musicben released “The direct-to-fan playbook in 2026” on STVDIO+ earlier this year.
Benjamin identifies four levels of musical artist by reach: New Independent, Mid-Size Independent, Large Independent and Megastar.
Let’s explore the first level, the one I think maps best to the indie filmmaker experience.
He says,
“It is extremely important to start collecting emails and offering basic digital products. This is your foundation for owning your audience from day one.”
Bandcamp, Substack and Printful are the three services he suggests to beginning musicians.
What might the equivalent services be for indie filmmakers?
| MUSIC SERVICE | FUNCTION | INDIE FILM SERVICE |
|---|---|---|
| Bandcamp | Rudimentary Distribution, Email Collection, Album and Merch Sales | |
| Substack | Newsletter, Email Collection | Substack? |
| Printful | Merch Fulfillment | Sellfy? |
Where is the Netflix for Short Films? Itch.io perhaps?
Filmmakers, what’s working for you?
My take: hey musicben, how is SIX doing? We need something like that for indie films, especially shorts that mostly have zero commercial potential. Does thinking about shorts as tracks and feature films as albums spark any ideas for you?