🔷 How To – Indie Artist Basics🔷 

Because we don’t do scams around here—just bars and business.

So you just dropped a song or a short and BOOM—here come the DMs:

“Hey Queen 👑 I love your sound! I can help you grow!”

Sound familiar? Yeah. Same script, different scammer.

Let’s be clear: not everybody offering promo is fake…

But if you gotta pay to hear “the game”? It probably ain’t real game.

🚩 Red Flags to Watch For:

1️⃣ "DM Me for Promo"… in the Comments

If you’re serious about promo, why are you spamming my comment section like it’s Craigslist? 

Real professionals move through email or business pages—not the DMs of 100 strangers a day.

2️⃣ Private Account, No Content, 10 Followers

You say you’re a promoter but… where the promo at??

If your page look like a burner account or you just started it yesterday, I’m not trusting you with my brand. Next.

3️⃣ "5K Real Followers for $20"

Baaaaby. If it sound too good to be true? It is.

Buying fake followers kills your algorithm, hurts your credibility, and makes your real fans question everything. Don’t do it.

4️⃣ Overusing Emojis, Copy/Paste Energy

You’ll see a lot of:

“Heyy I love your vibe 🔥 Let’s work together 💯 Click link in bio 🎶”

👀 Copy/paste messages don’t count as support. If you didn’t even say my name or mention the actual song, I know you didn’t listen.

5️⃣ They Slide in the DMs Before You Even Drop a Verse

If you just posted a new video and they DM you 30 seconds later like:

“I watched your video—it’s amazing!”

But your video is 2 minutes long? Liar.

💬 How to Respond (or Not):

Ignore. Trust me, they’ll move on.

Block if they’re persistent or trying to shame you into buying.

If you’re feelin’ petty? Hit ‘em with: “I promote myself for free. Thanks tho 💅”

💙🔷 Real Ones Move Differently 🔷💙

If someone genuinely wants to work with you, they’ll come correct: 

✔️ Mention specific things they liked

✔️ Show proof of past work

✔️ Let YOU decide if it’s a fit

You don’t owe anybody your money, your trust, or your time—especially not someone you just met on IG tryna flip you a PDF.

You ready to build your career, not buy bots.

So keep shining, stay smart, and always remember:

🔷You the promo. You the brand. You the energy. 🔷

Because you don’t need to spend a fortune to get seen—you just need to move smart.

So many indie artists get caught up thinking you have to pay someone just to get noticed.

But the truth is? You already got the tools—you just gotta use 'em right.

Here’s how to promo yourself like a boss (without falling for the hype):

✅ 1️⃣ Post With Purpose

Don’t just drop your song and say “new track out now.”

Tell people why it matters. Tell a story. Drop a line from the lyrics. Give them a reason to care.

Instead of: “New song out now 🔥”

Try: “Ever felt like the world against you? That’s where this song came from 💙”

✅ 2️⃣ Use Your Own Platform First

Your YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, even Reddit or Threads—that’s free promo.

If you ain’t sharing your music on your own pages consistently, don’t pay someone else to do it.

Let your audience grow with YOU. Real fans love watching the come-up.

✅ 3️⃣ Be in the Comments (But Be Real)

Leave comments on other indie artists’ posts—but say something real. Not “check my page.” That’s spam.

Say what you liked. Ask questions. Show love.

That gets more attention than a DM ever will.

✅ 4️⃣ Reuse Your Content (The Smart Way)

You don’t need a new song every week. Take a verse, flip it in a new visual, change the caption, add a new hashtag.

The more ways you share your content, the better the algorithm understands it.

✅ 5️⃣ Join Music Groups (But Don’t Be Thirsty)

Facebook groups, Reddit threads, even YouTube comments—great places to share. But DON’T just drop your link and vanish.

Talk. Engage. Then slide your music in when it fits.

✅ 6️⃣ Don’t Pay for “Packages” Unless You Know What You’re Paying For

If someone says “I’ll promote you to 50K followers,” ask:

Where will you post it?

Will you tag me?

What’s your engagement rate?

Can I see examples?

If they get defensive or vague? It’s a scam. Period.

💙 Bonus Tip: YOU Are the Brand

Your personality, your story, your grind—that’s what people connect with.

Let them see YOU. You don’t need perfect polish—you need real presence.

Keep it real, keep it consistent, and don’t let these promo sharks play you.

Your grind is gold already. Let the world see it—but do it YOUR way 💙📢

Because owning your music should be simple—not stressful.

Ready to get your music on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and all that?

Good. DistroKid is one of the fastest, easiest ways to do it—but only if you set it up right.

Let’s break it down step by step (no fluff, no BS):

🔹 Step 1: Create Your Account

Go to DistroKid.com

Pick a plan:

Musician = 1 artist/band name

Musician Plus = 2 artist names + more control (like release dates)

Label = for multiple artists (not needed unless you run a roster)

Most artists start with Musician Plus for the extra control—especially if you’re building a brand.

🔹 Step 2: Fill Out Your Artist Name Info

Make sure your artist name matches exactly how you want it to appear on streaming platforms.

If your name is already taken or too similar, DistroKid will let you know.

🔹 Step 3: Upload Your Track

Click “Upload”

Then select:

Song title

Language

Genre & subgenre

Upload your audio file (WAV is best or MP3 is fine)

Be sure your cover art is square (3000x3000 pixels) and high-quality. No blurry screenshots.

🔹 Step 4: Add Contributors (Optional)

If someone produced or featured on your song, you can add them here.

If it’s just you? Skip this part.

🔹 Step 5: Set Release Date (Plus Plan only)

With Musician Plus, you can pick a future release date.

Otherwise, it’ll drop as soon as it’s processed—usually 1 to 3 days.

🔹 Step 6: Monetization Options

Turn ON these if you want: (Optional)

YouTube Content ID (protects your song from being reused without credit)

Store Maximizer (adds your song to new platforms as they come up)

Shazam & iPhone Siri (so people can identify your track)

🔹 Step 7: Submit & Wait

Hit “Done,” and let DistroKid do its thing.

You’ll get emails once your song hits each platform.

💙 Extra Tips from KrazyQueenie:

Double check your spelling—you don’t want a typo locked into your Spotify forever

Don’t reuse the same cover art for every single—make it pop visually

Set your YouTube channel as an official artist channel so all your music gets grouped together

Link your DistroKid to Spotify for Artists & Apple Music for Artists to track streams and control your profile

You ain’t gotta pay a manager or scammer to do this.

You can do it yourself—and do it RIGHT.

📢 Be your own label. Be your own boss. Be your own machine.

💙✅

From a real one who’s been messin’ with FL since version 6.

If you’re just starting out and FL Studio feels like a spaceship—don’t panic.

It’s come a long way since the early days, but at its core, it’s still a beatmaker’s playground and a mixing powerhouse.

I’ve been in and out of FL since back when it was simple and fun, before it had all these plugins and advanced tools. 

These days, it can do everything—but that don’t mean you gotta use all of it right away. 💙

Let me break it down for beginners with a real, practical approach—no techy overload.

✅ Step 1: Start with the Right Version

FL Studio has free and paid versions—but if you’re serious, go ahead and get that Producer Edition.

It gives you everything you need to start making and mixing your tracks without limitations.

💡 You’ll thank yourself later. That “no save” limit on the demo will make you cry mid-beat.

✅ Step 2: Explore the Layout

When you open FL, here’s what you’ll see:

Channel Rack – where your sounds live (kicks, snares, hats, etc.)

Playlist – where you arrange your full beat or vocals

Mixer – where you add effects and get your sound right

Piano Roll – where you lay down melodies or edit MIDI

🎯 Don’t worry about mastering all this at once—start with the Channel Rack and Playlist. That’s your creative playground.

✅ Step 3: Playing with Sounds

Use the browser on the left to drag in:

Drum kits

Samples

Presets

FL comes with plenty of built-in sounds, but you can also download free or paid kits online and drag them right in.

Tip: Don’t go download-crazy. Learn your tools first, THEN add plugins.

✅ Step 4: Plugins Are Powerful—but Optional

FL Studio comes with some amazing plugins like:

Fruity Parametric EQ 2 (for clean mixing)

Gross Beat (for cool glitch/repeat effects)

Fruity Reeverb & Delay

You can also install third-party plugins (VSTs) if you know how—but that’s an advanced step.

👀 If you ain’t ready to troubleshoot .dll files and install paths, stay with the stock plugins for now. They hit just fine.

✅ Step 5: Recording (Or Not)

Here’s the truth: I don’t record in FL Studio.

Even though it has a new recording feature, I prefer to record in BandLab because it’s simpler and smoother for how I work. FL sometimes gives me delay issues when I’m trying to record full verses.

🎙️ So I record in BandLab, export the vocals, and mix everything in FL. Best of both worlds.

There’s no shame in using multiple tools—just use what works best for YOU.

✅ Step 6: Practice, Don’t Panic

FL Studio can feel overwhelming at first—but it’s OK to play around.

Make weird beats. Drag random sounds. Watch a tutorial or two. Then close it and come back tomorrow.

🎧 That’s how you learn. No pressure. No perfect beat needed. Just practice and vibe.

💙 KrazyQueenie’s Take:

“FL Studio got history with me. It’s where I learned to love the process. Don’t let the buttons scare you. You don’t need to be a ‘producer’ to make great things. Just get in there and create.”

If you want to know how to record, how to mix, or how to load a plugin, I’ll break that down in the next steps.

But for now?

🎧💙Just open FL. Mess with it. Own it. You’ll figure it out 💙🎧

Because showing up in search with your name, pic, and links? That’s boss energy.

The Google Knowledge Panel is that box on the right side of search results showing your:

🔹 Name

🔹 Bio

🔹 Image

🔹 Links to your socials, music, and website

And it tells the world:

“This artist is REAL.”

Here’s how I got mine—and how you can work toward yours too 💙

✅ Step 1: Set Up Your Public Presence (Everywhere)

Google pulls info from public, searchable sources—so make sure your artist name appears the same way across:

🔹 YouTube (especially your artist channel)

🔹 Spotify / Apple Music / DistroKid / Musicbrainz

🔹 Facebook Page (NOT just your personal profile)

🔹 Instagram

🔹 Your Website (custom domain helps BIG time)

💡 Keep your artist name consistent. "KrazyQueenie" = same on every platform.

✅ Step 2: Create an Official Artist YouTube Channel

Make sure your music is distributed through DistroKid or another service that can request YouTube OAC (Official Artist Channel) status.

When that badge shows up next to your YouTube channel—Google sees you.

🔹 Pro tip: Use YouTube for Artists to check your status and request upgrades if needed.

✅ Step 3: Build a Simple Artist Website

If you don’t have a site yet—get one.

Google LOVES linking profiles to your own domain.

Your site should include:

🔹 Bio

🔹 Music

🔹 Social links

🔹 Press (if you got any)

🔹 A picture of you (Google uses this!)

✅ Step 4: Use Data Sources Google Trusts

These are the secret sauce 👇

Google pulls artist info from:

🔹 Musicbrainz (musicbrainz.org)

🔹 Wikidata (wikidata.org)

🔹 Discogs (if you’ve released physical or digital music)

🔹 IMDb (for video appearances)

You don’t need all of them—but even one accurate listing on Musicbrainz or Wikidata can trigger a panel.

✅ Step 5: Wait for the Panel to Appear... THEN Claim It

Sometimes it appears randomly once you’ve built up a strong, consistent presence.

Once you see it?

Click “Claim this panel” at the bottom of the box and submit verification.

🔹 You’ll need to prove you’re the person or artist (like logging into matching socials).

💙 KrazyQueenie’s Real Talk:

“I didn’t pay nobody. I didn’t beg. I just made sure I was consistent, professional, and active. One day I looked up—and boom, my pic was there. And it hit DIFFERENT. That’s branding.” 💅

You ain’t gotta go viral to look legit.

You just need to build your presence like a brand—and let Google do what it do.

💙💻 You ARE the algorithm. Now go claim your corner of it.

Because if you wait too long, somebody else will grab your name—and sell it back to you for triple.

All jokes aside—if I thought about doing this, best believe others have too.

The difference is, I ain’t out here tryna take advantage. But everybody don’t think like me.

Protect your name before someone else profits off it.

Listen…

You might not think you “need” a website yet—but when you pop off and your name gets noticed, 

some troll or scalper is gonna scoop your domain and sit on it.

Then when YOU go to buy it?

They hittin' you with:

“$700 if you want your own name.”

Don’t play yourself.

✅ What’s a Custom Domain?

A domain is your own web address.

Like: 🔹 krazyqueenie.com

🔹 yourartistname.com

🔹 yourstagebrand.net

It makes you look official, easy to search, and instantly trustworthy.

✅ Why You Gotta Get It Now

Here’s why you claim it early—even if your site isn’t finished yet:

🔹 To own your brand.

🔹 To stop anyone else from stealing it.

🔹 To show up clean in Google searches.

🔹 To connect all your links in one place.

💡 Even if you don’t build the site yet, just owning the name protects your whole brand identity.

🚨 Real Talk: Scalpers Watch You at the Bottom

You might think nobody watching—but they ARE.

And once they see even a lil traction? They’ll: 

🔹 Buy your domain

🔹 Sit on it

🔹 DM you later like “Hey I own krazyqueenie.com, want it?”

And you’ll either be forced to pay... or stuck using some long, weird domain that doesn’t match your name.

Don’t give them that power.

💙 How to Get Yours 💙

Go to:

Google Domains

Namecheap

GoDaddy

Search your artist name. If it’s available?

BUY IT.

They’re usually $10–$20 a year. That’s less than you spend on Uber Eats.

💡 KrazyQueenie Tip:

“I bought my domain before I had a full plan. I just knew I was going to make something real. Now I own it, I run it, and I ain’t gotta beg nobody for it later.”

🎯 Summary:

🔹 Don’t wait until you blow up

🔹 Don’t assume nobody else wants it

🔹 Don’t let a scalper flip your name for clout

Buy your name now. Even if you just forward it to your Linktree or SoundCloud for now.

Because once you own your name—you control your brand. 💅💙