a time.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents An Interview with The Long Honeymoon

Minneapolis-based pop-rock band The Long Honeymoon has been filling venues and winning over audiences for more than three years with their high-energy live shows. Built around original songs packed with rich vocal harmonies, catchy pop grooves, and clever arrangements, the band delivers music that feels both familiar and fresh. Made up of musicians with more than two decades of experience in the Twin Cities music scene, The Long Honeymoon blends a deep love of classic pop-rock with a modern sound and a joyful spirit that connects with music fans of all ages.

http://www.makingascene.org