We know that as a creative person, the last thing you want to focus on is boring things like marketing and financial matters. With the cost of living going up, what is a musician supposed to do? You could try working an office job or part-time at a restaurant to support your lifestyle, but why not try to earn money online with your art?
You might think that this is an unrealistic goal for most people, but it is absolutely possible to earn money daily online with your music. In fact, within the music industry, record labels have been enjoying two consecutive years of successful growth. In the United States currently, music sales are up 14% for a total of $8.7 billion dollars. It is true that the market is not as large as it was during the 1990's, the days before the Internet really took off. However, there are still many opportunities for musicians to make good money in 2019, and experts believe that this growth will continue in the coming years.
What does this mean for you as an artist? It means that you have to forget everything that you thought you knew about selling music. Gone are the days when artists would physically sell records. Now, you need to focus your attention on methods that can actually help you earn money online from home.
In short, if you are going to make it as a musician in this digital age, you will need to learn how to adapt to the market. We have some key tips to help you on your quest to earn money remotely with your music.
Use the power of streaming websites
According to The Recording Industry Association of America's Mid-Year 2018 Revenues Report, streaming sales made up 75% of the music industries' profits in the first half of 2018. So, how do you as an artist find a way to break into this market? We have some suggestions for websites you could use to start making money online with your music.
1. YouTube
A company that doesn't really need an introduction, YouTube is one of the largest video streaming websites on the web. Many musicians have learned how to earn money making videos by posting their content onto this streaming website. One way you can earn money via YouTube is by becoming a YouTube Partner.
So, how does one become a YouTube Partner? Well, you need content for one, and a channel with at least 1,000 subscribers. Click here to learn how to organically grow your subscriber count! Your channel also needs to have 4,000 total watched hours by viewers. I know this might sound daunting, but if you work hard you can get there! If you are successful on YouTube, you can earn money online through advertisements. And who knows, maybe a record label might be willing to pick you up after finding you on YouTube. After all, that's how the world came to discover Justin Bieber.
2. SoundCloud
If you build up a following through SoundCloud, you can qualify for their Premier program. If you enter this program you can earn money while you sleep, but you need to have 5,000 plays within the last month from the following countries: The United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, and New Zealand.
Unfortunately, plays from individuals living in countries outside of this list won't count towards your total play count. Also, SoundCloud takes 45% of all of the profits made from your plays. You definitely CAN make money through SoundCloud Premier, but there may be a few better alternatives for you to earn money with your music.
3. Tidal
Jay-Z's streaming company Tidal is known for having superior audio quality compared to many other streaming services. But, it also offers some generous benefits for musicians who choose their platform to earn money online. Unlike SoundCloud, when you post your music on Tidal, you keep 100% of the revenue made from streams of your music, so you can earn money online from home. However, cost is a major issue with Tidal. They charge USD $9.99 for each single, and USD $29.99 for each album you upload.
4. Spotify
It might sound strange to work with a company that hasn't been profitable in 12 years, but Spotify is a company that focuses on ideas. Although they mainly work with big labels, Spotify is increasing their attempts to move towards promoting more independent artists. One good thing about Spotify is that it doesn't cost money to upload your music onto their website. Also, you receive all of the royalties from your music. If you are successful using Spotify to stream your music, you will be able to earn money online without any investment. At the end of the month, all of the royalties you earn are calculated and paid directly into your bank account through Stripe. If you're lucky, you might even make a sweet USD $50,000 like Perrin Lamb did in 2015.
How to maximize your streaming efforts?
It may be tempting to go back to your instrument immediately after uploading your recordings, but you really need to work on a few more things if you want to earn money streaming.
1. Lead customers to your merchandise
Whenever you post your music somewhere, especially on YouTube and SoundCloud, you need to direct your listeners to where they can buy your records and merchandise. It is true that record sales have been decreasing in recent years, but if you can sell your goods and/or albums on your own site, you'll be able to retain the majority of the profits.
2. Hold live concerts or streaming events
One good way to make money is through exclusive live concerts or streaming events. You can use the time you are live streaming to promote your merchandise, events, or even bring attention to where fans can buy your albums. Another good way to earn money is by having viewers send money online to you via Paypal or other payment systems.
3. Engage your fans one-on-one
If you want more people to listen to your music, you need to talk to your fans! It is hard to earn money online without fan engagement. If someone comments on your SoundCloud track or YouTube channel, be sure to respond back! It might be difficult to respond to every message, but the more your fans like you - the smoother it will be for you to make money online streaming.
Another way to do this is to use an app like Callmart, a charged communication app. For many people, speaking to their favorite artist can be one of the most exciting events of the year. You can talk to fans during your livestream concerts for a more personal experience, or use the time on the phone with them to allow them to ask you questions! The best part about Callmart is that you can earn money just by signing up and finding a buyer to talk to about your work. Luckily, if you act now you can take advantage of Callmart's limited time campaign where the first three months of service fees are waived, completely free of charge!
Some tools we recommend using to help your music spread
We know that the most important thing for gaining fans as a musician is the quality of your music. So, we are going to introduce some of our favorite programs to help ensure that you are doing all you can to make money with good quality music.
Levels
Levels makes it easy to create quality tracks. And the better your tracks become, the easier it is to earn money online with your music. There are special preset settings on the application designed to make it simple for you to mix and master your tracks, which is great if you aren't an audio engineer. You'll easily be able to earn money from YouTube as well, because they have a special preset setting designed for the platform.
Splice
Splice is described as a creative hub for musicians. You can upload all of your recordings onto the cloud, which makes it easy to collaborate with other artists. You can even use this program to earn money traveling, since their services make all of your recordings easily accessible to you from anywhere in the world.
GigTown
GigTown is a technology app that helps to connect local musicians with venues and fans. If you want to only earn money from home then this app might not interest you, but as a musician it is important to play live shows too!
In conclusion . . .
Do you have a better idea of how to earn money online with your music? We believe that if you want to earn money streaming your music, then one of the best ways you can learn is by example! If you want some inspiration on how to make it as a musician, we recommend you look the at influencers listed under the Artist category on The Influencer Times. If you want even more inspiration, you can always check out the Ranking page to see who is hot and trending now!
We hope you enjoyed this article! For similar articles, or just some more fun reads to pass the time, check out Callmart's other articles.