Is it attainable so that you can earn a residing as a musician as we speak in case you aren’t a family identify?
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 in case you perceive the state of music income in 2025, this text include 13 truths about incomes cash as a musician.
Driving your personal artistic & enterprise success on the identical time isn’t straightforward.
It’s important to put on at the least two hats properly: 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 marketing, and extra), you’ve obtained 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 you must know proper now in an effort to develop your music earnings.
13 exhausting truths about incomes cash in music
The purpose of this listing is that will help you see by means of quite a 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 if that’s the case, nice! They’re classes you received’t should be taught the exhausting means. However consider me, even in 2025, they’re nonetheless issues that many artists don’t know, or don’t wish to settle for.
1. Simply since you made music doesn’t mechanically imply it should make you cash.
Music is just not a shortage! There are practically infinite alternate options to your music.
The identical means 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 on.), you’ll have to work to create demand to your music. In case you count on 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 totally different from what’s good for you.
Typically the music {industry} and particular person creators have totally different wants and wishes. And it’s straightforward to be taught 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 personal payments. Give attention to what’s greatest for you and take headlines and quotes from CEOs with a grain of salt.
That being stated, I feel the current LUMINATE report did an amazing job conveying massive industry-wide stats whereas additionally telling a extra detailed and inspiring story about lesser-known artists.
3: Earning profits from music is a component thriller. It’s an artform, in addition to a science.
What turns into in style is just not predictable. What labored yesterday doesn’t all the time work as we speak. Some geniuses go unrecognized. Your least favourite authentic tune 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 may come from.
Use this to gas creativity, and don’t be afraid to strive new issues. And as they are saying in advertising and marketing circles, “take a look at, take a look at, take a look at.”
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 may really promote to followers.
Then it is advisable constantly create gives. Compelling gives. Subsequent, talk these gives. Ship provide electronic mail. Put up webstore hyperlinks in your social bios. Announce merch at gigs. Promote merch on Spotify. And all over the place else.
Lastly, once you do make gives, you must give followers choices. Not everybody desires a big black t-shirt, so have measurement and shade alternate options. Sure individuals received’t go to public exhibits, however they’ll pay for a livestream. Some followers can pay you extra for a VIP pre-show cling.
The purpose is: Many artists underperform on the income aspect as a result of they simply aren’t giving followers a chance to pay them.
5: Any deal an artist indicators may have severe monetary implications.
There’s 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 actually 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 properly 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’s a lot to be realized from in style artists, they will usually give up-and-coming artists the incorrect impression on sure features of the enterprise, as a result of they’re enjoying a special recreation at a special degree.
When somebody well-known talks about not incomes any cash from tens of thousands and thousands of streams, take note, 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 had been on the tune? 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 understand how each side of the {industry} works.
7: Your private preferences round music consumption may lead you to missed alternatives.
You may be getting in the way in which of extra income, in case you assume that each one your attainable followers behave similar to you do. As an artist who additionally listens to music, you might have particular preferences. However you won’t 100% match your viewers in these preferences.
For instance, you may assume nobody purchases CDs since you solely hearken to streaming, whereas CDs are nonetheless an enormous income for artists. You may solely share a Spotify hyperlink, when 40% of your viewers is definitely on Amazon Music. Possibly you wish 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 course that generates probably the most income.
8: You (most likely) received’t make a residing from one tune. Give attention to constructing a catalog.
A lot of the unbiased artists I’ve seen succeed over time made a strong residing as a result of they constructed a large catalog of songs. This, after all, offers them extra probabilities to create hit songs, but in addition boosts the quantity of tracks that may be licensed, streamed, performed at concert events, and so on.
So each time they launched new music, their followers may return and hearken to outdated 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’ve with followers.
Don’t pin success (or income) fully to the recorded music. We dwell in a social second that thrives on engagement. A few of your greatest incomes potentialities may 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.
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 would like 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 degree you’d count on from a “common” job.
11. As a way 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 facility of an enormous, shiny 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 may 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 to 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 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 superb. You’ll be taught 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 a large video hit don’t all the time have an apparent technique to rework that focus 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 carefully related with their very own musical id, passions, and skills. It’s about momentum, and it’s about the suitable followers being there for the suitable causes: As a result of they like what YOU do.
Don’t chase memes and tendencies. 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 influence 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 should give you the results you want.
Trying to superstars for classes in success generally is a combined 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… (properly, possibly don’t strive that one both).
The purpose is: There are economies of scale at play with celebrity artists. Meaning they don’t should work as exhausting to incentivize followers to take motion, as a result of they’ve already put within the work to determine a detailed relationship with their viewers.
What works for them won’t give you the results you want. However the reverse may also be true. You possibly can take sure probabilities they will’t, and even capitalize on efforts that aren’t scalable in any respect! The realm of unbiased music is stuffed with innovation, by necessity. You don’t have the identify, price range, or crew that superstars do. There might by methods to make use of that to your benefit!
Key takeaways
Listed here 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 along with your particular person profession plan and skills.
- Don’t blindly observe headlines or recommendation. Check assumptions, advertising and marketing ways, and even artistic approaches.
- And lastly, in case you need assistance spreading the phrase about your music, use music promo instruments to offer your message a lift!
Wish to be taught extra about your revenue-generating choices as a musician as we speak?
