Indie Artist Music Hustle

Fifty Thousand Streams? Cool. One Real Fan? Priceless

• Host and Creator: Blonde Intelligence (Ms. Roni) • Season 4 • Episode 70

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Welcome to this week's Blonde Intelligence, I am you host Ms. Roni, and I always seek to give you exquisite cranial repertoire. One fan showed up at five o’clock on a Thursday for Indie Artist, Kwe the Artist—and that was enough to spark one of the most meaningful shows of the tour. We dive into the real mechanics of indie growth, where honesty beats hype and small rooms become training grounds for skill, trust, and repeatable momentum. The story starts with a free city-to-city run and a candid recap that didn’t hide the turnout. That transparency pulled more listeners into the music and turned an awkward moment into organic discovery.

We break down why thin crowds can be a gift. With fewer distractions, you can test arrangements, tighten transitions, and read the room with precision. You hear the breath between lines, feel the groove shift, and adjust on the fly. Those one-to-one moments create fans who buy albums twice, tell friends, and come back. We contrast artists who deliver regardless of headcount with those who walk when the numbers aren’t “big enough,” and how that choice echoes in ticket sales, reputation, and word of mouth. The takeaway is clear: connection compounds.

You’ll also hear practical strategies for designing shows that convert—framing every set with a clean call to action, capturing contacts, gifting surprise value, and measuring the right signals beyond vanity metrics. We talk timing, venue friction, and the myth of the “magic number” that supposedly unlocks opportunity. Instead, we focus on stacking small wins: ten merch buys, ten saves, ten shares. Those are signs of demand, and they add up fast when you keep your promise to the people who show.

If you’re building from the ground up, this is a reminder to play the room you have and serve the moment you’re in. Subscribe, share this with an indie artist who needs the nudge, and leave a review with your own “tiny crowd, big impact” story—we’ll shout out our favorites next week. Follow @BlondeIntelligence

#IndieArtist #KweTheArtist #BlondeIntelligence #MusicGrowth #LiveMusic #IndieMusic #SmallCrowdBigImpact #ArtistDevelopment #MusicConnection #TransparentGrowth #MusicCommunity #SupportIndieArtists #ViralPodcast #CreativeMomentum #EngageYourAudience #MusicianSuccess #ShowDesign #FanEngagement #MerchSales #BuildingCommunity

Support the show

SPEAKER_00:

Learn about the indie artist from the indie artists.

SPEAKER_03:

I'm Shannon Keene. I'm an artist.

SPEAKER_00:

My name is Lauren, as you already said. I am a singer-songwriter.

SPEAKER_03:

So I'm all femmes. I originally come from the Caribbean, St. Vincent, the Grenadines.

SPEAKER_02:

My name is Brian Ducev. I'm an East Coast Canadian rocker. And then I found myself in Las Vegas, where I'm at currently, for dancing for Circle Du Soleil with my own solos.

SPEAKER_00:

I also learned from music industry professions.

SPEAKER_03:

I'm a music producer. I've been producing professionally for about 14 years. I have uh worked with a couple people in the industry. Uh Gregmy nominated, Trev Rich, Misha from 702.

SPEAKER_02:

After I got my deal with Universal Music, after the Alicia Keys and Gunner Record, and many other that I've done, and then Alicia Keys was the number one adult RB song of the year.

SPEAKER_00:

I asked the question.

SPEAKER_02:

That's a great question.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's a good question.

SPEAKER_02:

Ooh, uh, that is a good question. Wow. I love all these questions. These are great. Like most of the questions that I get are like, you know, tell me about Justin Bieber.

SPEAKER_00:

Indie Artist Music Hustle is for the indie artists, their fans, industry professionals, and the music lover. Subscribe on YouTube, Facebook, or the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, or Blonde Intelligence Facebook page. Don't forget to add me to your playlist. Bye.

SPEAKER_03:

It's been really fun, especially hoping someone across the pond. Let's go.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Blonde Intelligence. I'm your host, Miss Ronnie, and I always seek to give you exquisite cranial repertoire. This week I am going to talk about a subject that was sparked by a short that I saw on YouTube. An artist by the name, and I hope I'm saying his name correctly, by the name of Qui the Artist. It's KWE, Kui the Artist. And the short was talking about a show that he did within his tour. He was doing a tour, a free tour, where he would go to different cities to perform for free to organically grow his fan base. And he was saying that Charlotte should have been, I think it was Charlotte. I know it was North Carolina. I can't say Charlotte for sure. Um was his 11th um biggest fan base. So he was expecting a certain number of people to come out, but he did have some barriers against him. It was that it was a Thursday, it was at 5 o'clock, um, and it was something else, but it was during a time where let's just say if you got off at 5 o'clock, let's say you had children or whatever, and you don't get a chance to hit the night light for a happy hour or whatever, but he felt that that was a barrier, and he felt kind of disheartened about the turnout. His turnout was only one person, and he said he had to think about that because that one person was a guy who had bought his album two times. So this guy showed that he was really a fan of Queen the Artist by buying his fans, and and what really caught my attention is he he was like, I'm gonna keep it real with you. He said, I could um dress this up for social media. He's like, but I'm gonna keep it real. And that's when he told about that he was doing a discovery tour and that he had a hard time finding a place to perform, and that when he did, you know, he announced it or whatever, but he only had one person to show up at first. Now, towards the end, he said more people showed up, and it was one of the best shows that he ever had, and that he felt like he gained, you know, some organic fan base. And by him showing that short, you know, that made me go check out his music, and his music is really good. I don't want to put a genre on his music, and I haven't heard a whole lot of it because he obviously has music if one person bought two of his albums, so I would say that it was like a cross between it has a hip-hop foundation with a touch of reggae and a touch of African hip-hop, I would say, fused together. How would performers feel about showing up to their show and only have one fan there? Performing for only one person as an independent artist can be a profoundly significant experience. For a true fan, this scenario transformed the typical concert dynamic into an intimate connection between artist and listener. It underscores the essence of what being a true fan means. A deep appreciation for the artist's work, regardless of the scale of the performance. When an independent artist steps on the stage, they can carry the weight of their hard work, creativity, and passion. Performing for a single fan might seem disheartening to some, but for the dedicated supporter, it's a unique opportunity. This one-on-one interaction allows for a deeper engagement. The artists can share personal stories behind the music, creating a narrative that resonates on a more profound level. Then in a crowded venue, this intimate setting can foster a sense of belonging where the fan feels seen, heard, and valued. Now, I want artists to also think about independent artists performing at birthday parties, community events, um, little no, I'm not gonna say little, but fundraising events, um just because and I feel like although it's not on a grand scale because the magic numbers 50,000, you need 50,000 on social media, you need 50,000 listeners on Spotify in order for major or bigger opportunities to come along, I would say. And 50,000 is the magic number, if you can believe me or not, but I think that performing at sm performing where there's smaller crowds still has value towards your fan base. Such a performance can lead to an unforgettable experience for both parties. For the artist, it's a chance to receive immediate and genuine feedback, allowing them to refine their craft. For the fan, it becomes a cherished memory, a story that they can tell others about a time when they had a private concert. This interaction reinforces loyalty. The fan is likely to have their experience with others expanding the artist's reach organically. In a world of independent artistry, where every connection counts, performing for one true fan can be a powerful testament to the artist's dedication. This experience transcends traditional metrics of success. So even if you just gain ten new fans were ten people who buy your merchandise or ten people who go and download your album. That is the success, even though it's not that 50,000. As 50 Cent said, and um, was it get rich and die trying? He was like, I take pennies, nickels, and dimes, because it all adds up to be a dollar. So this highlights that it's not about the number of attendees, but the quality of the connection made. In essence, an independent artist, true fan-based, thrives on these intimate moments as they cultivate a community built on shared passion and personal connection. Now, I remember I went to a concert one time, and I believe I know it was um Jaheem, um Jagged Edge, and I think it was Zap from Roger and Zap. And Jaheem came out and performed and killed it. And I think I went to see him in several more shows after that, simply because of the fact that the crowd was not big, and the barriers in that particular show was it had been raining, it was cold, it was an outside show, and a lot of people who said they were coming didn't come simply because of the weather. So it was a nice crowd, it was kind of scattered, scattered, but Jaheem came out and performed anyway, and gave a great show. And Jagged Edge decided that the crowd was not big enough for Jagged Edge to come out, and they did not come and perform, and I never bought a ticket again to go see any show that had Jagged Edge on there. Now, that right there, being on a ticket, expecting a bigger crowd, it happens to the best of us, it has happened to me, but it did not take away from what I was trying to do when I didn't have as big a crowd as I thought. And you know, sometimes people say that they support you and they don't. And it shows in the actions, the words never mean anything. And I take Queen, the artist's experience and that he wanted to tell the truth about it, and even in the end, the the the crowd wasn't the biggest, but it was one of his better shows. And I think about even when I used to go to the club, I like to dance. So when I went to the club, I like for the DJ to play good music, and I like for to have me some room that I can be able to dance the way that I like to dance. And when the club was too packed, I didn't have such a great time. Now I know that having a big fan of a big crowd at a live show can put you on a natural high. And some people say they go into their alter egos and they do things that they didn't do in practice, and it turned out great. But sometimes you have I would even look at how Drake is comparing his crowd to the kindred to kindred crowd. And I think that he shouldn't do that because even in trying times, because this would be a trying time for him, you still got people that's standing with you. Give your best to them. And they might not want to jump around, they might want to rock from side to side, and you need to read the room. And if your fan base is there to support you, give them what they want. And use that as a chance to tell them how much you thank them and show them because words mean nothing. But that's all that I have for you this week. Remember, you can catch Blonde Intelligence. You can still look up Indie Artist Music Hustle with Blunt Intelligence, but my tag is at blunt intelligence on all podcasting platforms. Um, please go and subscribe and follow on Spotify, on Pandora, on iHeart, on Apple, on all those places. Um, the podcast is always on YouTube, whether I do a visual show or not. But you can subscribe on YouTube and you can get your merch and some personalized merch uh order on my website at www.blon dash intelligence.com. You can also find the services that I provide to independent music artists there. So um that's all I have for you this week, and I'll see you next week. Bye.

SPEAKER_01:

Hey girl, let me tell you about this podcast. Girl, everybody has a podcast these days. But this one interviews new and interesting indie artists. It's called Indie Artist Music Hustle with Blonde Intelligence. Really? Where can I find it? It's on all podcasting platforms, streams live on social media and on rpentradio.com. What'd you say it was called again? It's called Indie Artist Music Hustle with Blonde Intelligence. Girl, I'm gonna have to check her out. Give it a check, girl.