Is it attainable so that you can earn a residing as a musician at the moment for those who aren’t a family title?
The quick 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 inventive & enterprise success on the similar time isn’t simple.
You must put on no less than two hats properly: artist and entrepreneur.
And in a area that evolves as quickly because the music {industry} (which stands on the intersection of know-how, tradition, advertising and marketing, and extra), you’ve received to remain in your toes.
Plus, many latest 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 with a view to develop your music earnings.
13 exhausting truths about incomes cash in music
The purpose of this record is that can assist you see by means of a whole lot of the frequent confusions, and keep away from the pitfalls that stop many artists from making progress.
A few of these truths might sound apparent to you, and in that case, nice! They’re classes you received’t must study the exhausting 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 mechanically imply it should make you cash.
Music shouldn’t be a shortage! There are almost infinite alternate 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 on.), you’ll have to work to create demand to 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}” will be very completely different from what’s good for you.
Typically the music {industry} and particular person creators have completely different wants and wishes. And it’s simple to study the unsuitable 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 believe the latest 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: Earning money from music is a component thriller. It’s an artform, in addition to a science.
What turns into fashionable shouldn’t be predictable. What labored yesterday doesn’t all the time work at the moment. Some geniuses go unrecognized. Your least favourite unique track 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 gasoline creativity, and don’t be afraid to strive new issues. And as they are saying in advertising and marketing circles, “check, check, check.”
4: Make it simple for folks to provide you cash.
Severely. Are you… promoting stuff? If not, your first downside is making issues — music, merch, live shows, experiences — that you possibly can truly promote to followers.
Then you should constantly create presents. Compelling presents. Subsequent, talk these presents. Ship supply electronic mail. Submit webstore hyperlinks in your social bios. Announce merch at gigs. Promote merch on Spotify. And in all places else.
Lastly, while you do make presents, you must give followers choices. Not everybody needs a big black t-shirt, so have dimension and coloration alternate options. Sure folks received’t go to public exhibits, however they’ll pay for a livestream. Some followers pays you extra for a VIP pre-show dangle.
The purpose is: Many artists underperform on the income facet as a result of they simply aren’t giving followers a chance to pay them.
5: Any deal an artist indicators may have critical 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 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 properly price it. However ask the exhausting 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’s a lot to be realized from fashionable artists, they will typically give up-and-coming artists the unsuitable impression on sure elements of the enterprise, as a result of they’re taking part in a unique sport at a unique degree.
When somebody well-known talks about not incomes any cash from tens of hundreds of thousands of streams, remember, 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 maintain? What was the artist’s advance? What number of co-writers had been on the track? All that and extra can complicate the income scenario, when in comparison with an impartial artist who owns 100% of their publishing and recording rights.
Additionally, simply because an artist is fashionable, it doesn’t essentially imply they understand how each facet of the {industry} works.
7: Your private preferences round music consumption may lead you to missed alternatives.
You may be getting in the best way of extra income, for those who assume that each one your attainable 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 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 need to press vinyl, however most of your followers are extra inclined to pay you for a digital expertise.
The purpose is straightforward: 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 (in all probability) received’t make a residing from one track. Deal with constructing a catalog.
Many of the impartial artists I’ve seen succeed over time made a strong residing as a result of they constructed a large catalog of songs. This, in fact, offers them extra probabilities to create hit songs, but additionally boosts the quantity of tracks that may be licensed, streamed, performed at live shows, 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 may not be from merely “releasing” songs, however monetizing the connection you could have with followers.
Don’t pin success (or income) solely 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 anticipate from a “common” job.
11. With a view to maximize music income, you need to inform folks precisely what to do.
As artists we battle to provide followers clear instructions. However folks have to be instructed, proven, guided. That’s the facility of an enormous, vibrant button with an apparent call-to-action on web sites or emails.
Some artists battle to be clear and direct as a result of we lack confidence in our music or supply. 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.
At all times 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 easy methods 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 positive. 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 a large video hit don’t all the time have an apparent option 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 intently linked with their very own musical identification, passions, and skills. It’s about momentum, and it’s about the best followers being there for the best causes: As a result of they like what YOU do.
Don’t chase memes and tendencies. Discover a extra compelling option to be YOU on digicam. After which slowly construct your social advertising and marketing efforts round that. The continuing course of will possible have a higher impression than making an attempt 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 should be just right for you.
Seeking to superstars for classes in success could be a combined bag.
When Radiohead dropped In Rainbows totally free 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… (properly, perhaps don’t strive that one both).
The purpose is: There are economies of scale at play with famous person artists. Meaning they don’t must 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 will also be true. You may take sure probabilities they will’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, funds, or workforce 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 inventive approaches.
- And lastly, for those who need assistance spreading the phrase about your music, use music promo instruments to provide your message a lift!
Need to study extra about your revenue-generating choices as a musician at the moment?