How to Make Money as a Musician

How to Become a Paid Musician

Advancements in technology, the adoption of the internet, and, more recently, the emergence of artificial intelligence have opened up a world of possibilities for musicians looking to turn their passion into a profitable career. Navigating the music industry has always been intimidating, but modern tools and strategies have come a long way in helping musicians learn how to make money as a musician.

There are three vital components for anyone trying to learn how to become a paid musician:

• Distribution: Releasing music on platforms that reach a global audience.
• Promotion: Effectively marketing your music to grow and engage your fanbase.
• Touring: Gigging locally or by traveling to earn income by performing live.

These are the three pillars you'll need to consider to determine how to maximize your income and presence in the music industry. Whether you're an independent artist starting from scratch or an established musician seeking to adapt to the modern music scene, understanding these revenue streams is essential to your success. From streaming platforms to live performances, the pathways to making money as a musician are diverse and plentiful.

Distribution

What Is Music Distribution?

Music distribution is the process of getting your songs available for people to hear. 20 years ago this meant stocking music stores with your CD, cassette or album. It required a coordinated effort of mass producing your music as a physical product, and transporting it, and stocking and selling it in music stores.

Luckily, this process has become far more efficient. Music distribution today is mostly the process of getting your music on streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. Click here to see the top 100 most listened Spotify songs to get an idea of what people are most interested in.

Music Distribution Services

There are numerous music distribution services to help you accomplish this, each with subtle differences. Even if you're an established artist, you'll need to choose one that best aligns with your goals and lifestyle. This is not an easy decision. So to help you decide, we've consolidated a list of the top music distribution services and their pros and cons below.

Distribution on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok is becoming important as well. But getting your music out there and be heard on a large scale can be difficult for new artists. This is why it's sensible to work with an established music distribution service, who can provide the necessary tools you need to get heard. And hopefully for a reasonable price, since after all you are still in the process of learning how to make money as a musician.

The good news is, while they do charge a price for providing this service, they don’t touch your royalties. That's a very long topic for another day. However, it's one of the biggest benefits of the modern music era. One that allows you to control your own destiny as a musician.

Each music distribution service has different policies, charges and benefits. The following is an exhaustive list of distribution services and the features they offer. You can also read our article here comparing the top 3 leading music distributors.

Top Music Distribution Services

TuneCore

TuneCore is one of the expensive distributors comparatively as they charge $9.99 per single release and $29.99 per album release, with an annual fee of $49.99. Plus, for every additional music store you have to pay extra $1.98.

Artists however keep 100% of the revenue from their sales and streams. If you're a new artist with a tight income, just be careful to make sure their fees fit within your budget. 

Checkout our article here, for more detailed information on TuneCore.

DistroKid

DistroKid takes on the responsibility to distribute your music to 150+ streaming platforms and services for an annual fee of $19.99. And with that the artists also keep all of their royalties.

However, a few things are weak in this service, such as performance stats and analytics of your releases. Artists or their managers tend to have to do a lot of work to get their actual performance details. And watchout for the extra charges for the “leave a legacy” option, which offers to keep your music in stores forever, for a one time additional fee.

Checkout our CD Baby vs DistroKid comparison, for more detailed information on DistroKid.

CD Baby

CD Baby is almost same as TuneCore when it comes to pricing and services. They charge $0.95 per a single release and $29 per an album release.

Unlike other distributors, CD Baby doesn’t have the option for splitting payments among featured artists.

For more detailed information on CD Baby, checkout our CD Baby vs DistroKid article here.

Ditto Music

Ditto offers unlimited releases to the all of the major digital music stores for an annual price of $19 a year. This makes it one of the cheapest and effective music distribution services on the market.

Artists keep 100% of the royalties and rights of their music and also gets a 30-day free trial to get to know the service.

United Masters

UnitedMasters charges $5 as a monthly rate or an annual rate of $60 for unlimited releases on all of the top streaming channels, including Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Shazam, and YouTube music.

There is also an alternative offer, if you do not want to pay the monthly fee of $5, you can share 10% of your royalties that you earn from downloads or streams.

Amuse

Amuse simply offers a Pro Package for $5 per month for unlimited releases. The benefits include 100% of royalties entitled to the artists and it also offers royalty splits between featured artists.

The downside however is they only deliver to 19 streaming stores, although this does include Spotify and Apple Music.

Symphonic

Symphonic offers the coverage of 200+ online music stores, on one condition, you only initially get accepted as a subscriber.

They do not charge any fee and take 15% of your royalties on your sales, streams and downloads.

ONErpm

With ONErpm you can distribute your music without any pre-distribution fee. However, they charge 15% commission from the revenues you make from your streaming, downloads and sales, and 30% for ringtones and from YouTube.

They cover 30 online stores/streaming platforms, while taking no pre-distribution fee, but do take a high commission on your profits.

Horus Music

Horus is less recognized with established artists, however their deals are very competitive. They cover an impressive 150+ online music stores with unlimited releases, for an annual fee of $20, while giving 100% royalties to the artists. 

For more information about how music distributors and aggregators can help you make money as a musician, read our article: Which Is The Best Music Distribution Service?

Promotion

What Is Music Promotion?

Music promotion is the practice of publicizing music to increase sales or public awareness, and central for understanding how to make money as a musician. Unfortunately, these services tend to specialize in a single strategy, with none of them actually being full-service. So you'll need to either use multiple services, or be selective in picking the service that aligns best with your goals and objectives. 

Below is a list of some of the leading music promotion services you should consider, categorized by the most common music promotion strategies that have proven effective for both independent and established artists.

Music Promotion Services

Getting on Spotify Playlists

AKA "Playlist Induction". The following companies work with playlist curators to try to get your music featured on streaming platform playlists. Most of them focus primarily on Spotify, while some have options for Apple and Amazon Music as well.

• Playlist Push
• Omari MC
• Indie Music Academy

Influencer Marketing for Musicians

These companies try to get social media accounts that have a following of a specific size (aka "influencers"), to use or promote your music.

• Omari MC
  Offers to promote your music on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Facebook, and Instagram.
• YouGrow
  Offers to promote your music on Spotify, YouTube, ATikTok, and Instagram.
• Indie Music Academy
  Offers both Spotify playlist and TikTok influencer promotions

Digital Advertising

The following are music marketing agencies with paid media campaign strategies and various platform promotion options.

• simpl.
• Venture

Music Sync Licensing

The following companies specializes primarily in film and TV licensing for musicians.

• Groove Garden

We will explain more about each of these services in a future article. But for now, the main takeaway should be that each of these companies operate differently, with subtle differences in the features they offer. If you want to work with one of them, the key is to first determine what type of marketing you’re looking for, and then research each option to identify which is the best fit.

Best Day To Release Music

Considering when to release music may at first sound trivial. But taking this into consideration is critical for learning how to make money as a musician. It's an easy way to create a competitive advantage, as most musicians tend to rush to release as soon as possible.

Most data suggests the best day to release the music is Friday, or at least Thursday. But Friday gets more significance because of the few reasons that will be mentioned later in this article.

Global Release Day

For decades, the official music release day used to be Tuesday in the United States. And every country used to follow their own custom of releasing music on a specific day of the week according to the trends of their distribution market.

This process had some drawbacks because piracy and illegal selling of music for increasing due to different release dates in different counties. For example, if a song was released in the U.S. on Tuesday, that may translate to it being released on Monday in another country. This would result in some buyers performing unethical business moves by purchasing the music and selling it on piracy sites before the actual release.

Activities like this create a financial loss for the artists as well as the distribution services. Plus, we do not know that who is earning from those piracy sites and where is that falsely earned money is used. We should all avoid downloading piracy sites, not just because you're getting music illegally, but because it indirectly hurts the artists.

Fortunately today piracy is less of a concern. Yet the practice of releasing music on Friday is still continued.

3 Reasons to Release Music on Fridays:

1. Streaming Platform Placement

Music lovers expect new music on Fridays.

Major streaming services and platforms (i.e. Spotify, Apple Music) have chosen Friday to be their day updating their playlists. Playlists are one of the most used features on these platforms, as they offer aficionados the music they love in auto-updating weekly lists. This is one of the more apparent reasons artists choose Friday to release their songs or albums.

And these playlists remain untouched for a whole week. Artists who released their music on Friday get the weekend plus an additional 4 days, for the public to hear, share, and publicize them.

2. Weekly Chart Updates and Calculations

It is very obvious that every artist, whether new or established, wants to top the billboard charts rankings. Releasing music on Friday make sure your music will be heard from the start of the period when the tracking starts for billboard charts. So the chances that your music gets attention and fan following increases.

Checkout the release dates of the upcoming songs and albums in 2023: https://www.metacritic.com/browse/albums/release-date/coming-soon/date

If you release your song or album on Friday, it has the benefit of being tracked all seven days of the week. If you choose another day to release your music, your first week will start from that day onwards. But if you go on Friday, you maximize your exposure and potential, with performance calculated as soon as the tracking begins.

3. Weekend Benefit

If there were no industry standard of releasing music on Friday, streaming playlists were not updated on Fridays, and the billboard charts were not updated on Fridays, even in that scenario, Friday would still seem like the most logical day to release your music. It is the start of a weekend! People are in the mood to tryout new music, in their cars, at the club, or even at weekend house parties. 

Touring

How to Get Gigs as a Musician

Performing live is a crucial aspect of how to become a paid musician and can significantly enhance your distribution and promotion efforts. Understanding how to get gigs as a musician can open up new revenue streams and expand your audience.

Sites like GigSalad and others offer platforms for booking shows, making it easier to connect with venues and event organizers looking for talent. Whether you're gigging locally or aiming to join a tour, it's essential to weigh the pros and cons of each approach to find the best fit for your career.

Local Gigging vs. Touring

When deciding between local gigs and touring, consider the differences in logistics, exposure, and financial impact. Local gigs, such as playing at bars or community events, often provide more consistent opportunities and require less travel. These performances are an excellent way to build a local fanbase and hone your live skills.

GigSalad is a great resource for finding such opportunities, as it connects musicians with local events and venues looking for live entertainment. However, the pay for local gigs can be modest, and the audience reach is typically limited.

On the other hand, touring or opening for a touring band can significantly boost your exposure and help you reach new audiences across different regions. Touring allows you to connect with fans face-to-face and can create lasting impressions that translate to increased streaming and sales.

However, touring is more demanding, requiring extensive planning, travel logistics, and upfront investment. Understanding how to book a music tour involves researching venues, creating a schedule, and managing the financial aspects of travel and accommodation. While it can be costly, the potential rewards of expanding your fanbase and gaining industry recognition often justify the investment.

Making Money Without Gigging

Prior to the 2000s it was near impossible to get noticed as a band without performing live. Fast-forward 20 years and mass adoption of the internet has changed that entirely. In many cases making money online is more profitable than performing live.

Most successful musicians will maximize earnings by utilizing both, but this is by no means the only path. Many modern musicians focus solely on studio work, licensing, or online performances instead. While not playing live means missing out on the direct interaction and immediate feedback from audiences, it allows musicians to focus on other areas such as recording, producing content, and promoting their music online.

Ultimately, the decision to perform live should align with your career goals, lifestyle, and the resources available to you. And you can always consider segueing into performing live after you've established an online following. Whether you decide to pursue live performances or not, understanding the dynamics of how to get gigs as a musician and how to book a music tour will empower you to make informed choices that advance your music career.