If you’re new here, welcome. If you’ve been following for a while, thank you.

Ahead of the launch of the SCENES book I wanted to take a moment to look back over the last two years (yes, it started that long ago!). SCENES began as a simple MVP—a free Squarespace site I used to explain an idea I had: to remind people how important music is to them and create a music project focused on meaningful, emotional connections. At the time, no one was calling it participatory marketing—that term would come later—but that was the essence of what I was trying to build.

Back then, it was hard to get anyone to care. The industry was obsessed with virality, and I knew that if I wanted to prove that music could be more than just audio or TikTok dance trends, I needed funding. But SCENES didn’t fit into the usual funding metrics: “How much money will it make?” “How many views will it get?” My answer? It’s about finding people who want more—who care about the future of music and are willing to support it in whatever way they can.

SCENES became my use case—my argument for why artists need the space to experiment, why we need help from you to fund new ideas, and how the process itself can create emotional value and lasting memories. Those who joined the journey didn’t just witness it; they became part of something that will stay with them forever.

SCENES started as an experiment—a question rather than an answer. What if we could build something outside of traditional platforms? What if music releases weren’t just about streaming, but about connection? What if we could create an experience that was off-platform, crowdfunded, and co-created—where the success metric wasn’t engagement, but emotional impact?

What We Built

SCENES was a participatory project that unfolded over six songs.

Woven into the collective experience were 6 songs: I had sampled my life and put it in the music and I got to invite you to contribute your life too.

Each release came with a prompt, inviting listeners to reflect on a specific moment in their lives and submit their own memories.

These memories—over 350 submissions in total—were turned into digital artworks and displayed in a living gallery, forming a collaborative record of how music intersects with life.

People stopped.

They took time out of their lives.

They engaged in a process that connected music and emotion in a way that streaming never could.

Funding an Artist-Owned Ecosystem

To build this, we had to rethink how it could exist. Traditional funding models weren’t built for experiments like this. So, we launched the Sound of Fractures Token, raising $5,000 (3.2 ETH) to fund a custom-built platform. This allowed SCENES to travel beyond the niche that funded it and into the wider world.

The technology—blockchain and decentralisation—was just the means. The purpose was ownership: not just for me as an artist, but for the audience as active participants in something meaningful. I wanted to experiment with building something entirely off platform, and although I still needed major platforms for reach I wanted to own the connections.

The project would not have been possible without my community, patrons and fans. There was over 55 people that contributed to funding the project, and I was incredibly lucky to find 3 people who invested at significant level who became executive producers of the project. Big thanks to CY, Maarten and Nick!!

I’m now looking for new people to join the journey, help fund the next experiments either as fans, friends, collectors, subscribers, investors and executive producers and play a role in creating meaningful art and being part of the process.

What Happened Next?

Each SCENE became a moment of reflection.

People cried.

People laughed.

People sent their Scenes as gifts.

They expressed things they had never said before.

They looked inward and reconnected with their memories.

In a world driven by numbers and short-term metrics, SCENES became something else: an ongoing piece of performance art, where music was more than background noise—it was a shared experience.

At its heart, SCENES was about storytelling and world building. I had sampled my life into my music, and now, for the first time, I invited others to contribute their lives too.

Taking SCENES into IRL

SCENES didn’t just live online—it has taken me across Europe, speaking at festivals, conferences, and live shows about the future of artist-owned ecosystems and participatory marketing. From intimate talks with independent creators to panel discussions at major industry events, I shared how SCENES redefined the relationship between artist and audience—moving beyond passive consumption into something co-owned, co-created, and deeply personal.

It became an example of what’s possible when artists take control of their creative economy, building sustainable, community-driven models that don’t rely on major labels or platform-driven algorithms. It aimed to reach outside of my bubble and it did that, but it was niche and I now want to take it to more people.

What’s Next?

SCENES doesn’t end with the album release. The next step is about bringing it into the physical world. That’s where the SCENES: Prompts to Reflect Book comes in—a way to hold onto the moments we created together. The book turns SCENES into something tangible, a tool for reflection, and a reminder that music can be more than a product—it can be an experience.

With the SCENES: Prompts to Reflect Book now launching, the next phase begins. The focus is shifting towards securing funding for the SCENES Hybrid Exhibition and Event—a physical space where music, memories, and technology intersect. This next iteration will bring the digital and physical worlds together, transforming SCENES into an immersive experience that lives beyond the

More soon. If you want to grab an early edition of the book, you can do that HERE

And if you’ve been part of this journey—whether by submitting a Scene, supporting the project, or just following along—thank you. This only exists because of you!

SCENES is executive produced and funded by CY.LEE