Let’s speak straight: To your music to be a profession, it is advisable earn cash.
Some acts make their dwelling on the highway. Others keep within the studio recording music for TV reveals. After all, megastars like Taylor Swift appear to make a fortune in virtually all the methods.
Constructing knowledgeable life as an artist, band, or producer requires that you just 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 plenty of income alternatives for musicians at the moment. In reality, 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 need to perceive your choices in terms of incomes potential.
As a result of understanding what to strive, the place to focus, when to pivot, and tips on how to accumulate your royalties can imply the distinction between your music being a side-hustle and a thriving enterprise.
Important earnings 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, operating sound at a membership, and so forth.
For those who’re an artist whose profession is constructed upon authentic music, these are the ten types of income it is best to prioritize:
1. Digital Music Income
That is cash you earn for streaming and downloads whenever you launch your music on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. The income is paid to the label (otherwise you, in case you personal your individual recordings) for the utilization of the monitor.
Although downloads aren’t as common as they as soon as had been, the per-unit worth can nonetheless make MP3s or WAVs a profitable format to promote by way of iTunes, Bandcamp, ReverbNation, and even your individual web site.
2. Bodily Gross sales
That is cash you earn whenever you promote bodily copies of your music on vinyl, CD, tape, and even sheet music.
Although we’re a long time into the digital music century, bodily media will nonetheless attraction to a lot of your prime followers. Sure, even CDs.
3. Merch Gross sales
“Merch” is a fast means of claiming “stuff on the market that displays your inventive model.” It could possibly be t-shirts, sweatshirts, flasks, posters, hats, socks, books, something!
You may promote merch at gigs, in your webstore, or by way of integrations with platforms like Instagram and Spotify.
4. Stay Performances
That is earnings earned out of your live shows, gigs, excursions, and festivals. It could possibly be within the type of ticket gross sales, door charges, bar percentages, and even grant cash.
After all dwell occasions additionally offer you a approach to promote merch and bodily albums!
5. Licensing and Sync Offers
That is cash you earn whenever you license your music to be used in motion pictures, TV reveals, commercials, and video video games.
Sync licensing could be profitable, nevertheless it’s an space of the music business that requires plenty of dedication in case you count on to attain frequent placements.
6. Publishing Royalties
These are songwriter royalties earned from the publishing rights to your authentic 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 Help
That is cash you generate by way of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, fan help platforms like Patreon, or by way of your individual membership membership.
The fan contributions could be project-based, or in help of your general music profession, however the level is to provide your viewers extra direct and fast entry to your artistry in trade for… cash!
(Don’t overlook the digital tip jar in case you’re doing livestreams).
8. YouTube Income
This contains earnings past no matter streaming and publishing cash you’re incomes from exercise on YouTube Music.
It contains be a share of advert income generated whenever you music is utilized in different creators’ movies on YouTube, tracked and paid by way of the YouTube Content material ID program. Or associate program income in case your channel reaches sure benchmarks.
Different video platforms corresponding to Twitch have comparable monetization applications for profitable creators and streamers.
9. Sponsorships and Endorsements
That is cash (or different types of help, corresponding to free gear or reductions) given to you by manufacturers that match along with your inventive identification and viewers.
If in case you have a devoted following on social, you can additionally take into account 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.
For example, 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 thought right here is: Suppose outdoors the same old bag of income tips.
How a lot you earn in any certainly one of these classes relies upon, after all, on the dimensions and dedication of your fanbase.
Success in most of those areas additionally requires that you just actively market your music and make gross sales provides.
However hopefully this text offers 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 along with your music distribution, promotion, and publishing administration wants.
