Making a Scene Presents

Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Kaitlin Cassady

Kaitlin Cassady is an indie-folk-rock artist rooted in the vibrant Minneapolis, Minnesota music scene. Her sound blends the heartfelt storytelling of Aimee Mann and Carole King with the modern textures of Phoebe Bridgers, Norah Jones, Billie Eilish, and Kacey Musgraves—all tied together with a touch of Brian Wilson’s harmonic sophistication. The result is a rich and emotionally resonant style that explores love, grief, self-discovery, and mental health with unflinching honesty.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents Rethinking Crowdfunding for the Indie Musician in a Decentralized Music Industry
Why rethink crowdfunding?

Let’s begin with a simple question: when you ask fans for money to make an album or go on tour, is that “donation” or “investment”? Traditional tools treat it like donation: you promise perks (a signed CD, a shout-out, backstage passes). But the fan gives you money up front, hoping you deliver. That’s okay, but it doesn’t change the relationship: you’re asking, “Will you support me?”

Web3 crowdfunding changes that. Instead of begging, you offer fans a stake in your project. They become partial owners (in a clearly defined way) of future revenue streams. They share upside with you. That is closer to how businesses raise investors. This flips the incentive: fans want your success, because they benefit when you succeed.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - A Deep Dive Review of Sonible's Learn:Bundle
What is the Sonible learn:bundle?

First, what is this bundle anyway? Sonible’s learn:bundle is a set of five intelligent plug-ins meant to help with core mixing tasks. Those tasks are:

Equalization (EQ)

Compression

Reverb

Limiting

Unmasking (i.e. helping reduce frequency clashes between tracks)

Sonible describes them as “assistive AI plug-ins” that guide you while you mix.  The idea is that instead of turning knobs blindly, you let the plug-ins analyze your audio and suggest where to cut, boost, compress, etc. Then you can accept, tweak, or override those suggestions.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - AI-Generated Videos & Visuals: Turning Your Songs into Scroll-Stopping Content

For decades, video production has been one of the biggest hurdles for independent artists. Cameras, crews, editors, colorists, and motion-graphics specialists were luxuries reserved for labels with budgets to burn. For indie musicians, even a simple music video often meant calling in favors, borrowing gear, and learning to edit on the fly.

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Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Miss Emily

Back in the 1990s, twelve-year-old Emily Fennell from Prince Edward County, Ontario was already turning heads at county fairs, winning one singing competition after another. While other contestants played it safe with songs like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” or “I Will Always Love You,” Emily stopped audiences in their tracks with K.D. Lang’s haunting version of Patsy Cline’s “Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray.” That bold choice — and the spellbinding performance that came with it — said almost everything about the artist she would become. She had a voice that demanded attention, a fearless approach to music, and an instinct to take creative risks.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - AI in Metadata & File Prep: Smarter Exports for Distribution
What is metadata, and why should you care about it?

Imagine this: you write a song, record it, and then send it out into the world. But who “owns” that song? Who wrote it? Who should get paid when people listen? How will streaming services or radio stations know which song it is, among millions of others? That’s where metadata comes in.

Metadata is “data about data.” In music, metadata is all the information attached to a recording (or a track) that describes it: the song title, who the artist is, who wrote it, who owns it, when it was released, the track number on an album, and unique codes like an ISRC (International Standard Recording Code). Without good metadata, your track is like a book without a cover or title page—it’s hard to identify, harder to track, and easier to lose.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - Reverb: The Secret Sauce of Space – History, Types, and How to Use It Like a Pro

When you listen to your favorite song, there’s something that makes the sound feel alive — it breathes, it moves, it fills the air. That magical sense of space comes from one of the oldest and most loved tools in audio engineering: reverb. Whether it’s the dreamy echo behind a vocal, the lush wash on a guitar solo, or the big, booming snare sound of the ’80s, reverb shapes the emotional depth of music more than most people realize.

But to really understand how to use it, you have to know where it came from — and how it evolved from the real world into digital code.

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Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey's Interview with BillyBoy Miskimmin

BillyBoy Miskimmin first made his mark on the Northern Ireland music scene in the 1980s, stunning audiences with his emotional power and jaw-dropping harmonica technique. Performing alongside local legends such as Jim Daly, Jackie Flavelle, and Ronnie Greer, he earned a reputation as a fiery and soulful performer in pubs and clubs across the region.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents an Interview with "The Name Droppers"

The Name Droppers are a powerhouse blues-rock band forged from the DNA of true road warriors and seasoned session pros. With decades of collective experience performing alongside some of the biggest names in rock and blues, this Connecticut-based group delivers a sound steeped in authenticity, groove, and soul.

http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - The Indie Artist’s Guide to Token Gating: How to Turn Fans into VIP Insiders
What is Token Gating (in simple terms)?

Let’s start with the basics. A “token” in this context is usually a digital asset on a blockchain — often an NFT (non-fungible token). Think of that token like a golden ticket. If someone holds that token, they get special privileges: access to a hidden chat, a private webpage, or a live stream. If they don’t hold the token, they can’t enter.

So token gating means “locking something behind a token.” Only people who own (or are granted) the token can enter.

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