How to Make Money As a Musician Online (What You Should Know)

When it comes to making money with music, the solution isn’t straightforward. Many people want to simply sell their songs or make a profit from playing gigs, but the music industry has changed dramatically in recent years. With advances in digital technology, there are now more opportunities than ever to make money as a musician online.

In this blog post, we will go over the multiple ways you can make money with music.

Upload Your Music To Streaming Platforms

This one is probably the most recognizable and easiest way to make money with your music. By uploading your tracks to digital streaming platforms like Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, and others, you can earn royalties every time your song is played. The amount of money you make per play is generally very small, but it can add up over time if you have a lot of listeners. And, if one of your songs becomes a hit, you could start making a lot more money from royalties.

How Can You Build a Fanbase big enough to make enough money?

The internet has made it easier than ever to reach a large audience with your music. If you can build up a sizeable fanbase online, you’ll be in a much better position to make money from your music. There are several ways you can go about building up your fanbase:

Use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram to promote your music and interact with fans.
Create a website or blog where you can share your music and other content with potential fans.
Release your music on popular online platforms like Bandcamp, SoundCloud, and ReverbNation.
Use Facebook Ads to promote yourself on both Facebook and Instagram.

With a large enough fanbase, you’ll be able to make money from your music in several ways. For example, you could sell tickets to your shows, sell merchandise, and other products, or even get sponsorships.

Just remember that it’s a marathon, not a sprint, so don’t expect to build a huge fanbase overnight. It takes time, effort, and consistency to grow your audience.

Upload Your Music To YouTube

YouTube is another great platform for promoting and monetizing your music. You can upload both audio and video versions of your songs to YouTube, and then enable ads on your videos to start making money. The amount of money you make from YouTube ads will depend on several factors, including the number of views your video gets and the country that your viewers are from.

It may take a while to hit the YouTube expectations as far as monetization goes, but if you have a large enough fanbase, you could make quite a bit of money from YouTube ads.

Create a Music Blog

If you’re passionate about music, you can make money by starting a music blog. On your blog, you can write about new bands, album reviews, concert reviews, and anything else related to music.

Or you can write different blog posts teaching people about different aspects of music. For example, you could write a post about how to start a band or how to get signed to a record label.

To make money from your blog, you can sell advertising space, use affiliate links, or even create and sell your own products.

Be an Online Producer

One of the best ways to make money with music online is by becoming a producer. As a producer, you can create beats, instrumentals, and other types of music for other artists to use. You can then sell your productions online.

There are different websites where you could upload samples of your beats too. Once you’ve uploaded a few beats, you can start promoting them on social media and other platforms.

Getting Gigs As a Producer

You can also get gigs as a producer using sites like Fiverr, and Upwork.

You can charge for things like mastering a track, mixing a song, creating a beat, or even just offering feedback on someone’s music.

The great thing about becoming a producer is that you can work with artists from all over the world and don’t necessarily need to be in the same room as them. You can communicate with them online and deliver your finished products digitally.

Becoming a DJ

Becoming a DJ has a broad range of meanings these days. You can DJ online using popular platforms like Twitch and YouTube, or you can become a physical DJ and play at clubs, parties, and other events.

As a DJ, you can make money from gigs, selling merchandise, and even streaming on platforms like Twitch. If you’re good at what you do and can build up a sizeable fanbase, you could make a decent income from DJing.

How To Get Gigs As a DJ

Getting gigs as a DJ can be tough, especially if you’re just starting out. The best way to get gigs is to start promoting yourself online and offline.

Some ways to promote yourself as a DJ include:

Creating a website or blog
Posting flyers in local music venues
Reaching out to promoters and clubs directly

It’s also a good idea to create a press kit that you can send to promoters and clubs. Your press kit should include your bio, photos, and links to your music.

As you start getting more gigs, be sure to promote each one online and offline. This will help you get even more gigs in the future.

Creating a Course About Producing Music

If you’re good at producing music, you can make money by creating a course about it. There are plenty of people out there who want to learn how to produce music but don’t know where to start.

Creating a course is a great way to share your knowledge and expertise with others while also making some extra money. You can sell your course on sites like Udemy and Skillshare.

Create a Youtube Channel Teaching People About How To Make Music

Another great way to make money with music is by creating a YouTube channel where you teach people about music production.

This is a great way to build up an audience and also make some extra money from ads, affiliate marketing, and sponsorships.

To get started, all you need is a camera and a microphone. You can then start creating videos teaching people about different aspects of music production.

Start a Podcast About Music Production

Podcasting is another great way to make money with music. You can start a podcast about music production and share your knowledge with others.

You can also use your podcast to build up an audience and then sell products, services, or courses to them.

To get started, all you need is a microphone and some recording software. You can then start recording your podcast and sharing it with the world.

Create Content Around Current Music Artists

Who says you have to be a musician to make money with music?

You can also make money by creating content around current music artists. This could be anything from writing articles and blog posts to creating videos and podcasts.

There are plenty of ways to make money with music without actually being a musician yourself. So if you’re passionate about music, there’s no reason why you can’t find a way to make money from it.

Just remember to be creative and think outside the box. There are plenty of opportunities out there for those who are willing to look for them.

Teach People How To Play Instruments Or To Sing

If you’re musically gifted, you could make money by teaching people how to play instruments or to sing.

There are plenty of people out there who want to learn how to play an instrument or sing but don’t know where to start. So if you have the knowledge and expertise, you could make some decent money by teaching them.

You can teach people in person or online. There are plenty of sites out there where you can find students, such as TakeLessons and Udemy.

Selling Digitial Downloads (Soundkits, Samples, etc)

If you produce music, you can make money by selling digital downloads of your music. This could be anything from soundkits and samples to full songs and albums.

You can sell your digital downloads on sites like Beatstars and Bandcamp. If you have an audience you could also create your own shop on your website or blog.

Selling Merchandise

Another great way to make money with music is by selling merchandise. This could be anything from t-shirts and hats to hoodies and jackets.

You can sell your merchandise on sites like Merch by Amazon and Teespring. You can also create your shop on your website or blog.

Sell Rap Or Singing Gigs On Fiverr

If you’re a rapper or singer, you can make money by selling gigs on Fiverr. This could be anything from creating custom rap songs to singing happy birthday messages.

The great thing about Fiverr is that you can set your prices and work as little or as much as you want.

To get started, all you need to do is create a gig and start promoting it. Once you start getting orders, you can then start working and earning money.

Conclusion

There are plenty of ways to make money with music. So if you’re passionate about it, there’s no reason why you can’t find a way to monetize your passion.