Is it potential so that you can earn a dwelling as a musician right this moment in case you aren’t a family title?
The quick reply is sure, completely. However that doesn’t imply it’s a chunk of cake.
Because you’ll be extra empowered to succeed in case you perceive the state of music income in 2025, this text comprise 13 truths about incomes cash as a musician.
Driving your individual artistic & enterprise success on the identical time isn’t straightforward.
It’s important to put on at the very least two hats nicely: artist and entrepreneur.
And in a discipline that evolves as quickly because the music {industry} (which stands on the intersection of know-how, tradition, advertising and marketing, and extra), you’ve bought to remain in your toes.
Plus, many latest occasions have impacted artist income, together with:
So if we start with the premise that success takes expertise, data, exhausting work, and continued curiosity, listed below are 13 issues you need to know proper now with the intention to develop your music earnings.
13 exhausting truths about incomes cash in music
The purpose of this record is that will help you see by means of lots of the frequent confusions, and keep away from the pitfalls that stop many artists from making progress.
A few of these truths could sound apparent to you, and if that’s the case, nice! They’re classes you received’t should study the exhausting method. However imagine me, even in 2025, they’re nonetheless issues that many artists don’t know, or don’t wish to settle for.
1. Simply since you made music doesn’t mechanically imply it can make you cash.
Music isn’t a shortage! There are practically infinite options to your music.
The identical method that new meals merchandise don’t simply magically arrive in shops and fly off the cabinets by themselves (it takes branding, distribution, promotion, and many others.), you’ll have to work to create demand to your music. In case you count on your music to generate income, that work doesn’t cease on the finish of the creation course of.
2. What’s good for the “{industry}” will be very completely different from what’s good for you.
Typically the music {industry} and particular person creators have completely different wants and wishes. And it’s straightforward to study the incorrect classes from {industry} headlines.
“Indie music” as a sector could also be more healthy than ever, however you’re only one artist. You, in the end, pay your individual payments. Concentrate on what’s greatest for you and take headlines and quotes from CEOs with a grain of salt.
That being stated, I believe the latest LUMINATE report did an incredible job conveying large industry-wide stats whereas additionally telling a extra detailed and inspiring story about lesser-known artists.
3: Making a living from music is a component thriller. It’s an artform, in addition to a science.
What turns into standard isn’t predictable. What labored yesterday doesn’t at all times work right this moment. Some geniuses go unrecognized. Your least favourite unique tune may be your greatest hit.
This uncertainty is a part of what makes music so thrilling. You by no means know when and the place success may come from.
Use this to gasoline creativity, and don’t be afraid to attempt new issues. And as they are saying in advertising and marketing circles, “check, check, check.”
4: Make it straightforward for individuals to provide you cash.
Severely. Are you… promoting stuff? If not, your first downside is making issues — music, merch, concert events, experiences — that you possibly can truly promote to followers.
Then it’s good to constantly create provides. Compelling provides. Subsequent, talk these provides. Ship provide electronic mail. Publish webstore hyperlinks in your social bios. Announce merch at gigs. Promote merch on Spotify. And in every single place else.
Lastly, whenever you do make provides, you need to give followers choices. Not everybody desires a big black t-shirt, so have measurement and shade options. Sure individuals received’t go to public reveals, however they’ll pay for a livestream. Some followers pays you extra for a VIP pre-show dangle.
The purpose is: Many artists underperform on the income aspect as a result of they only aren’t giving followers a possibility to pay them.
5: Any deal an artist indicators may have severe monetary implications.
There’s a time and place for file labels, managers, and reserving brokers. However all {industry} partnerships will have an effect in your earnings. Don’t wait till it’s too late to actually perceive what these implications are.
Know what you’re getting your self into. Not simply within the near-term. Ask your self, “What might this association imply for my music in 25 years?”
The trade-offs could possibly be nicely value it. However ask the exhausting questions BEFORE you signal a deal.
6: Common artists usually have a skewed vantage level on the precise economics of streaming, however they’ve the loudest platform.
Whereas there’s a lot to be discovered from standard artists, they’ll usually give up-and-coming artists the incorrect impression on sure points of the enterprise, as a result of they’re taking part in a special sport at a special stage.
When somebody well-known talks about not incomes any cash from tens of tens of millions of streams, take note, you don’t know what’s occurring behind-the-scenes and also you don’t have THEIR label or publishing contracts to reference.
How a lot does their label hold? What was the artist’s advance? What number of co-writers had been on the tune? All that and extra can complicate the income state of affairs, when in comparison with an unbiased artist who owns 100% of their publishing and recording rights.
Additionally, simply because an artist is standard, it doesn’t essentially imply they understand how each side of the {industry} works.
7: Your private preferences round music consumption may lead you to missed alternatives.
You may be getting in the way in which of extra income, in case you assume that every one your potential followers behave similar to you do. As an artist who additionally listens to music, you’ll have particular preferences. However you may not 100% match your viewers in these preferences.
For instance, you may assume nobody purchases CDs since you solely hearken to streaming, whereas CDs are nonetheless an enormous income for artists. You may solely share a Spotify hyperlink, when 40% of your viewers is definitely on Amazon Music. Possibly you wish to press vinyl, however most of your followers are extra inclined to pay you for a digital expertise.
The purpose is easy: Don’t assume everybody listens, engages, and spends cash precisely such as you do. Ask your viewers. Take polls. Take a look at the waters. And transfer within the route that generates essentially the most income.
8: You (in all probability) received’t make a dwelling from one tune. Concentrate on constructing a catalog.
A lot of the unbiased artists I’ve seen succeed over time made a strong dwelling as a result of they constructed a large catalog of songs. This, after all, provides them extra probabilities to create hit songs, but in addition boosts the quantity of tracks that may be licensed, streamed, performed at concert events, and many others.
So each time they launched new music, their followers might return and hearken to outdated stuff, thus with each new launch got here an additional wave of income from previous materials.
9. Your greatest alternative may not be from merely “releasing” songs, however monetizing the connection you may have with followers.
Don’t pin success (or income) totally to the recorded music. We stay in a social second that thrives on engagement. A few of your greatest incomes prospects may come up from the fan expertise AROUND your music, or from what they’ll do WITH your music.
Subscriptions, entry, livestreams, classes, and meetups. To say nothing of fan-generated content material.
10. It’s the music “enterprise,” so deal with it such as you would a job.
It is a problem for many of us artists: We spend an excessive amount of time dreaming and never sufficient time doing. I’m responsible of it too. We would like a “profession,” however the work? Not a lot.
In order for you your music to be a full-time job, effort and time should constantly be on the stage you’d count on from a “common” job.
11. In an effort to maximize music income, it’s a must to inform individuals precisely what to do.
As artists we wrestle to provide followers clear instructions. However individuals must be instructed, proven, guided. That’s the facility of an enormous, vivid button with an apparent call-to-action on web sites or emails.
Some artists wrestle to be clear and direct as a result of we lack confidence in our music or provide. Others may really feel like we glance uncool or desparate if we ask followers to take an motion. And for an additional set of artists, we simply assume our followers know what to do subsequent. However more often than not they don’t.
At all times make an try to make clear the motion you need followers to take, why it advantages them, the way it’s vital to you, and supply easy directions on the right way to do the factor!
12. One viral video doesn’t equal sustainable income.
Making an attempt to engineer one large, viral video hit? I imply, okay, that’s nice. You’ll study one thing from the try even when it doesn’t get the attain you dream of. However most profitable musicians didn’t put all their eggs in a single viral video basket. Even creators who’ve a large video hit don’t at all times have an apparent strategy to rework that focus into true followers and clients, not to mention a full-time dwelling.
As a substitute, most profitable musicians who create a significant video presence did so as a result of they established a sustainable course of that was carefully linked with their very own musical id, passions, and abilities. It’s about momentum, and it’s about the fitting followers being there for the fitting causes: As a result of they like what YOU do.
Don’t chase memes and tendencies. Discover a extra compelling strategy to be YOU on digital camera. After which slowly construct your social advertising and marketing efforts round that. The continuing course of will possible have a better impression than attempting to engineer one viral video. And that’s the way in which to construct an “genuine” social model that results in actual income.
13. Simply because it labored for Taylor Swift, doesn’t imply it can be just right for you.
Trying to superstars for classes in success generally is a blended bag.
When Radiohead dropped In Rainbows totally free practically 20 years in the past, each band needed to repeat the try. However they weren’t Radiohead. When Beyoncé launched a secret album, everybody needed to do secret albums. They weren’t Beyoncé.
When Drake launched a tough drive with… (nicely, possibly don’t attempt that one both).
The purpose is: There are economies of scale at play with famous person artists. Which means they don’t should work as exhausting to incentivize followers to take motion, as a result of they’ve already put within the work to determine a detailed relationship with their viewers.
What works for them may not be just right for you. However the reverse will also be true. You may take sure probabilities they’ll’t, and even capitalize on efforts that aren’t scalable in any respect! The realm of unbiased music is filled with innovation, by necessity. You don’t have the title, funds, or workforce that superstars do. There could by methods to make use of that to your benefit!
Key takeaways
Listed here are 4 issues to bear in mind as you pursue your music profession:
- Prioritize actions that generate income – don’t simply chase likes.
- Search for untapped income alternatives that align together with your particular person profession plan and abilities.
- Don’t blindly observe headlines or recommendation. Take a look at assumptions, advertising and marketing techniques, and even artistic approaches.
- And lastly, in case you need assistance spreading the phrase about your music, use music promo instruments to provide your message a lift!
Wish to study extra about your revenue-generating choices as a musician right this moment?
Take a look at “75 methods to generate profits in music.”