How to Make Money as a Musician: 8 Ways to Earn Beyond Streaming

I once asked the musicians in my Instagram broadcast channel a question: what's your goal with music money?

I expected most people to pick a side income, or to say they weren't focused on money at all. I was wrong. 73% said they want music to be their full-time income.

That changed how I wanted to approach this topic. If three out of four musicians want to make a living from music, we need to have an honest conversation about how that happens.

The uncomfortable math

Spotify pays somewhere around $0.003 to $0.005 per stream. That means you need roughly 200,000 to 330,000 streams to make $1,000.

If your latest song has a few thousand streams, I'm not saying this to discourage you. I'm saying it so we can skip the fantasy and talk about what pays the bills.

For most independent musicians, streaming is not an income plan. Streams are useful for algorithm credibility, playlist consideration and pitching to venues. But they won't cover your rent until you're operating at a massive scale, and that takes years.

You can check the math for your own songs with my free royalty calculator.

So if streaming isn't the answer, what is?

8 ways to earn money from music right now

1. Teaching other musicians.

When I looked, Steve Down from Exeter Guitar Lessons had 219 paying patrons on Patreon, earning an estimated $944 to $9,322 a month from guitar tutorials. Platforms like Skillshare, Udemy and TakeLessons let you charge £30 to £100 an hour for one-on-one lessons, or build courses that earn passive income.

2. Selling your skills directly.

Session work on platforms like SoundBetter, Fiverr and AirGigs pays £50 to £250 or more per job. Set up profiles there to offer production, mixing or session work.

Or reach out to other musicians on Instagram and see how you can help them. Making connections is the fastest way to grow in any industry.

3. Playing shows.

This is still where most working musicians make their money. Regular local and regional bookings change your financial picture completely. Focus on relationships with venues and promoters, because they book the musicians who make their lives easier. I talked about exactly this with Grayson Repp, FIFA's head DJ, on my podcast.

4. Sync licensing.

Sync means getting your music into films, TV shows, ads, video games and podcasts. One good placement can pay more than months of streaming. Music supervisors want something distinctive, so a clear brand gives you a financial advantage. Platforms like Musicbed, Artlist and Songtradr can help you get started.

5. Merch.

Merch works at every level, and print-on-demand services mean you don't pay anything upfront. A small, loyal audience buying hoodies is worth more than a big passive audience that only streams, and every person wearing your name is a walking advertisement.

You can start with a free platform like Spreadshop. It might not be a lot of money at first, but with the right marketing it can grow.

6. A paid community.

Platforms like Ko-fi and Patreon let your biggest fans pay for more access, like behind-the-scenes content, early releases and exclusive sessions. 100 people paying $5 a month is $500 a month, which is more than most independent artists make from streaming. And the people in that community become your most invested fans.

7. Brand partnerships.

Once your engagement is consistent, music gear companies will pay to reach your audience. Engagement in a clear niche matters more than millions of followers. I've seen musicians with a few hundred followers get small brand deals.

Make a list of 100 brands whose products you use, like DAWs, plugins and guitars, and ask each one if they're open to a UGC deal.

8. Playlist curation.

Building Spotify playlists is a business. Platforms like SubmitHub pay curators to review songs, and I've been doing it for years. I've reviewed over 50,000 song submissions as a curator, and it's a steady income that funds my music career while helping other artists get heard.

I broke down how it works in Inside My $4,000/Month Playlist Business. And if you want to build your own, I teach the whole system in Label Level Playlists.

Pick one and start this week

None of these are quick, but all of them work, and all of them are open to you right now, whatever stage you're at.

There's no magic button that makes money easy. First you need to work on your mindset and your priorities, and then you go all in and make it work.

So pick one of these 8 and write down one concrete action you can take this week.

Your music might be art, but your career is a business. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can make money doing what you love.

You can hear me talk more about money in this episode of More Than Streams.

A content idea to try: post a GIF that matches this

Play an instrument or perform your song, and add a simple caption like "Post a GIF that matches this vibe." It gives people an easy, fun reason to comment.

The more unique, weird or slightly controversial the video feels, the better it tends to do.