Is it doable so that you can earn a dwelling as a musician right now for those who aren’t a family title?
The brief reply is sure, completely. However that doesn’t imply it’s a bit of cake.
Because you’ll be extra empowered to succeed for those who perceive the state of music income in 2025, this text include 13 truths about incomes cash as a musician.
Driving your individual artistic & enterprise success on the similar time isn’t straightforward.
It’s a must to put on at the least two hats effectively: artist and entrepreneur.
And in a discipline that evolves as quickly because the music {industry} (which stands on the intersection of expertise, tradition, advertising and marketing, and extra), you’ve acquired 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, onerous work, and continued curiosity, listed here are 13 issues it’s best to know proper now to be able to develop your music earnings.
13 onerous 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 forestall many artists from making progress.
A few of these truths might sound apparent to you, and in that case, nice! They’re classes you gained’t must study the onerous approach. However consider 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 routinely imply it can make you cash.
Music shouldn’t be a shortage! There are almost infinite options to your music.
The identical approach 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 on your music. Should 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}” might be very completely different from what’s good for you.
Generally the music {industry} and particular person creators have completely different wants and wishes. And it’s straightforward to study the incorrect 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 individual payments. Give attention to what’s finest for you and take headlines and quotes from CEOs with a grain of salt.
That being mentioned, I believe the current LUMINATE report did a fantastic 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 in style shouldn’t be predictable. What labored yesterday doesn’t all the time work right now. Some geniuses go unrecognized. Your least favourite unique music may 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 gasoline creativity, and don’t be afraid to attempt new issues. And as they are saying in advertising and marketing circles, “check, check, check.”
4: Make it straightforward for folks to provide you cash.
Significantly. Are you… promoting stuff? If not, your first drawback is making issues — music, merch, live shows, experiences — that you may really promote to followers.
Then it’s good to persistently create gives. Compelling gives. Subsequent, talk these gives. Ship provide e mail. Submit webstore hyperlinks in your social bios. Announce merch at gigs. Promote merch on Spotify. And all over the place else.
Lastly, if you do make gives, it’s best to give followers choices. Not everybody desires a big black t-shirt, so have dimension and shade options. Sure folks gained’t go to public exhibits, 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 facet as a result of they simply aren’t giving followers a possibility to pay them.
5: Any deal an artist indicators could have critical monetary implications.
There’s a time and place for file 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 actually perceive what these implications are.
Know what you’re getting your self into. Not simply within the near-term. Ask your self, “What might this association imply for my music in 25 years?”
The trade-offs may very well be effectively value it. However ask the onerous questions BEFORE you signal a deal.
6: Fashionable artists typically 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 discovered from in style artists, they will typically give up-and-coming artists the incorrect impression on sure points of the enterprise, as a result of they’re taking part in a distinct sport at a distinct stage.
When somebody well-known talks about not incomes any cash from tens of tens of millions of streams, take into account, you don’t know what’s occurring behind-the-scenes and also you don’t have THEIR label or publishing contracts to reference.
How a lot does their label preserve? What was the artist’s advance? What number of co-writers have been on the music? All that and extra can complicate the income scenario, when in comparison with an unbiased artist who owns 100% of their publishing and recording rights.
Additionally, simply because an artist is in style, it doesn’t essentially imply they know the way each side of the {industry} works.
7: Your private preferences round music consumption would possibly lead you to missed alternatives.
You may be getting in the best way of extra income, for those who assume that each one your doable followers behave similar to you do. As an artist who additionally listens to music, you’ll have particular preferences. However you won’t 100% match your viewers in these preferences.
For instance, you would possibly assume nobody purchases CDs since you solely hearken 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. Check the waters. And transfer within the path that generates probably the most income.
8: You (most likely) gained’t make a dwelling from one music. Give attention to constructing a catalog.
Many of the unbiased artists I’ve seen succeed through the years made a stable dwelling as a result of they constructed a large catalog of songs. This, after all, provides them extra possibilities to create hit songs, but additionally boosts the quantity of tracks that may be licensed, streamed, performed at live shows, and so forth.
So each time they launched new music, their followers might return and hearken to previous stuff, thus with each new launch got here an additional wave of income from previous materials.
9. Your largest alternative won’t be from merely “releasing” songs, however monetizing the connection you may have with followers.
Don’t pin success (or income) totally to the recorded music. We dwell in a social second that thrives on engagement. A few of your finest incomes prospects would possibly come up from the fan expertise AROUND your music, or from what they will 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.
This can be 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.
In order for you your music to be a full-time job, effort and time should persistently be on the stage you’d anticipate from a “common” job.
11. With a view to maximize music income, you must inform folks precisely what to do.
As artists we wrestle to provide followers clear instructions. However folks should be instructed, proven, guided. That’s the facility 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 provide. 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.
At all times make an try and make clear the motion you need followers to take, why it advantages them, the way it’s essential to you, and supply easy directions on the right way to do the factor!
12. One viral video doesn’t equal sustainable income.
Attempting to engineer one huge, viral video hit? I imply, okay, that’s high-quality. 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 technique to remodel that focus into true followers and prospects, not to mention a full-time dwelling.
As a substitute, most profitable musicians who create a significant video presence did so as a result of they established a sustainable course of that was carefully related with their very own musical identification, passions, and skills. It’s about momentum, and it’s about the correct followers being there for the correct causes: As a result of they like what YOU do.
Don’t chase memes and traits. Discover a extra compelling technique to be YOU on digicam. After which slowly construct your social advertising and marketing efforts round that. The continuing course of will seemingly have a higher affect than attempting to engineer one viral video. And that’s the best way to construct an “genuine” social model that results in actual income.
13. Simply because it labored for Taylor Swift, doesn’t imply it can be just right for you.
Seeking to superstars for classes in success could be a blended bag.
When Radiohead dropped In Rainbows free of charge almost 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 attempt that one both).
The purpose is: There are economies of scale at play with celebrity artists. Meaning they don’t must work as onerous 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 won’t be just right for you. However the reverse can be true. You possibly can take sure possibilities they will’t, and even capitalize on efforts that aren’t scalable in any respect! The realm of unbiased music is filled with innovation, by necessity. You don’t have the title, finances, or crew that superstars do. There might by methods to make use of that to your benefit!
Key takeaways
Listed below are 4 issues to bear in mind 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 observe headlines or recommendation. Check assumptions, advertising and marketing techniques, and even artistic approaches.
- And lastly, for those who need assistance spreading the phrase about your music, use music promo instruments to provide your message a lift!
Wish to study extra about your revenue-generating choices as a musician right now?
Take a look at “75 methods to earn cash in music.”
