Earning as a musician always seems like a tough task.Many people don’t choose music as their full time career because they doubt if they can make good and consistent money throughout the career.Well, this is a good question to ask yourself before starting any professional career.Musician journey seems like very struggling and not so profiting until they are very popular.
But this is 2023 and there are many ways to earn money as a musician. You don’t have to wait until you are very popular and fans are dying to attend your concert or desperately waiting to listen to your new album to earn money.
Here are different ways to earn money being a musician.
Performing Live
Performing music to a direct live audience is a dream for any musician, but one does not need to play in a big concert for that.You can start just by playing in a local restaurant and cafes of your city. Many restaurants hold live music sessions for their customers mostly on weekends so one can start just by contacting them and showing your showreels or a demo session. If they like your demo sessions then they will allow you to perform at their venue and in return you can charge money.
This is the most common and direct way to earn money. You will get full payment at the end of your performances.Performing in cafes and restaurants also helps in gaining some real followers.If people enjoy your music they will surely ask when you are performing next and this helps you to get more venues to perform in your city.
Working as a freelancer
If you are a music producer, audio engineer or a performing musician like an instrumentalist or a singer you can search for many bands or companies which are looking for services that you can provide.You can produce music for singers or make jingles for local radio channels.You can also compose or sound design for background scores of short films or TV ads.
Many bands look for an instrumentalist like bassist, drummer or any other musician so if you can meet their requirement then play for them and charge your fees. It is one of the most popular ways which many musicians do to make their living.This helps to grow your connections with many musicians and people around your place and connection always helps.
This method helps you to grow as a full musician because you get to play and jam with lots of artists who are musicians too and this really helps to improve your level and become a versatile artist.
Studio artist
Working in a studio is a dream job for any musician.If you are a music producer or a composer then there are many job opportunities out there in music studios or record labels.They hire musicians on salary basis or even on project basis.In studio, you will get to work on different type of projects like albums, TVC commercial, radio ADs or even movies sounds.
You can start searching on google or make a profile on Linkedin to start searching for your desired jobs.
Teaching Music
Teaching music in institutions or giving private lessons to students have always been a great source for a stable income.It is one of the most common and successful ways to earn as a musician. Not every artist dreams to become a pop star and rock the world, some musicians just like the idea of being in music and passing the knowledge and experiences to the next generation. You can advertise yourself by posting posters in your society or around streets, this will definitely attract more interested students to learn.
Sell online Course
This method is in trend now!
It’s an excellent way to make some good money online just by selling a course which you have been teaching for a long time.Even if you have never taught to any students before in real life, it doesn’t matter, you can start it by making a course and selling it online.There are many websites which promotes individual courses on there wall and when a student will buy your course from there, they will keep a little amount from it and remaining is all yours.You can also sell your course on your own website and keep all the revenue to yourself.
If you are a drummer, vocal coach or any other kind of musician, just record videos in which you are sharing your skill in a structural way and later on combining all the videos and make a course pack.
Writing Blogs
Creating an online system to have a passive source of income is very important.It helps in boosting your income sideways without investing a full time in it.If you have interest in writing or sharing your knowledge to others, writing blogs is a great way to do that.You can start a blogging business by making a website of your own and then just publishing your posts.Its not as easy as it seems but if you invest some good time, it will surely pay you back.
There are two main ways to monetize a blogging website.
i) Earning from Google adsense –
You made your own website.Choose a niche about anything in which you have some experience and knowledge.Started writing informational posts and publishing it.Once your pages started ranking on google and gaining some good traffic, google will place ADs on your website and pay you for it.
ii) Earning from Affiliate Marketing –
This is the most profitable way of earning from your website.Companies pay to bloggers after they promote their products or a customer makes a transaction through visiting their website.Commissions are paid when they successfully buy that product or services.
Make a Youtube Channel
Start a youtube channel and become a content creator on youtube.Youtube is a great platform to connect and share your music, ideas, musical journey or your daily life vlogs.You can turn your ideas into income and there are many ways for it like from traditional ads or selling merchandise to membership for your subscribers.
You have to find what makes most sense for your channel and start publishing quality contents for subscribers to start earning.
Youtube also keeps your journey interesting, it makes you feel connected to real people.The more subscribers you gain the more value you are adding to your channel and later more profit.Start it as a side thing, but later you can also be a full time youtuber.It’s all your choice how you wanna take it.
Conclusion
Earning a living as a musician is undoubtedly a challenging endeavor, but with determination, persistence, and a multifaceted approach, it is within reach. By honing your craft, diversifying your income streams, networking, and developing a business mindset, you can pave the way to a sustainable and fulfilling career in music. Embrace your passion, believe in your talent, and let the symphony of success guide your journey as a musician.
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