Let’s speak straight: To your music to be a profession, you have to earn cash.
Some acts make their residing on the highway. Others keep within the studio recording music for TV exhibits. In fact, 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 income 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 quite a lot of income alternatives for musicians in the present day. In reality, there are extra methods than ever to earn cash, which affords fashionable creators the flexibility to pair their distinctive skills with explicit types of monetization.
From music distribution and licensing offers, to crowdfunding and merch gross sales, you’ll wish to perceive your choices in the case of incomes potential.
As a result of understanding what to attempt, the place to focus, when to pivot, and tips on how to acquire your royalties can imply the distinction between your music being a side-hustle and a thriving enterprise.
Important revenue for artists in 2025
Although there are lots of dozens of the way to earn cash out of your musical skills, I’m making a distinction on this article between “artist income” and different music-related professions — resembling music training, being a paid session participant, a church pianist, a ballet accompanist, an orchestra member, operating sound at a membership, and many others.
If you happen to’re an artist whose profession is constructed upon authentic music, these are the ten types of income you must prioritize:
1. Digital Music Income
That is cash you earn for streaming and downloads if you launch your music on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. The income is paid to the label (otherwise you, if you happen to personal your individual recordings) for the utilization of the observe.
Although downloads aren’t as standard as they as soon as had been, the per-unit value 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 if 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 lots of your prime followers. Sure, even CDs.
3. Merch Gross sales
“Merch” is a fast approach of claiming “stuff on the market that displays your creative model.” It could possibly be t-shirts, sweatshirts, flasks, posters, hats, socks, books, something!
You possibly can promote merch at gigs, in your webstore, or by way of integrations with platforms like Instagram and Spotify.
4. Dwell Performances
That is revenue 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.
In fact stay occasions additionally offer you a strategy to promote merch and bodily albums!
5. Licensing and Sync Offers
That is cash you earn if you license your music to be used in films, TV exhibits, commercials, and video video games.
Sync licensing could be profitable, but it surely’s an space of the music trade that requires quite a lot of dedication if you happen to 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 Assist
That is cash you generate via crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, fan assist platforms like Patreon, or by way of your individual membership membership.
The fan contributions could be project-based, or in assist of your general music profession, however the level is to present your viewers extra direct and quick entry to your artistry in change for… cash!
(Don’t neglect the digital tip jar if you happen to’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 if you music is utilized in different creators’ movies on YouTube, tracked and paid by way of the YouTube Content material ID program. Or accomplice program income in case your channel reaches sure benchmarks.
Different video platforms resembling Twitch have related monetization applications for profitable creators and streamers.
9. Sponsorships and Endorsements
That is cash (or different types of assist, resembling free gear or reductions) given to you by manufacturers that match together with your creative identification and viewers.
If in case you have a devoted following on social, you possibly 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.
As an example, Emma McGann constructed an interactive Discord sport. Artists like Holly Herndon and Grimes have made voice-simulators out there in order that different musicians can create new tracks utilizing their voices. And lots of crypto-native artists have discovered success promoting music NFTs.
The thought right here is: Assume outdoors the same old bag of income methods.
How a lot you earn in any considered 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 gives.
However hopefully this text offers you a way of chance on your music to generate cash.
And keep in mind, as you progress ahead in your profession, ReverbNation is right here to assist together with your music distribution, promotion, and publishing administration wants.
