**Guest post by One Submit, the ultimate music submission platform.

"Being a full-time musician is the ultimate ideal job.

A win-win situation is having the ability to do what you love while earning a monthly income from it.

For aspiring musicians, composers, or artists, the thought of having to rely on their talent to support themselves may be a little unsettling. But with the right strategy and a combination of willpower and creativity, you might be able to turn your love of music into a steady source of income and support yourself through it.

Being a full-time artist, musician, or vocalist is no different from being a mechanic, a carpenter, or an attorney. You'll eventually get there if you wake up to work every day.

One of the most effective ways to do this is to diversify your sources of income.

+Hedging Against Uncertainty

Try to locate multiple sources of income that will eventually add up to a respectable monthly salary, rather than putting all your eggs in one basket.

Here are the top 12 ways to make an income as a musician:

Music Licensing

One of the more popular ways to earn money from your music and increase its popularity is music licensing for sync purposes.

You give permission for the use of your music in advertisements, video games, television shows, movie pictures, and other media projects in exchange for royalties, one-time payment, or both.

If you think your music is suitable for the screen, in terms of genre and catchyness, you should approach music supervisors and sync agents if you want to get your song into the top placements.

You can get in touch with them in a few different ways, including by attending events in the industry, using internet resources like LinkedIn or music licensing websites, emailing connections, using Twitter, or any other method you can think of.

It's always vital to remember to get permission before sending your song.

These experts are searching for original songs of the highest caliber that fit the artistic goals of projects as well as songs with obvious and flexible licensing prospects.

Sync agents and music supervisors receive commissions ranging from 25% to 50% of the licensing fee, offering lucrative opportunities for talented musicians. Earnings in music licensing can vary significantly depending on factors like project budget, the media in which your song will be broadcast, and track popularity.

+How to Navigate Copyright and Licensing in Today's Music Industry

Produce music for catalogs of production music.

Production music libraries are always in search of great tracks and top-notch songs to license to filmmakers.

You can create mainly instrumental music that is specifically suited for these collections and build a large catalog to earn substantial royalties each time your music is played, generating a continuous source of cash.

Production music libraries like Artlist, Pond5, Musicbed, and many others have changed how music is found for various media projects.

Some of these catalogs work exclusively with artists, while others do not. Generally speaking, if you choose to sign up for an exclusive deal, your earnings will be higher.

It's not a fair arrangement for any artist to join a platform that offers less than 50%; therefore, don't agree to these terms.

Also, remember that writing a personal song is different from writing production music or a score. Instead of writing and producing a song for your personal music portfolio, you'll need to think about how to support a scene with your music.

+Licensing Your Work to Music Libraries

Live Shows

Although playing live shows is still a traditional way for musicians to make money, gig management and the performance landscape have drastically transformed in recent years.

Whether you perform at weddings, bars, clubs, venues, or festivals, you may increase your fan base and make money from ticket sales, merchandise sales, and even tips. It might not be suitable for everyone, but it's still one of the great ways to reach more fans and audiences.

Setting up a live gig has changed in many ways as a result of the advent of new trends like "living room gigs." This novel idea enables artists to give individualized, small-scale performances in the welcoming setting of someone's home.

You can use a variety of online tools and apps that assist you in booking concerts for your band to plan such an event.

+Indie on the Move Music Venues Directory

These online services frequently link performers and hosts who want to present live music in their homes. You can connect with hosts who are prepared to let you play music in their living rooms by creating a profile, exhibiting your music, and indicating your availability.

The intimacy between performers and their audience, which provides a special and unique experience for both, is the draw of living room shows.

+5 Tips for Choosing the Perfect Music Venue for Your Live Act

Live and recording session musician.

If you are very skilled at a certain instrument, think about working as a session musician. It's a great way to make money while showcasing your skills and establishing connections with influential artists.

While some musicians may only be paid a little amount for local live performances, others, particularly well-known performers or session musicians recording with famous artists, might receive high fees for recording sessions or live performances.

In the end, the potential income from sessions is a complicated equation that frequently calls for a combination of skill, networking, and successful negotiation. It might range from $150 per session to $1,500.

+17 Unique Ways to Make Money as a Musicians When Your Career Hits a Standstill

Sell Beats

Music producers and beatmakers can generate income by selling their instrumentals and beats to musicians and producers who need music for their projects.

You can display and market your beats on websites like BeatStars and SoundClick. Prices for beats can vary widely based on a number of factors, such as the producer's reputation, the beat's uniqueness, and the difficulty of the creation.

Prices might range from $25 to several hundred dollars and allow multiple musicians to utilize the same beat. With sole ownership and creative control, exclusive rights to a beat are typically more expensive, costing between a few hundred and several thousand dollars.

Websites for beatmakers looking to sell their beats online include BeatStars, Airbit, and SoundClick. These platforms offer producers a variety of license options to meet their needs and tastes, as well as the tools they need to promote and sell their beats, work with musicians, and collaborate.

+Know A Broke or Burnt-Out Musician? Share These 5 Websites With Them

Singing or instrument lessons

If you're a talented musician, think about sharing your knowledge with others. Offering music or instrument lessons can be a great and simple method to earn money. Depending on a number of variables, the cost of music lessons—whether instrumental or vocal—can vary dramatically.

A normal hour of music instruction can cost $20, $100, or even more. Frequently, well-known professors with substantial experience ask for higher fees.

The prices for vocal training for singers typically fall within this range. According to the length of the class and the level of teaching offered, such as beginner, intermediate, or advanced, vocal instructors may charge differently.

Royalties from public performances

When your music is played in public spaces like bars, eateries, radio stations, TV programs, theaters, and more, you are entitled to royalties.

Join a performance rights organization like ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC to guarantee that you receive your fair share of these payments. Additionally, the timing of royalty payments varies.

Performance royalties are based on usage data and are paid out periodically, frequently quarterly or semi-annually, by organizations like ASCAP or BMI in the United States. Music distribution organizations typically handle the payment of mechanical royalties from sales and streaming platforms. These royalties may be paid on a monthly, quarterly, or other basis.

The amount of money you make from royalties varies greatly depending on the type of media. Due to their larger audiences and higher budgets, television and movies tend to pay higher fees, although radio airplay can offer a reliable source of performance royalties.

Despite their widespread use, streaming sites frequently offer lesser per-stream compensation, but with high streaming volumes, they can generate sizable sums of money over time. For instance, Spotify pays out $4,000 for every million streams.

How much money you make from royalties depends on how big your music catalog is and what platforms and media your music is used on. To increase your revenues as a music creator, you should diversify your sources of income by distributing your music through a variety of mediums.

+Earning Royalties For Your Music

Ghost Production

Ghost production can be a profitable option for producers of electronic music. Ghost producers are frequently on demand by DJs and artists to make tracks for them while remaining behind the scenes.

When their musical compositions are played and streamed, songwriters and composers typically receive royalties as payment or a one-time fee. Contrarily, recording artists make money from the sale and streaming of recorded performances, including master royalties and potential performance royalties for vocal contributions.

Become a mixer or mastering engineer.

Offering mixdown and mastering services to other musicians can be a lucrative endeavor if you have a talent for audio engineering and the skills necessary to mix or master a recording.

Many artists are willing to pay professionals to master and mix their tracks.

For audio professionals, especially mixing and mastering engineers, websites like SoundBetter.com and Fiverr.com have developed into crucial marketplaces where they can sell their talents and make money.

These platforms offer audio engineers the option to promote their services, establish reasonable fees, and increase their clientele, providing them the possibility to earn a solid income while contributing to the production of top-notch music and audio content.

Earnings for mixing labor, which is frequently more challenging, can range from $100 for track mastering to $1,500.

+4 Tips For DIY Drum Recording

Selling Sample Packs

Producers and content makers are clamoring for sample packs including loops, one-shots, and sound effects.

You can sell sample packs using tools like Splice or your own website.

For artists, producers, and sound designers wishing to commercialize their creative work, sample-sale websites have become a source of income.

People can post and sell their sample packs, loops, and sound design creations on websites like Splice, Loopmasters, and Sample Magic.

These websites give creators a way to promote their sound design, collect royalties, and connect with a large production community. It's a situation where everyone benefits because it gives buyers and sellers access to a huge and varied collection of sound parts while also encouraging and empowering other creatives in the music production industry.

+Yes, You Can Be Your Own Producer

Become a curator of music.

You can earn money by reviewing songs from your playlist, blog, or channel if you manage a Spotify playlist with a sizable following, a nice blog with respectable traffic, or a popular TikTok channel.

You can sign up and begin evaluating songs on a website like OneSubmit.

Earnings might range from a few hundred dollars to $1,000 each month, just like everything else.

The number of playlists, fans, streams, genre flexibility, and other factors all come into play.

Streams

If you are an established artist with a large number of followers and streams, you can make money off of it. On each platform, a million streams might produce a variety of earnings.

Tidal: $12,000

$5,000 for Apple Music

Spotify: $4000

$5,00 Amazon Music

$4,700 for Deezer

Quarterly payments are made through your music distributor.

+Should you focus your efforts on playlists with Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, or Tidal

Final Words

Even though making money in the music industry might be challenging, you can improve your chances of success by diversifying your income streams with these ten options. It's important to remember that building a successful career in music typically requires a combination of ability, dedication, and entrepreneurial drive. By looking into these options and staying committed to your talent, you can turn your love of music into a rewarding and successful career."

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