Let’s speak straight: To your music to be a profession, you could earn cash.
Some acts make their dwelling on the street. Others keep within the studio recording music for TV reveals. After all, 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 simply both maximize your earnings 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 numerous income alternatives for musicians right this moment. The truth is, there are extra methods than ever to earn cash, which affords fashionable creators the power to pair their distinctive skills with specific types of monetization.
From music distribution and licensing offers, to crowdfunding and merch gross sales, you’ll wish to perceive your choices with regards to incomes potential.
As a result of realizing what to attempt, the place to focus, when to pivot, and find out how to gather 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 a lot of dozens of how 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 schooling, being a paid session participant, a church pianist, a ballet accompanist, an orchestra member, working sound at a membership, and many others.
For those who’re an artist whose profession is constructed upon unique music, these are the ten types of income it is best to prioritize:
1. Digital Music Income
That is cash you earn for streaming and downloads once you launch your music on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. The income is paid to the label (otherwise you, when you personal your individual recordings) for the utilization of the observe.
Although downloads aren’t as in style as they as soon as had been, the per-unit worth 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 once you promote bodily copies of your music on vinyl, CD, tape, and even sheet music.
Although we’re many years into the digital music century, bodily media will nonetheless enchantment 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 might be t-shirts, sweatshirts, flasks, posters, hats, socks, books, something!
You may promote merch at gigs, in your webstore, or by way of integrations with platforms like Instagram and Spotify.
4. Stay Performances
That is revenue earned out of your live shows, gigs, excursions, and festivals. It might be within the type of ticket gross sales, door charges, bar percentages, and even grant cash.
After all dwell occasions additionally offer you a strategy to promote merch and bodily albums!
5. Licensing and Sync Offers
That is cash you earn once you license your music to be used in films, TV reveals, commercials, and video video games.
Sync licensing will be profitable, nevertheless it’s an space of the music trade that requires numerous dedication when you anticipate to attain frequent placements.
6. Publishing Royalties
These are songwriter royalties earned from the publishing rights to your unique music, together with mechanical royalties (from gross sales and streams) and efficiency royalties (from public performances and radio play).
Need assistance accumulating your songwriter royalties?
7. Crowdfunding, Memberships, and Fan Help
That is cash you generate by means of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, fan assist platforms like Patreon, or by way of your individual membership membership.
The fan contributions will be project-based, or in assist of your general music profession, however the level is to provide your viewers extra direct and fast entry to your artistry in change for… cash!
(Don’t overlook the digital tip jar when you’re doing livestreams).
8. YouTube Income
This consists of earnings past no matter streaming and publishing cash you’re incomes from exercise on YouTube Music.
It consists of be a share of advert income generated once 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 comparable 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 along with your creative identification and viewers.
When you have a devoted following on social, you could possibly 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.
For example, Emma McGann constructed an interactive Discord sport. Artists like Holly Herndon and Grimes have made voice-simulators obtainable 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 concept right here is: Assume outdoors the same old bag of income methods.
How a lot you earn in any certainly one of these classes relies upon, after all, on the scale and dedication of your fanbase.
Success in most of those areas additionally requires that you simply actively market your music and make gross sales affords.
However hopefully this text provides you a way of risk on your music to generate cash.
And keep in mind, as you progress ahead in your profession, ReverbNation is right here to assist along with your music distribution, promotion, and publishing administration wants.