Hot Club Tracks Staff - September 17th, 2021

Let's face it, anyone out there that is an inspired artist, whether it be a rapper, a singer, a musical instrument musician, producer or even a DJ is looking for this one answer; "how do can I make money from as a musical artist?".

Well, to answer that question we have 7 ways that you can at the very least start making some residual income as an artist. Granted these methods will not make you rich overnight, and may not have you flying a private jet out to Coachella like Cardi B or Ultra Music Fest like Diplo, but with an open mind, these tactics could contribute to some potential earnings versus what the average influencers suggesting that you run ads in hope to get Spotify and Apple music royalties. So without further ado let's get to the 7 different ways you can earn extra money as an artist.

7. Enter a Contest

Whether it's a singing contest at the local venue or simply submitting your recorded demo online, just enter the contest. Remember even if you do not win, you could receive constructive feedback from someone there. Also, let's say you entered that local contest at the local pub in the next city over, just being there participating in that contest could contribute to other gigs as you never know who will be there watching. Let's not forget, if you are that good and you win the contest, you may get some nice prizes or even cash.

6. Live Perfomances

Gigging, is usually the bread and butter of industry come-ups, the more you do it the better you get at it and the more money you will make and if you are a good performer, you will likely be overwhelmed with the number of inquiries you get. For example, I was a DJ for over 15 years, after a short run of gigging dive bars and pubs for $100 bucks a night, I started getting more opportunities and received inquires for at least triple that amount of money per gig and better quality gigs. Don't hesitate to look into the corporate and wedding market also, as DJs are not the only option in those areas anymore. Just remember as time goes on learn how to scale your business, you don't want to be performing $100 gigs your whole career.

5. Sell Ebooks

You may ask what does this have to do with music? it's pretty simple, you write instructions on how to create what you create, granted this may be geared towards the more veteran musician, so be it. The fact is there are tons of novice musicians trying to learn the ins and outs of what you were trying to learn back in the day when you started. When it comes to publishing, Ebooks and other online material is nothing like it used to be 10-15 years ago. With a little research, you can find out how to get your Ebook on Amazon and other platforms or even sites, think of it as a minimal investment and once the book is finished, the book makes the money for you.

4. Lease and Rent Your Music

This can apply to various artists. There is something called sync licensing and music libraries, where the music library companies represent your music and rent it out to other companies (or whoever is paying) . Most fees and royalties are set by the music library company that you work with and these fees are usually are not flexible, as you will receive your percentage of the fees. The better your music is the better leverage you may have for negotiations. It is said it can be a tough market to get into but once you get into it could be very rewarding. One thing to be careful of is knowing the rights to all of your music such as the beats and instrumentals, you always want to check your copyright agreements before you start renting your music out to anyone.

3. Songwriting Services

There are plenty of freelancing platforms where you can sell your songwriting skills to producers, other artists as a ghost writer. This has become a commonality in the music industry within all the major acts have whether anyone likes to admit it or not. Ghost writers and ghost producers are among some of today's top artists in the music industry, so who is stopping you from providing your skills to other artists for a fee, royalties, or both. Make a plan and sign up for third-party sites to promote your writing skills.

2. Video Lessons

If the Ebook wasn't your thing, then recording lessons can be a very lucrative way to make money. If you know how to explain "how to" lessons to someone verbally, then this is for you. This could be singing, piano, rapping, or many other specialties within the music business. There are various ways to get your video lessons out there, one is YouTube and other popular stream platforms, and another would be to sell your videos to a company and receive royalties.

1. Sell Vocal & Sample Packs

Take all of your recorded creations, chop them up and package them into a sample pack. This can be a timely process once started, but the end game can be very rewarding. If your sounds are good and unique you can get your name out there as well as make money off the sales of your vocal and sample packs. This has become very popular, but there is still a high demand. You can also make your own copyright rules when publishing your packs, just attach a "readme file" so that the customer knows what the copyright rules are when purchasing.

Conclusion

As stated in our intro, these techniques are not meant to lead you to a mansion in The Hills and a private jet flying across the globe. These strategies will help you learn a different aspects of the business and at the very least help grow your network and make some cash on the side. Find your niche and build from there, it will be well worth it and a feeling of accomplishment when you start selling services and products while creating content you love.

Good luck and never ever give up on your dreams.