Is it doable so that you can earn a residing as a musician right this moment in the event 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 the event you 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 important to put on not 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 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, data, laborious work, and continued curiosity, listed below are 13 issues you need to know proper now with the intention to develop your music earnings.
13 laborious truths about incomes cash in music
The purpose of this checklist is that can assist you see by lots of the frequent 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 received’t need to be taught the laborious method. 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 robotically imply it can make you cash.
Music will not be a shortage! There are almost infinite options to your music.
The identical method that new meals merchandise don’t simply magically arrive in shops and fly off the cabinets by themselves (it takes branding, distribution, promotion, and many others.), you’ll have to work to create demand to your music. If you happen to 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.
Generally the music {industry} and particular person creators have totally different wants and wishes. And it’s straightforward to be taught the improper 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 stated, I believe the current LUMINATE report did an important job conveying massive industry-wide stats whereas additionally telling a extra detailed and inspiring story about lesser-known artists.
3: Creating wealth from music is an element thriller. It’s an artform, in addition to a science.
What turns into in style will not be predictable. What labored yesterday doesn’t all the time work right this moment. Some geniuses go unrecognized. Your least favourite authentic track is perhaps 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, “take a look at, take a look at, take a look at.”
4: Make it straightforward for individuals to offer you cash.
Critically. Are you… promoting stuff? If not, your first downside is making issues — music, merch, concert events, experiences — that you possibly can really promote to followers.
Then you should persistently create provides. Compelling provides. Subsequent, talk these provides. Ship supply e-mail. Put up webstore hyperlinks in your social bios. Announce merch at gigs. Promote merch on Spotify. And in all places else.
Lastly, once you do make provides, you need to give followers choices. Not everybody needs a big black t-shirt, so have measurement and colour options. Sure individuals received’t go to public reveals, however they’ll pay for a livestream. Some followers pays you extra for a VIP pre-show hold.
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 could have critical monetary implications.
There may be a time and place for document 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 might be properly price it. However ask the laborious questions BEFORE you signal a deal.
6: Standard 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 in style artists, they will typically give up-and-coming artists the improper impression on sure points of the enterprise, as a result of they’re enjoying a distinct recreation at a distinct degree.
When somebody well-known talks about not incomes any cash from tens of hundreds of thousands of streams, be mindful, 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 in style, it doesn’t essentially imply they know the way each facet of the {industry} works.
7: Your private preferences round music consumption would possibly lead you to missed alternatives.
You is perhaps getting in the way in which of extra income, in the event you assume that every one your doable followers behave similar to you do. As an artist who additionally listens to music, you will 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 wish 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 path that generates probably the most income.
8: You (most likely) received’t make a residing from one track. Give attention to constructing a catalog.
A lot of the impartial artists I’ve seen succeed through the years 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 in addition boosts the quantity of tracks that may be licensed, streamed, performed at concert events, and many others.
So each time they launched new music, their followers may return and take heed to previous 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) fully to the recorded music. We stay in a social second that thrives on engagement. A few of your finest incomes potentialities 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 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 persistently be on the degree you’d count on from a “common” job.
11. In an effort to maximize music income, you need to inform individuals precisely what to do.
As artists we wrestle to offer followers clear instructions. However individuals must be advised, proven, guided. That’s the facility of a giant, brilliant 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 one more 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 necessary to you, and supply easy directions on the best 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 nice. 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 an enormous video hit don’t all the time have an apparent solution to remodel that focus into true followers and prospects, not to mention a full-time residing.
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 id, passions, and skills. It’s about momentum, and it’s about the proper followers being there for the proper causes: As a result of they like what YOU do.
Don’t chase memes and developments. Discover a extra compelling solution to be YOU on digital camera. After which slowly construct your social advertising and marketing efforts round that. The continued course of will possible have a higher 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 can be just right for you.
Seeking to superstars for classes in success generally is a blended bag.
When Radiohead dropped In Rainbows without spending a dime almost 20 years in the past, each band wished to repeat the try. However they weren’t Radiohead. When Beyoncé launched a secret album, everybody wished to do secret albums. They weren’t Beyoncé.
When Drake launched a tough drive with… (properly, perhaps don’t attempt that one both).
The purpose is: There are economies of scale at play with celebrity artists. Meaning they don’t need to work as laborious 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 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 impartial music is stuffed with innovation, by necessity. You don’t have the identify, finances, or crew that superstars do. There could 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 ways, and even artistic approaches.
- And lastly, in the event 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 right this moment?
Try “75 methods to earn cash in music.”