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5 Ways To Actually Make Money As An Independent Musician In 2024

Posted: May 14, 2024

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Modern Musician and featured in their blog.

 

5 Ways to Actually Make Money 2


"You love making music and in order to keep moving forward, you need to create a sustainable income. So how do musicians make money from their music? It’s something a lot of independent artists struggle to do… but we’ve got answers!...I’d like to introduce you to a simple system that will help you to earn a real living from your music..."

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15 Ways To Greatly Reduce Stress When Releasing An Album

Posted: Mar 5, 2024

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by James Hill, a veteran of the music industry. He has worked at Warner Reprise Records and then Interscope/ Geffen Records and now helps indie artists with branding and manufacturing through his company Unified Manufacturing, a CD/DVD, custom vinyl records and merch company in LA.

 

15 Ways to Reduce Stress of Release
"So, you’ve finally decided to release an album. Wuhoo! But listen up – getting your album out there isn’t just about tossing it into the world. It’s more like planning a grand wedding for 1000 people – you need a solid plan. In this guide, we’re going through fifteen essential tips—covering everything from using digital tools to finding the right partners—to make your album release stress-free (or at least less stressful than usual). Let’s get started!"

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How Music Makes Money

Posted: Jun 15, 2022

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by David Andrew Wiebe, founder & CEO at The Music Entrepreneur HQ.

 

Howmusicmakesmoney


"Have you ever sat down to work out all the ways you could possibly make money with music? I have, and I was surprised at the sheer number of ways I came up with. If you’re new to the music business, then it’s not your fault that you don’t know all the secrets yet. So, in this guide we cover a variety of ways musicians make money."

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Making a Living as an Independent Artist

Posted: Sep 3, 2019

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Jake Shane, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who resides in Spain. He makes his living as an independent artist by touring around Europe. His fourth album will be released in October, 2019.

 

Jake Shane - Making A Living as an Indie


"A recent article by Larry Fitzmaurice titled “17 Indie Artists on Their Oddest Odd Jobs That Pay the Bills When Music Doesn’t” is by turns comforting and deflating to the indie musician...Contrastingly to me, none of those artists makes their living exclusively from music, and many of them actually lose money touring. So, what does this mean for musicians in general, and me specifically? Well, a variety of things, but I’ll limit myself to three important factors..."

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17 Unique Ways to Make Money as a Musician When Your Career Hits a Standstill

Posted: Feb 19, 2019

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Donna Maurer, a contributor on multiple music blogs and lover of creating helpful articles for her fellow musicians and music lovers.

 

Donna Maurer - 17 Ways to Make Money


"If you want to be successful as a musician today, you must learn to diversify your income streams. That way, when the live gigs and album sales slow down, you’ll still have money coming in from other areas to keep you going until things pick up...Here are some unique and creative ways to make money when your career hits a lull."

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The Sustainability of Music Streaming Platforms

Posted: May 29, 2018

Category: Music Streaming

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**Guest post written by Cameron of The Singer's Corner, a great place to learn a new approach to singing, receive tips to make you better, or learn ways to be the best of the best.

 

Cameron - The Singer's Corner


"In the present context, business sustainability refers to the overall business model and the decisions taken in the realm of financial and social aspects. Building a sustainable business is all about building a business with a long-term perspective in mind...Before we get into the part whether music streaming businesses are sustainable or not, let us briefly know the story of music streaming services..."

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The Top 20 Most Profitable Merch Items

Posted: Dec 18, 2017

Category: Merch

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**Guest post written by Glen Perry of Audio Mastered. He's been a musician for over 15 years and has done everything the hard way so you don't have to. You can find more advice and buying guides, such as the best Bluetooth transmitters, over at AudioMastered.com.

 

Audio Mastered Merch 1
"A common mistake bands and artists make is not paying attention to the economics of their merch table. Unfortunately, some bands shy away from a data-driven approach and only sell a few cliché merch items - think T-shirts. By taking a closer look at less expensive, but more profitable items, bands can add fresh additions to their revenue streams..."

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5 Reasons You’re Not Getting the Radio Airplay you were Promised

Posted: Aug 7, 2017

Category: Promotion

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**Guest post written by Michael Corcoran of musicSUBMIT.

 

5 Reasons No Radio MS
"Let’s say you’ve reached out to a few college and internet radio stations with your music...and - gasp - the Radio Station actually replied to say they listened and really dug your stuff...You’re still a few steps away from actually getting the airplay you’ve been promised. If you neglect these final steps, don’t be surprised if your song never gets played on that station."

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How to use Radio & Music Blogs to Promote Your Tour

Posted: Aug 29, 2016

Category: Promotion

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**Guest post written by Michael Corcoran of musicSUBMIT.

 

Use Radio & Music Blogs to Promo
"It’s best to start promoting before you hit the road, but if you’ve already departed for the first town, you can still find ways to promote the very next show and increase your chances of a successful tour...Here’s one secret: Invite the local music industry folks to come out to your shows...Here’s what you do:"

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The Ultimate Guide to Selling Band Merch Online

Posted: Apr 4, 2016

Category: Merch

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**Guest Post written by Jon Ostrow, Director of Sales at Bandsintown, Founder of MicControl, lover of all things music, a raging Phish head, and a coffee addict. Also featured on Bandzoogle.com.

 

Get Gigs Bandzoogle
"Bandzoogle members have now crossed $20 Million in direct-to-fan sales through their websites (commission-free!). This comprehensive guide will show you how to set up an online merch store for your own band, and give you some ideas for the different types of merch you can sell to your fans."

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Merch Makes The Difference

Posted: May 4, 2015

Category: Merch

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**Guest post written by Carlos Castillo of Schwilly Family Musicians - music marketing strategist, web designer, live performance recordist, international road-tripper, lap steel player, and Captain of the Schwilly Family.

 

""Don't rely on the promoters. As long as you put on a killer show and have killer merch, you'll always have enough gas to make it to the next stop"...The bottom line is that if you want to be a professional musician, you should have a solid merch setup and promote it effectively at your gigs. Because it might be the only money you make that night..."

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Spotify or Physical CDs: What's better for the music creators?

Posted: Feb 3, 2014

Category: Digital vs. Physical

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**Guest post written by Danny Schmitz, an indy musician, writer, and connoisseur of all things Mexican food.

 

Pirate
"I had a conversation via email with a friend from LA, and another friend living in Singapore. All three of us are musicians and frequently talk about the current state of the music industry. We were talking about the streaming music subscription service Spotify..."

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