The days of paying to hear music are over. If you want to hear something all it take is a couple clicks or taps.
So that must mean that musicians are screwed right? Wrong.
It means that in order to sell yourself, youâre gonna need to know how to promote your music. And itâll take some creativityâyâknow, that creativity you use to make music everyday.
Hereâs 8 of the most overlooked ways to get paid for your music.
1. Give Your Music Away For Free. But Do It With Style
Itâs no longer enough to just simply sell your album. Streaming has definitely made things a bit weird when it comes to selling music.
Consumers still want to support music. Listeners just want something special. And on their own terms.
Thatâs why many artists have started giving albums away for freeâbut with extra goodies on top.
How you sell your album â or give it away â has to be just as creative as the music itself. So be creative with how you get your album out there. Sell an experience, not a âthing.â
2. Fiverr
There is already a huge community of people selling tracks on Fiverr.
But itâs still not that hard to stand out. Hot Tip: tracks that have been run through mastering software tend to stand-out and sell better.
3. Musicians Are Getting Paid Royalties Everyday And SOCAN You
Did you know that every time you hear music in an elevator the artist who made it is getting paid?
Now iâm not saying go out and make elevator music (but if youâd like to, go ahead). What you should do is get involved with the organizations that take care of royalties for artists.
In the US itâs ASCAP. In Canada itâs SOCAN. But most major countries have services that take care of royalties for artists.
4. Get In Syncs
Syncs, sometimes called placements, refer to the music used in other media like TV shows, movies, or commercials.
Placements are usually arranged through music supervisors or placement agents. They use sound libraries to find music for their projects.
One of the best sites for starting out with Syncs is Versus Media. They put artists in touch with smaller TV and film projects that needs music. Plus itâs free to join.
Pump Audio is also great for placements. Just submit 2 tracks to get âgreen lightedâ then upload as much as you want to their library.
5. Invest In Yourself
Thereâs tonâs of ways to spend a bit to make A LOT.
Pretty much everything on this list is going to take a bit of capital to get goingâmaking t-shirts, pressing records and all the other obvious costs.
But the easiest and best way to invest in your music is to make sure itâs sounding the absolute best before you start shopping it around.
Invest in good audio mastering. Itâs essential to make sure your music is going to sound perfect in all playback situations.
6. Youtube IDs
Youtube is the #1 music streaming service on the internet. It beats iTunes, Spotify, and Tidal for total streams no problem.
If your music gets uploaded you should be getting paid for it. Youtube has a a system called Content ID that finds exactly where your song is being used on Youtube.
If it finds your music somewhere and you are the copyright owner you can choose to monetize it by placing ads on the video. Itâs like having your own little Youtube booking agent.
Find out more about Youtube Content ID here.
7. Rolling The Merchandise
Merch is a sure thing. But itâs also becoming a lost art.
Whether itâs selling t-shirts and records at a show, or selling your shoes on Ebay, merch is a great (and affordable) way to make some pretty sweet dough.
Fans want something authentic that comes from the artistâsomething a digital stream canât often do. So give them the option.
It doesnât have to be in person either. Sites like BigCartel and Bandcamp give artists the stress-free tools they need to sell merch.
8. Super-Fans
The most valuable currency in music isnât money. Itâs fandom.
Nurturing super fans is tough work. But it will pay off the most in the end. It means being a human first and an aspiring musician second.
Super-fans truly love your music and will support it in any way that they can. Forever. So talk to your fans. Meet them face-to-face. Be there when they contact you.
Perhaps one of the best things for DIY music promotion is real, genuine fan/artist relationships. So build them.
Moâ Money, Less Problems
Now that you have some extra cash flow, the best thing you should do is re-invest into your project.
Keep an artist fund that you only touch when you have to. Save it up and use it wisely to grow your project even more.
Just donât blame us when all your less savvy artist friends start hitting you up for loans.
So an artiste joined the SR Music Career Advice after reading our last Advice.
You wonât believe what he said to us after three days he join, he said âYou guys are the bestâ.
Itâs never too late to join the Soundreloaded (SR) Music Career Advice.
Do you wish to join now? Send a mail to [email protected] or Call/Whatsapp: +2347033073393 (Absharp)