Samantha Scarlette
Where were you born Samantha?
New York City
What musical instrument ever did you pick up first?
I had violin lessons when I was 3 or 4. I barely have any memory of this… I apparently wasn’t too good at it. I took piano for a year or so when I was 8, with this I still have a basic knowledge of it which allows me to write synth(I played synth on my 2013 song “Iron Maiden” & there’s an all synth track that I’m using on the new cd that sounds kind of like an 80's film score) or piano parts for music if I choose. I started playing guitar when I was 12. I took drum lessons for 6 months or so when I was 16 and bass as well. I was actually pretty decent at drums, but I’d always play them at 3am which didn’t go over well with our gated community HOA. So my drum kit got sold.
What would you consider your genre of music?
I refer to my style of music & aesthetic as soft grunge. I draw a lot of inspiration from early 90's rock but I also have elements of pop and goth in there so I feel like that tumblr term is any easy nondescript descriptive term for myself and my music.
What’s the craziest thing that happened to you at a show?
I don’t tour by choice.
What was the funniest memory in the studio?
There really isn’t a whole lot of time for goofing around when you’re being charged $150 per hour. When you’re recording you’re recording. It’s work and even if you’re doing a 7 day block out (which costs anywhere from $5000 to $20,000 depending where you’re recording), with the exception of food breaks it’s pretty much down to business. If you’re wanting to layer vocals or guitars or whatever, you’d be surprised how fast that time gets eaten up.
What do you think needs to change in the music industry?
The system in which albums are sold and distributed needs to be changed. As a fan I love the fact that for $10 a month I can have access to pretty much any album ever made by any artist on Spotify or Tidal. I currently have subscriptions to both. But at the same time because of that level of easy instant access to music, in the last three years I’ve only purchased four albums… Two of which were by friends of mine. The other two were Smashing Pumpkin’s “Monument To An Elegy” and Taylor Swift’s “1989". Taylor Swift had a brilliant marketing strategy for “1989" in having never allowed it to be streamed on Spotify or Tidal, which is why that album was such a success and was the only album to go platinum in 2014. But most artists aren’t Taylor Swift, for the majority of artists now if they refused to release their albums on free streaming platforms their albums are going to go unheard to the majority of their potential audience. Back 10 or 15 years ago, even with applications like Limewire, Kazaa, and Napster to illegally download music, for the most part to hear an album you had to buy it… From the time I was 10 (in the year 2000) I was buying at least one CD a month, and I’d get CD’s for my birthday and Christmas. Back then you were paying on averaged $15 to $20 compared to the meager $9.99 that’s now the iTunes standard. Even in the mid-00's as everyone switched from 56k dial up to cable modems & wifi, it was still a pain to illegally download music. Sure almost everyone did but it still took over an hour per song, the quality was usually awful and might have over dubs and you chanced downloading a virus.. So in most cases you still went to stores like Sam Goody or Tower Records (who’ve since gone bankrupt) or iTunes (I was always more inclined to buy music videos on there rather than music) and bought the full album. I remember my best friend used to wrack up huge iTunes bills to her parents credit card when she was 15…. But now for the 15 year olds today, a decade or so later, you have Spotify where for the unbeatable price of $0 or $10 for commercial free, you have access to every song ever made… And if you want to watch music videos just go over to YouTube and everything is there in HD. Why would anyone buy something they can have for free? The system needs to change but it might be beyond repair. While Tidal might help the likes of Beyonce, who’s husband owns the company, it’s not helping artists such as myself. Even artists who have top 40 hits are prob so making less money then their average listener. You get less than 1 cent per Spotify listen. For iTunes sales on a 99cent single download, I take home 71 cents (it’s even less for a signed artist who’s paying back their record label, song writers, producers, etc). The fact I’m currently bringing in $50+ in digital royalties each month is huge. But no one can live off of $50 worth of Spotify plays…. Which is why I have my clothing line and am working on other ventures.
Tell us about one of your greatest qualities that you admire about yourself?
I don’t know, I really don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about things like this.
Tell us of any upcoming projects you have going on?
I’ve got a new album coming out later this year, tentatively titled “My So-Called Life”. I’m currently working on the album with producer Justin Salter.
My first single from the new album, “Page Six”, will be coming out next month. It’s a new wave inspired uptempo pop song that I wrote a year ago. I’m really happy with how it came out! I’m getting ready to film a music video for the song and I’m working on ideas.
I’m also starting a new online radio show through Energy Rock Radio. It’s called “I Want To Believe with Samantha Scarlette”. I’ve been a huge huge huge Art Bell/Coast To Coast fan since I was 11, and I’ve always wanted to do a show like that.. So my shows going to combine paranormal topics with rock music. I’m looking to have on it everything from Bigfoot hunters to rockstars. Ha. Part of the reason I decided to partner with Energy Rock Radio versus just doing a podcast format, is because I love the idea of a live platform & being able to interact with callers. I’m really excited about it!
Which artist inspired you the most to pursue your dreams?
I inspire my own dreams.
Any shout outs?
“Shout out to Cher & Barbara Streisand!” Lol jk. I don’t really feel like making shout outs.
Which artist would you love to collaborate with?
I really haven’t thought much about collaborations. I’d be more inclined to collaborate with an amazing guitarist then a vocalist.
Tell us your famous quote please?
“I don’t listen to rock bands or artists that came out after 2005"
