Is it potential so that you can earn a residing as a musician in the present day for those who aren’t a family title?
The brief reply is sure, completely. However that doesn’t imply it’s a chunk of cake.
Because you’ll be extra empowered to succeed for those who perceive the state of music income in 2025, this text comprise 13 truths about incomes cash as a musician.
Driving your personal artistic & enterprise success on the identical time isn’t straightforward.
You need to put on a minimum of two hats effectively: artist and entrepreneur.
And in a area that evolves as quickly because the music {industry} (which stands on the intersection of expertise, tradition, advertising, and extra), you’ve bought to remain in your toes.
Plus, many current occasions have impacted artist income, together with:
So if we start with the premise that success takes expertise, information, exhausting work, and continued curiosity, listed here are 13 issues it’s best to know proper now in an effort to develop your music earnings.
13 exhausting truths about incomes cash in music
The purpose of this checklist is that will help you see by way of a whole lot of the widespread confusions, and keep away from the pitfalls that stop many artists from making progress.
A few of these truths could sound apparent to you, and in that case, nice! They’re classes you gained’t need to study the exhausting manner. However imagine me, even in 2025, they’re nonetheless issues that many artists don’t know, or don’t need to settle for.
1. Simply since you made music doesn’t mechanically imply it’s going to make you cash.
Music shouldn’t be a shortage! There are practically infinite options to your music.
The identical manner that new meals merchandise don’t simply magically arrive in shops and fly off the cabinets by themselves (it takes branding, distribution, promotion, and so forth.), you’ll have to work to create demand to your music. In case you anticipate your music to generate income, that work doesn’t cease on the finish of the creation course of.
2. What’s good for the “{industry}” may be very totally different from what’s good for you.
Generally the music {industry} and particular person creators have totally different wants and needs. And it’s straightforward to study the flawed classes from {industry} headlines.
“Indie music” as a sector could also be more healthy than ever, however you’re only one artist. You, finally, pay your personal payments. Deal with what’s greatest for you and take headlines and quotes from CEOs with a grain of salt.
That being mentioned, I feel the current LUMINATE report did a terrific job conveying large industry-wide stats whereas additionally telling a extra detailed and inspiring story about lesser-known artists.
3: Making a living from music is an element thriller. It’s an artform, in addition to a science.
What turns into standard shouldn’t be predictable. What labored yesterday doesn’t all the time work in the present day. Some geniuses go unrecognized. Your least favourite unique tune is likely to be your largest hit.
This uncertainty is a part of what makes music so thrilling. You by no means know when and the place success would possibly come from.
Use this to gas creativity, and don’t be afraid to strive new issues. And as they are saying in advertising circles, “check, check, check.”
4: Make it straightforward for individuals to offer you cash.
Significantly. Are you… promoting stuff? If not, your first downside is making issues — music, merch, concert events, experiences — that you’ll be able to truly promote to followers.
Then you might want to constantly create affords. Compelling affords. Subsequent, talk these affords. Ship supply e-mail. Submit webstore hyperlinks in your social bios. Announce merch at gigs. Promote merch on Spotify. And in all places else.
Lastly, whenever you do make affords, it’s best to give followers choices. Not everybody desires a big black t-shirt, so have measurement and shade options. Sure individuals gained’t go to public reveals, however they’ll pay for a livestream. Some followers can pay you extra for a VIP pre-show hold.
The purpose is: Many artists underperform on the income aspect as a result of they only aren’t giving followers a possibility to pay them.
5: Any deal an artist indicators could have severe monetary implications.
There may be a time and place for report labels, managers, and reserving brokers. However all {industry} partnerships will have an effect in your earnings. Don’t wait till it’s too late to really perceive what these implications are.
Know what you’re getting your self into. Not simply within the near-term. Ask your self, “What may this association imply for my music in 25 years?”
The trade-offs may very well be effectively price it. However ask the exhausting questions BEFORE you signal a deal.
6: Widespread artists usually have a skewed vantage level on the precise economics of streaming, however they’ve the loudest platform.
Whereas there may be a lot to be realized from standard artists, they’ll usually give up-and-coming artists the flawed impression on sure facets of the enterprise, as a result of they’re taking part in a unique recreation at a unique stage.
When somebody well-known talks about not incomes any cash from tens of thousands and thousands of streams, take into account, you don’t know what’s taking place behind-the-scenes and also you don’t have THEIR label or publishing contracts to reference.
How a lot does their label hold? What was the artist’s advance? What number of co-writers have been on the tune? All that and extra can complicate the income state of affairs, when in comparison with an impartial artist who owns 100% of their publishing and recording rights.
Additionally, simply because an artist is standard, it doesn’t essentially imply they understand how each facet of the {industry} works.
7: Your private preferences round music consumption would possibly lead you to missed alternatives.
You is likely to be getting in the way in which of extra income, for those who assume that every one your potential followers behave identical to you do. As an artist who additionally listens to music, you could have particular preferences. However you may not 100% match your viewers in these preferences.
For instance, you would possibly assume nobody purchases CDs since you solely take heed to streaming, whereas CDs are nonetheless an enormous income for artists. You would possibly solely share a Spotify hyperlink, when 40% of your viewers is definitely on Amazon Music. Perhaps you need to press vinyl, however most of your followers are extra inclined to pay you for a digital expertise.
The purpose is easy: Don’t assume everybody listens, engages, and spends cash precisely such as you do. Ask your viewers. Take polls. Take a look at the waters. And transfer within the course that generates essentially the most income.
8: You (in all probability) gained’t make a residing from one tune. Deal with constructing a catalog.
A lot of the impartial artists I’ve seen succeed over time made a stable residing as a result of they constructed a large catalog of songs. This, in fact, offers them extra possibilities to create hit songs, but in addition boosts the quantity of tracks that may be licensed, streamed, performed at concert events, and so forth.
So each time they launched new music, their followers may return and take heed to outdated stuff, thus with each new launch got here an additional wave of income from previous materials.
9. Your largest alternative may not be from merely “releasing” songs, however monetizing the connection you have got with followers.
Don’t pin success (or income) solely to the recorded music. We stay in a social second that thrives on engagement. A few of your greatest incomes potentialities would possibly come up from the fan expertise AROUND your music, or from what they’ll do WITH your music.
Subscriptions, entry, livestreams, classes, and meetups. To say nothing of fan-generated content material.
10. It’s the music “enterprise,” so deal with it such as you would a job.
It is a problem for many of us artists: We spend an excessive amount of time dreaming and never sufficient time doing. I’m responsible of it too. We wish a “profession,” however the work? Not a lot.
If you’d like your music to be a full-time job, effort and time should constantly be on the stage you’d anticipate from a “common” job.
11. So as to maximize music income, it’s a must to inform individuals precisely what to do.
As artists we wrestle to offer followers clear instructions. However individuals must be informed, proven, guided. That’s the ability of an enormous, vivid button with an apparent call-to-action on web sites or emails.
Some artists wrestle to be clear and direct as a result of we lack confidence in our music or supply. Others would possibly really feel like we glance uncool or desparate if we ask followers to take an motion. And for an additional set of artists, we simply assume our followers know what to do subsequent. However more often than not they don’t.
All the time make an try and make clear the motion you need followers to take, why it advantages them, the way it’s necessary to you, and supply easy directions on the way to do the factor!
12. One viral video doesn’t equal sustainable income.
Making an attempt to engineer one huge, viral video hit? I imply, okay, that’s advantageous. You’ll study one thing from the try even when it doesn’t get the attain you dream of. However most profitable musicians didn’t put all their eggs in a single viral video basket. Even creators who’ve an enormous video hit don’t all the time have an apparent option to rework that spotlight into true followers and clients, not to mention a full-time residing.
As an alternative, most profitable musicians who create a significant video presence did so as a result of they established a sustainable course of that was intently related with their very own musical identification, passions, and skills. It’s about momentum, and it’s about the precise followers being there for the precise causes: As a result of they like what YOU do.
Don’t chase memes and traits. Discover a extra compelling option to be YOU on digicam. After which slowly construct your social advertising efforts round that. The continued course of will doubtless have a larger affect than attempting to engineer one viral video. And that’s the way in which to construct an “genuine” social model that results in actual income.
13. Simply because it labored for Taylor Swift, doesn’t imply it’s going to be just right for you.
Trying to superstars for classes in success is usually a blended bag.
When Radiohead dropped In Rainbows totally free practically 20 years in the past, each band needed to repeat the try. However they weren’t Radiohead. When Beyoncé launched a secret album, everybody needed to do secret albums. They weren’t Beyoncé.
When Drake launched a tough drive with… (effectively, possibly don’t strive that one both).
The purpose is: There are economies of scale at play with famous person artists. Which means they don’t need to work as exhausting to incentivize followers to take motion, as a result of they’ve already put within the work to determine an in depth relationship with their viewers.
What works for them may not be just right for you. However the reverse can be true. You possibly can take sure possibilities they’ll’t, and even capitalize on efforts that aren’t scalable in any respect! The realm of impartial music is filled with innovation, by necessity. You don’t have the title, finances, or workforce that superstars do. There could by methods to make use of that to your benefit!
Key takeaways
Listed below are 4 issues to remember as you pursue your music profession:
- Prioritize actions that generate income – don’t simply chase likes.
- Search for untapped income alternatives that align together with your particular person profession plan and skills.
- Don’t blindly comply with headlines or recommendation. Take a look at assumptions, advertising techniques, and even artistic approaches.
- And lastly, for those who need assistance spreading the phrase about your music, use music promo instruments to offer your message a lift!
Need to study extra about your revenue-generating choices as a musician in the present day?
Take a look at “75 methods to become profitable in music.”
