Let’s discuss straight: In your music to be a profession, it’s worthwhile to earn cash.
Some acts make their dwelling on the street. Others keep within the studio recording music for TV reveals. After all, megastars like Taylor Swift appear to make a fortune in nearly all the methods.
Constructing an expert life as an artist, band, or producer requires that you simply both maximize your earnings in a single or two areas, diversify your earnings throughout a variety of income streams, or some mixture of each approaches.
Extra methods to earn cash out of your music
It doesn’t matter what you see in information headlines, there are a whole lot of income alternatives for musicians immediately. The truth is, there are extra methods than ever to earn cash, which affords trendy creators the flexibility to pair their distinctive abilities with explicit types of monetization.
From music distribution and licensing offers, to crowdfunding and merch gross sales, you’ll wish to perceive your choices with regards to incomes potential.
As a result of understanding what to strive, the place to focus, when to pivot, and the right way to accumulate your royalties can imply the distinction between your music being a side-hustle and a thriving enterprise.
Important revenue for artists in 2025
Although there are lots of dozens of the way to earn cash out of your musical abilities, I’m making a distinction on this article between “artist income” and different music-related professions — corresponding to music schooling, being a paid session participant, a church pianist, a ballet accompanist, an orchestra member, working sound at a membership, and many others.
Should you’re an artist whose profession is constructed upon unique music, these are the ten types of income you must prioritize:
1. Digital Music Income
That is cash you earn for streaming and downloads while you launch your music on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. The income is paid to the label (otherwise you, should you personal your personal recordings) for the utilization of the monitor.
Although downloads aren’t as well-liked as they as soon as have been, the per-unit worth can nonetheless make MP3s or WAVs a profitable format to promote through iTunes, Bandcamp, ReverbNation, and even your personal web site.
2. Bodily Gross sales
That is cash you earn while you promote bodily copies of your music on vinyl, CD, tape, and even sheet music.
Although we’re many years into the digital music century, bodily media will nonetheless enchantment to a lot of your prime followers. Sure, even CDs.
3. Merch Gross sales
“Merch” is a fast manner of claiming “stuff on the market that displays your inventive model.” It may very well be t-shirts, sweatshirts, flasks, posters, hats, socks, books, something!
You may promote merch at gigs, in your webstore, or through integrations with platforms like Instagram and Spotify.
4. Reside Performances
That is revenue earned out of your live shows, gigs, excursions, and festivals. It may very well be within the type of ticket gross sales, door charges, bar percentages, and even grant cash.
After all dwell occasions additionally offer you a strategy to promote merch and bodily albums!
5. Licensing and Sync Offers
That is cash you earn while you license your music to be used in motion pictures, TV reveals, commercials, and video video games.
Sync licensing might be profitable, nevertheless it’s an space of the music trade that requires a whole lot of dedication should you anticipate to attain frequent placements.
6. Publishing Royalties
These are songwriter royalties earned from the publishing rights to your unique music, together with mechanical royalties (from gross sales and streams) and efficiency royalties (from public performances and radio play).
Need assistance amassing your songwriter royalties?
7. Crowdfunding, Memberships, and Fan Assist
That is cash you generate by crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, fan assist platforms like Patreon, or through your personal membership membership.
The fan contributions might be project-based, or in assist of your general music profession, however the level is to present your viewers extra direct and rapid entry to your artistry in alternate for… cash!
(Don’t neglect the digital tip jar should you’re doing livestreams).
8. YouTube Income
This consists of earnings past no matter streaming and publishing cash you’re incomes from exercise on YouTube Music.
It consists of be a share of advert income generated while you music is utilized in different creators’ movies on YouTube, tracked and paid through the YouTube Content material ID program. Or companion program income in case your channel reaches sure benchmarks.
Different video platforms corresponding to Twitch have related monetization applications for profitable creators and streamers.
9. Sponsorships and Endorsements
That is cash (or different types of assist, corresponding to free gear or reductions) given to you by manufacturers that match together with your inventive identification and viewers.
You probably have a devoted following on social, you could possibly additionally contemplate being an “influencer” and doing paid product placements.
10. Immersive experiences and new tech
Loads of artists have discovered income alternatives by stretching past conventional merch and VIP experiences.
As an illustration, Emma McGann constructed an interactive Discord sport. Artists like Holly Herndon and Grimes have made voice-simulators accessible in order that different musicians can create new tracks utilizing their voices. And plenty of crypto-native artists have discovered success promoting music NFTs.
The concept right here is: Assume outdoors the same old bag of income tips.
How a lot you earn in any one in all these classes relies upon, after all, on the scale and dedication of your fanbase.
Success in most of those areas additionally requires that you simply actively market your music and make gross sales gives.
However hopefully this text provides you a way of chance to your music to generate cash.
And keep in mind, as you progress ahead in your profession, ReverbNation is right here to assist together with your music distribution, promotion, and publishing administration wants.
