**Guest post written by Corey Koehler, an indie singer-songwriter from Minnesota, as featured in his blog MusicGoat.com.

 

"You heard right:

 

Music sponsorships and endorsements are real and there are a ton of companies that sponsor musicians.

 

But there’s one small problem.

 

Small indie musicians, like you and I, do not have audiences big enough for them to sponsor us.

 

They want lots and lots of eyeballs, subscribers and followers who are going to fork over cash for their stuff.

 

It’s not personal and it has nothing to do with talent. It’s just business.

 

But there is another way to get your hands on some money. A back door.

 

It’s not what you would traditionally think of as a music sponsorship or endorsement. But in my opinion it’s pretty damn close.

 

Today I’m going to show you how you can earn money from those companies by sharing the stuff you use (like equipment, services, etc).

 

And the best part, you don’t need a big audience. In fact, you could be a complete newbie and still be able to make a few bucks.

+Tour Sponsorship: How Creativity Can Become Dollars

 

 

Here’s What You Will Discover:

• Backdoor To Getting Music Sponsorships
• How A Musician Can Make Money With Affiliate Marketing
• Where To Find Music Affiliate Products And Get Links
• How To Get Started With Affiliate Marketing
• Where You Can Find A Crap Ton Of Music Related Products To Sell

 

Let’s jump in.

 

 

Here’s Your Backdoor To Getting Music Sponsorship’s

Ever hear of the term affiliate marketing?

 

In a nutshell, a company with a product or service will give you a percentage of a sale (aka commission) if that sale came from a special web link.

 

If someone clicks on that special link and then buys something you get a commission.

 

Commissions can be anywhere from 1% all the way up to 50% and higher.

 

I’ve been doing it for a few years now. I make a few bucks here and there sharing links to the products and services I use Musicgoat, my artist website and on a few other sites I manage.

 

In fact, some people make a VERY good living at it.

 

Not technically a music sponsorship BUT hey, either way you can make some money.

+IOTM Affiliate Partners

 

 

How A Musician Can Make Money With Affiliate Marketing

It is pretty simple to get started.

 

First, you find online stores or companies that offer affiliate programs and sign up. (more on that in a minute).

 

Second, you find the products you want to promote and grab a special link for that product.

 

Third, you share that link on your website, in your emails, on your social networks, or wherever you can.

 

That’s it.

 

The more products you promote, the more links you have out there.

 

The more links you have out there, the better chance you have of collecting a commission.

 

(P.S. If you’d like to download a free copy of the Backdoor Music Sponsor Report click here.)

+33 Gig Promotion Strategies (And Which Ones Actually Work!)

 

 

Where To Find Music Affiliate Programs And Get Links

To find products that pay and get the links, you need to join an affiliate network.

 

There are a bunch of them offering literally thousands of music related products you can sell.

 

For the sake of clarity, I am only going to focus on one affiliate network in this post.

 

You’ve probably heard of them…

 

Amazon

 

They have one of the largest affiliate programs on the planet. You can earn anywhere from a 4% to 10% commission on almost everything on Amazon. They have stuff like: Guitars, CD’s, tuners, PA Systems, recording equipment, strings, microphones, books, that fancy tea you drink between sets, ANYTHING!

 

Hell you can even double dip by getting a commission on your CD’s, mp3’s or books that you might have. Just add your affiliate link to your cd’s and tracks on your websites music store.

 

They do have things they call bounty’s for things they really want to push. For instance, right now, they are offering $3.00 for an Amazon Music Unlimited Free Trial signup.

 

Even better:

 

If someone clicks through your link and buys something else – like a drone, a laptop or pontoon boat – you get a commission.

 

Sweet huh?

 

There are many more affiliate networks, and I’ll tell you about them later, but for now, lets get you started.

+Get your Music on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, & More

 

 

How To Get Started With Affiliate Marketing

Amazon is a great place to start.

 

• They have a ton of products you can sell.
• It’s easy to get links.
• They are well trusted.

 

The trust factor is big at first. Everyone knows Amazon and they may already have an account. They will be more likely to convert to a sale.

 

Here’s how to start:

 

1. Click here to join the Amazon affiliate program

2. Second, find a product and grab your link.

3. Third, share your links (more on that in the next section).

 

That’s it.

 

Watch this video for a quick how to…

 

 

 

Now go back up there and do it now. I’ll be here when you get back to show you where to share it.

 

 

Where To Share Your Affiliate Links

You can pretty much share these anywhere online.

+5 Reasons Why Bands Need (Better) Websites

 

Here are the best places:

 

• Add the link to a page on your website
• Send the link to your email list
• Share it on social media

 

DO NOT start blasting tons of straight up product links out there. It will limit your success. Nobody wants to be pitched to over and over and they will probably stop following.

 

A good start would be to put together a gear page (like this one) and just share a link to that page. See what happens.

 

Another thing you could do is post a blog about a piece of equipment. Tell why you use it or a story of a songs you wrote with it (link to your song + the guitar = double the opportunity).

 

Then share the blog with your email list and your social media followers.

+The Bright Side of Social Media

 

 

Summing It All Up

As musicians, you and I always need to be on the look out for ways to make more money with our music. Using affiliate marketing as a backdoor to music sponsorship’s is great way to do that.

 

And with anything in music, it all comes down to how well you can build an audience. If you can build a highly targeted and dedicated audience, you will build your income right along with it.

 

Before you go, make sure you grab the free Backdoor Music Sponsor Report. It has a list of affiliate networks who offer music related products you can make money on. I only listed Amazon in this post, but it is just one of many. Plus, there are affiliate networks that pay much higher commissions. Click here to get the Backdoor Music Sponsor report now.

 

So what do you think? Sound like something you could do?

 

(P.S. If you’d like to download a free copy of the Backdoor Music Sponsor Report click here.)"

 

 

 

Related Blog Posts:

+Why I Don't Use Reverbnation FanReach For Email Marketing

+The Bribe to Subscribe: Bands and E-mails

+What's the Deal With Brand Partnerships?