There is an opinion that you can make money on music only if you become a famous artist, often give concerts and create a constant buzz around yourself. This is far from the only way to live in abundance if you are a musician. So, 10 ideas tested on personal experience and the experience of my colleagues.
1. Artist of the popular genre
This paragraph is not at all about becoming a star and conquering the tops of all the charts in the world (although, of course, this is worth striving for). This point is about the fact that you can get a decent passive income without being the owner of a Grammy (well, or MuzTV plates).
And here's an example for you: three years ago, my friend Maxim and I decided to launch a project codenamed Max Vertigo & PilGrim N.C.K. The project meant the release of songs in the genre of hookah rap. After a few tracks, we managed to get to the Warner Music Russia label and get help from them in promoting the singles.
Result: we still receive royalties on related and copyright, and in total at the moment we have earned about 1 million rubles for two, despite the fact that we share income 50/50 with the label.
How it works? It's very simple: the market for popular music is very competitive. The flow of information per second is simply colossal. But at the same time, the audience loyal to popular genres is simply huge! The chance that with a little promotion your track will find its listener is very decent. The listener is converted into streams, and streams, in turn, into money. As a result, we receive income from related and copyrights. Profit!
2. Artist of NOT a popular genre
Here the picture is directly opposite to the previous point: no competition for you, no listeners. But earnings here are not based on streams. And the audience here is different, more hungry. The fact is that, due to low competition, little musical content is supplied, which means that the audience appreciates not the material more, but the artist. And here opportunities for concert activity open up, because such artists will not gather stadiums anyway (simply because there are not so many listeners), but they can easily afford to regularly gather clubs of 500 people. And here's a case for you: my old friend, Alexander Reiter, who is also the frontman of the punk-post-low-cost band "RAYTER", creates music in the style written earlier. It would seem, what kind of genre is this? You won’t see it on the charts, and it’s unlikely that anyone even understands what kind of music they are talking about. Nevertheless, Sasha and his team regularly give concerts and gather a decent number of people for them.
3. Event
Not many can afford to invite Yegor Creed to the wedding, or celebrate the anniversary in the company of Grigory Leps. But many people want live music at their event. And, oh miracle! Cover bands and musicians are bursting into the market. I think this way of development is familiar to everyone and does not require more detailed explanations. We recruit a group, create profiles in social networks, contact event managers, give a local target ... in general, we sell our services.
1. Artist of the popular genre
This paragraph is not at all about becoming a star and conquering the tops of all the charts in the world (although, of course, this is worth striving for). This point is about the fact that you can get a decent passive income without being the owner of a Grammy (well, or MuzTV plates).
And here's an example for you: three years ago, my friend Maxim and I decided to launch a project codenamed Max Vertigo & PilGrim N.C.K. The project meant the release of songs in the genre of hookah rap. After a few tracks, we managed to get to the Warner Music Russia label and get help from them in promoting the singles.
Result: we still receive royalties on related and copyright, and in total at the moment we have earned about 1 million rubles for two, despite the fact that we share income 50/50 with the label.
How it works? It's very simple: the market for popular music is very competitive. The flow of information per second is simply colossal. But at the same time, the audience loyal to popular genres is simply huge! The chance that with a little promotion your track will find its listener is very decent. The listener is converted into streams, and streams, in turn, into money. As a result, we receive income from related and copyrights. Profit!
2. Artist of NOT a popular genre
Here the picture is directly opposite to the previous point: no competition for you, no listeners. But earnings here are not based on streams. And the audience here is different, more hungry. The fact is that, due to low competition, little musical content is supplied, which means that the audience appreciates not the material more, but the artist. And here opportunities for concert activity open up, because such artists will not gather stadiums anyway (simply because there are not so many listeners), but they can easily afford to regularly gather clubs of 500 people. And here's a case for you: my old friend, Alexander Reiter, who is also the frontman of the punk-post-low-cost band "RAYTER", creates music in the style written earlier. It would seem, what kind of genre is this? You won’t see it on the charts, and it’s unlikely that anyone even understands what kind of music they are talking about. Nevertheless, Sasha and his team regularly give concerts and gather a decent number of people for them.
3. Event
Not many can afford to invite Yegor Creed to the wedding, or celebrate the anniversary in the company of Grigory Leps. But many people want live music at their event. And, oh miracle! Cover bands and musicians are bursting into the market. I think this way of development is familiar to everyone and does not require more detailed explanations. We recruit a group, create profiles in social networks, contact event managers, give a local target ... in general, we sell our services.
4. Session freelance
This paragraph is probably more about part-time work in your free time and exclusively for people with a musical education and virtuoso mastery of the instrument. In the music world, there are often cases when one or another specialist needs live instruments. For example, the sound producer Alyosha was ordered to arrange an arrangement and wished that the song must have a saxophone solo. And our sound producer, of course, is talented, but he hasn't managed to master the saxophone yet. And then Alyosha comes to the aid of the saxophonist Gennady, who with this saxophone can do things that Alyosha has not even dreamed of! And such situations happen quite often and everywhere. It is worth noting that this option of “part-time work” also exists for vocalists.
5. Selling audio content
Perhaps the most demanding item for any musician, because it opens up great opportunities with minimal investment. But before talking about the costs, I'll talk about the essence.
What kind of audio content are we talking about? Yes, this is about:
Ghost production (not to be confused with ghostwriting) is the creation of full-fledged songs (music, lyrics, vocals) with subsequent sale. The direction is relatively new, it has existed on the Russian market for about 3 years, but it is very promising. Who will buy the full song? Believe me, those who need it really exist:
these are vocalists who sing talentedly, but absolutely do not know how to create their own songs;
these are people who want to congratulate their loved ones with a song or express their feelings;
these are already well-known artists who simply do not have time to create a new one and it is easier to buy this new one; and so on and so forth.
Where can you sell your songs? Personally, I only sell on 2 sites. These are EDM Ghost production (selling songs in the EDM style for foreign audiences) and EverySong (selling Russian-language tracks in the Pop genre).
Sampling and synthesizing is, of course, more about instrumentation. In essence, this is the creation of libraries with unique sounds, both looped and single. Since the music market is insanely saturated, many aspiring artists are looking for a unique sound to stand out from the crowd. To find this unique sound, they turn to sample and sound stores such as Loopmaster and Splice. Therefore, if you have the knowledge and skills, why not try yourself in such a craft.
Well, the main nuance, all these methods do not require enormous costs, like the previous ones. All it takes to get started is a computer with a DAW installed, monitoring headphones, a simple external sound card, a microphone, and a little bit of diligence and talent.
6. Sound -production and -design
This method is very similar to the previous one with one single difference. If in point 5 we created everything our heart desires, then sound-production and sound-design are more about work to order. What can be made to order? Yes, everything is the same, only with a clear technical task. For example: parents want to congratulate their children with a wedding song. To whom to go? To the sound producer. A renovation company wants to create a corporate anthem. What to do? Go to the sound producer. A young gamedev studio needs new gunshot sounds for their shooter. Who will help? Sound designer.
In general, this list can be continued indefinitely, I think everything is already clear.
This paragraph is probably more about part-time work in your free time and exclusively for people with a musical education and virtuoso mastery of the instrument. In the music world, there are often cases when one or another specialist needs live instruments. For example, the sound producer Alyosha was ordered to arrange an arrangement and wished that the song must have a saxophone solo. And our sound producer, of course, is talented, but he hasn't managed to master the saxophone yet. And then Alyosha comes to the aid of the saxophonist Gennady, who with this saxophone can do things that Alyosha has not even dreamed of! And such situations happen quite often and everywhere. It is worth noting that this option of “part-time work” also exists for vocalists.
5. Selling audio content
Perhaps the most demanding item for any musician, because it opens up great opportunities with minimal investment. But before talking about the costs, I'll talk about the essence.
What kind of audio content are we talking about? Yes, this is about:
- Beatmaking
- State production
- Sampling and Synthesizing
Ghost production (not to be confused with ghostwriting) is the creation of full-fledged songs (music, lyrics, vocals) with subsequent sale. The direction is relatively new, it has existed on the Russian market for about 3 years, but it is very promising. Who will buy the full song? Believe me, those who need it really exist:
these are vocalists who sing talentedly, but absolutely do not know how to create their own songs;
these are people who want to congratulate their loved ones with a song or express their feelings;
these are already well-known artists who simply do not have time to create a new one and it is easier to buy this new one; and so on and so forth.
Where can you sell your songs? Personally, I only sell on 2 sites. These are EDM Ghost production (selling songs in the EDM style for foreign audiences) and EverySong (selling Russian-language tracks in the Pop genre).
Sampling and synthesizing is, of course, more about instrumentation. In essence, this is the creation of libraries with unique sounds, both looped and single. Since the music market is insanely saturated, many aspiring artists are looking for a unique sound to stand out from the crowd. To find this unique sound, they turn to sample and sound stores such as Loopmaster and Splice. Therefore, if you have the knowledge and skills, why not try yourself in such a craft.
Well, the main nuance, all these methods do not require enormous costs, like the previous ones. All it takes to get started is a computer with a DAW installed, monitoring headphones, a simple external sound card, a microphone, and a little bit of diligence and talent.
6. Sound -production and -design
This method is very similar to the previous one with one single difference. If in point 5 we created everything our heart desires, then sound-production and sound-design are more about work to order. What can be made to order? Yes, everything is the same, only with a clear technical task. For example: parents want to congratulate their children with a wedding song. To whom to go? To the sound producer. A renovation company wants to create a corporate anthem. What to do? Go to the sound producer. A young gamedev studio needs new gunshot sounds for their shooter. Who will help? Sound designer.
In general, this list can be continued indefinitely, I think everything is already clear.
7. Recording studio
Perhaps one of the most expensive and unprofitable music businesses in our time, if we consider the studio only in the context of recording and mixing audio material. As a rule, a recording studio, in addition to providing direct services for its intended purpose, deals with points 5 and 6, as well as leasing premises to specialists who do not have a studio for any reason. This is again due to the large amount of information and the development of the Internet. More and more self-taught YouTubers appear with their so-called home studios, who are not ashamed to save on materials (for example, noise isolation from pillows and a microphone from AliExpress), thereby dumping the price of recording services. Therefore, opening a recording studio must be motivated by something more than just recording vocals.
Perhaps one of the most expensive and unprofitable music businesses in our time, if we consider the studio only in the context of recording and mixing audio material. As a rule, a recording studio, in addition to providing direct services for its intended purpose, deals with points 5 and 6, as well as leasing premises to specialists who do not have a studio for any reason. This is again due to the large amount of information and the development of the Internet. More and more self-taught YouTubers appear with their so-called home studios, who are not ashamed to save on materials (for example, noise isolation from pillows and a microphone from AliExpress), thereby dumping the price of recording services. Therefore, opening a recording studio must be motivated by something more than just recording vocals.
8. Production center
A production center or label is a type of business that is available to those who, in fact, are not a musician, but love music very much and understand it at the level of a doctor of science. This kind of musical entrepreneurship is another level, it will require a team, financial resources, rich knowledge of music marketing and excellent taste.
You can monetize this activity in 2 ways:
9. Creatives
And yet, a musician is a creative profession, which means that you need to look a little wider. Create unique content and get dividends from it. And here are some cases:
My old friend, Alexander Ostrovsky, went through all the circles of major-minor hell: he graduated from the music school, graduated from the conservatory, played in the orchestra, taught at the music school (the ring closed). And it would seem that here it is, the life of a professional for 20 thousand a month. But Sasha did not despair and decided to shift all his experience into humor. With his fellow students, he created the YouTube channel "STRADIVALY" and began to supply humorous content about classical musicians there. Result: 100 thousand subscribers in 2 years and the launch of merch sales.
And how do you like that. A DJ from Novosibirsk, whom I know in absentia, Dmitry Gumenny, aka DJ DimiXer, wrote some kind of music, played sets in clubs, nothing special. And then he created and launched a show on YouTube "BY STUDIO". Result: 246 thousand subscribers in 3 years, launch of own merch, author's playlist in VK, own show on Radio Record.
Think broader, look for options, and you will probably also find a new interesting niche.
10. Street musician
Well, back to where we started. The street is also different. It's one thing to play in a subway passage in Omsk (very subtle humor), and it's another thing to play the violin on the Arbat, or to light depressive songs in St.
Conclusion
I want to draw your attention to the fact that these ideas are working only if you are a “worker”. There is only one recipe for success: work hard, work hard and work hard. And these 10 ideas are just ways to achieve your goals.
A production center or label is a type of business that is available to those who, in fact, are not a musician, but love music very much and understand it at the level of a doctor of science. This kind of musical entrepreneurship is another level, it will require a team, financial resources, rich knowledge of music marketing and excellent taste.
You can monetize this activity in 2 ways:
- Provide distribution and promotion services to emerging artists and take a percentage of the profits.
- Look for potential talent, produce them, create a personal brand, promote and also have a percentage of the streams.
9. Creatives
And yet, a musician is a creative profession, which means that you need to look a little wider. Create unique content and get dividends from it. And here are some cases:
My old friend, Alexander Ostrovsky, went through all the circles of major-minor hell: he graduated from the music school, graduated from the conservatory, played in the orchestra, taught at the music school (the ring closed). And it would seem that here it is, the life of a professional for 20 thousand a month. But Sasha did not despair and decided to shift all his experience into humor. With his fellow students, he created the YouTube channel "STRADIVALY" and began to supply humorous content about classical musicians there. Result: 100 thousand subscribers in 2 years and the launch of merch sales.
And how do you like that. A DJ from Novosibirsk, whom I know in absentia, Dmitry Gumenny, aka DJ DimiXer, wrote some kind of music, played sets in clubs, nothing special. And then he created and launched a show on YouTube "BY STUDIO". Result: 246 thousand subscribers in 3 years, launch of own merch, author's playlist in VK, own show on Radio Record.
Think broader, look for options, and you will probably also find a new interesting niche.
10. Street musician
Well, back to where we started. The street is also different. It's one thing to play in a subway passage in Omsk (very subtle humor), and it's another thing to play the violin on the Arbat, or to light depressive songs in St.
Conclusion
I want to draw your attention to the fact that these ideas are working only if you are a “worker”. There is only one recipe for success: work hard, work hard and work hard. And these 10 ideas are just ways to achieve your goals.