10 Business Ideas for Musicians: The music industry is a lot different now than it was 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago. With the internet and self-publishing, pretty much anyone can be a musician these days – but that doesn’t mean they can make money doing it.
10 Business Ideas For Musicians
Whether you want to make money writing songs or producing albums, there are plenty of ways to do so if you know where to look and what to do. Learn how to get your songs out there with these 10 business ideas for musicians.
Starting a YouTube Channel
There is a huge audience on YouTube, and if you want to make money from your videos, you can run ads before them. You’ll first need to set up an AdSense account and then link it to your YouTube account. That way, when you run ads before your videos.
You’ll earn money every time a viewer watches 30 seconds of any video. There are many other options as well, including promoting products directly in your videos with affiliate links and embedding product reviews and links into your videos.
If you start getting millions of views per month like Jenna Marbles, Darren Kitchen, and Gospel Prime who are all making six figures from their channels (just imagine how much they’re earning!), don’t forget that tipping is an option!
Posting on Instagram
We’re all familiar with famous musicians—the singers, songwriters, and producers who earn thousands or even millions of dollars every year. It may seem like these people were born with talent, but many of them are just as talented at business as they are at playing instruments.
Here are 10 business ideas that’ll allow you to maximize your talents and grow your income while in college To make money from home, artists can sell their work online on a site like Etsy, where handmade items have found success for years.
You can also create digital products such as e-books or courses to sell on platforms such as Udemy or Skillshare. A less obvious way is to reach out directly to sponsors; businesses often seek professional artists that incorporate their products into music videos or live performances.
Collaborating With other Musicians
A lot of bands and solo artists struggle to get gigs. If you’re fortunate enough to have a reputation that makes promoters call you, it’s time to give back by helping others. Collaborate with other musicians on joint shows, and share some of your expertise with other bands by offering them advice and feedback on their songs.
There are many more bands out there than venues, so if you can help each other out, it will lead to more opportunities—and boost your own profile in the process. Also, check if there are any music festivals or events coming up in your area that you could work as an entertainer at – earn extra cash for yourself while helping others!
Even if you don’t want to partner with anyone else, consider adding new material to your live set. Whether it’s learning how to cover a hit song or sharing new original material, look at every gig as an opportunity to grow creatively. The more value you bring both financially and creatively, the better word-of-mouth will be when people start booking shows. All of these things come together toward making you a brand everyone wants on their roster.
Promoting Your Music Online
Most independent musicians have a difficult time marketing their music, in large part because it’s not easy to take a hard-to-explain skill like playing an instrument and explaining it to potential fans online. Fortunately, with a few web skills and some free tools, there are better ways to promote your music online. You don’t have to be an expert at coding or graphic design; all you need is a sense of humor and a willingness to experiment.
Here are 10 business ideas that will help you get your name out there on social media without breaking your budget. The tips below include a bit of cost analysis, but generally, these approaches are highly affordable—and often completely free.
Creating Content Outside of Music
Since you’re writing about music, it might be tempting to focus solely on music as your source of income. But that’s doing yourself a disservice; there are tons of other revenue opportunities out there for musicians. For example, you could create content about instrument repair or selling sheet music.
Depending on your skill set and interests, there are plenty of other ideas you can pursue. The key is to determine what niche(s) you can fill with your particular set of skills and personality and how they can help earn a living outside of being a full-time musician.
Although there’s no way to give an exhaustive list here (because everyone has their own style), these 10 business ideas might spark some new ways to monetize your musical talents About – $3 billion of money is stolen from families in events each year. You want to share tips on things like: – How do I prevent my phone from getting stolen? – Is my child’s backpack safe at school? – Can I keep my house safe while we’re away?
You’ll write short articles discussing precautions people can take to protect themselves, their family members, and even their pets against theft around our home: cars, computers, bicycles, etc. Some tips will be common sense…others may not seem so.
You’ll also include links back to our services where appropriate including upcoming workshops around Atlanta area schools and neighborhoods where we will discuss safety issues related to personal crime prevention–but mostly theft prevention.
Selling Merchandise Online
It’s never been easier to print your own T-shirts and posters or sell artwork from your website. Use a site like Zazzle to quickly set up an online store, where fans can easily buy music or merchandise directly from you. Just make sure that you don’t sell something that could get confused with anything else (like in band shirts and hats), or don’t infringe on any other trademarks.
If your goal is simply to have fun making T-shirts for friends and family, registering with Zazzle is completely free. You can also turn to sites like CafePress if you want people outside of your inner circle sporting your designs.
Advertising, Sponsorship and Product Placement Opportunities
This isn’t just another way to make money; it’s a way to share your talents with others and grow a fan base. An endorsement deal or advertising placement can be an additional source of revenue but also gives you valuable recognition. For example, if you receive an endorsement deal with a high-profile company, fans may associate your name with theirs as a favorite musician.
A word of caution: You’ll need to monitor brand association on sites like Twitter and Facebook—these networks are not heavily regulated and anything you say can get back to potential business partners and sponsorships in no time. They could deny future deals because of negative associations. Always ask about brand association when doing business deals so both parties are protected from the negativity associated with their names.
Host an Event or Showcase
Hosting an event or showcase is a great way to make money as a musician, especially if you can fill your calendar with gigs at bars, restaurants, schools, and small businesses. You’ll need a repertoire of music to pull from (don’t forget your originals), but you should also be prepared to play requests.
Depending on where you host an event, there may be no cover charge (for example, if you offer performances during a brunch) or an entry fee that gets patrons drinks and appetizers. Be sure to contact local food and drink establishments in advance so they know what kind of volume to expect—and don’t forget servers’ gratuities! Your success will depend largely on how frequently you book events.
Network with other musicians and venues whenever possible so you know when shows are coming up or are open for booking. Consider taking advantage of new technology; some musicians use smartphones to accept payment without having to bring physical cash to every gig. Remember, the business can take a while to take off—but it doesn’t cost anything upfront and offers many financial benefits down the road.
Teach Lessons or Classes Online
The idea here is to take a skill you have and teach it to people. Are you an accountant that knows a lot about double-entry accounting, but hates doing tax returns? Teach others how to use double-entry accounting. Do you play guitar and love playing classic rock hits from The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, or Metallica?
You can teach those songs online. How about investing, want to create your own guide on Warren Buffett’s approach in picking stocks? You can write that up as well! It doesn’t matter what skill it is, if there is a demand (and many lessons) then there are people who will pay for that information.
Don’t forget to include teaching tools like video tutorials, PDF guides, and even sample practice sheets. That way students can be confident they understand exactly what they need to do in order to learn certain skills.
Performing at Weddings and Other Special Events
Wedding season is in full swing and with it comes lots of opportunities to perform at special events. To get started, simply add your performance services to sites like GigSalad, WeddingWire or The Knot to find event coordinators who are seeking musicians.
If you want to be more selective about your wedding performances, consider signing up with an artist/band service that books weddings. Sites like Music Garden (US), Striking Sheet Music (UK), and Spotted Peccary Music (Australia) can help connect you with people who are looking for a particular genre or style of music for their big day.
Again, there’s no harm in signing up for multiple services; just be sure to maintain professional profiles that clearly show what you do and don’t offer. And even if wedding booking takes off as a business venture, remember that any time spent away from performing could impact your future bookings. So try not to spread yourself too thin!
Having an independent recording label means having free rein over how much you work—as long as you have financial freedom along with it. And while running a successful independent label will take hard work and serious devotion on your part, having some creative control over its operations can make all of those hours well worth it.
Here are some steps on how to start and operate an independent record label: Start A Website: You need somewhere online where fans can learn about new albums or singles—and purchase them if they wish.
Also Read: 8 Business Ideas For Middle Schoolers
Conclusion
Starting a band or musical project is exciting and can be very profitable. However, starting any business is stressful, with no guarantee of success. You should have both a plan B (in case you don’t succeed) and savings account in place. That said, here are ten ways to get started earning money with your music or band. Regardless of which route you choose to pursue, I wish you all success!
