Many people’s musical hobby can be turned into a money-maker.
There has been a history of musicians and composers who have turned their passion into a profitable business.
With the recent technological advancements, composition and production are more accessible and convenient than ever before.
Distribution
The first step of earning money with your musical hobby is to distribute your musical creations.
Without people knowing about your songs, they will not be able to purchase or use them.
YouTube is the most notable website that allows users to upload their music and share them with viewers, however, it does not provide the opportunity for revenue generation.
If people can download your song or use it without paying, you will not earn any money.
There are many avenues for distribution, depending on the type of sound that is being created and what the goal of its distribution is.
Going With Helpful Websites
If you want to be known as a musician online, then having an account with websites like Soundcloud or ReverbNation can help your artistry reach more viewers than just uploading videos on YouTube because these sites allow listeners to find new songs by searching through entire libraries rather than getting suggestions based off their previous activity.
The sites also provide statistics about who has watched, downloaded, shared, liked, or disliked your creation which can help improve future projects.
By creating accounts with these websites and sharing online through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, the audience for your musical creations will increase.
YouTube Partnership Program
Another way that musicians earn money is through joining YouTube’s partnership program where viewers can watch videos ad-free after paying a monthly fee.
This is beneficial for the musician because they earn a percentage of the monthly revenue based on how many views their videos receive.
However, to join this program, you need at least 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours of watch time over the past twelve months.
Doing Paid Deals
If you are willing to let others use your songs or put them in advertisements without getting money yourself, then some websites can help with the distribution of those recordings.
For example, AudioMicro allows people to find royalty-free tracks by searching through their large library of professional compositions which can be used on websites.
However, if someone wants to purchase a track for their YouTube video advertisement on Facebook or have it played in a television show on NBC, they need to contact AudioMicro directly for permission.
Using Your Voice
Since the start of YouTube back in 2005, there has been an increasing number of people who have earned money with their singing talents.
The most notable example is the T-Series’ “Bollywood Dance Scene Challenge”, where participants compete by creating covers of songs from Bollywood films, and whoever gets the most views wins a cash prize.
If viewers like your cover enough, you could get subscribers and become recognized on social media platforms which can lead to many more opportunities down the road.
Having A Merchandise Store
Some websites sell merchandise such as t-shirts and CDs to promote artists.
These sites include BandMerch and Threadless which allow users to search through a large database of pre-made designs to choose from or upload their own artwork.
The website then prints the design on a variety of items that can be sold as a package or individually depending on what you want for your fans.
This will also help expand your audience because the merch will be exposed to even more people.
Getting A Job In Music
If you are not satisfied with the revenue that you are receiving from your music, then many other job opportunities can be found within the industry.
You can produce music for an album in a recording studio, write songs for artists to sing at concerts, play instruments in a band or orchestra, become a songwriter who composes lyrics and melodies throughout the day, be an audio engineer who sets up microphones and takes care of cables backstage during concerts or work behind-the-scenes in radio broadcasting.
You can also start working at a record-selling store to learn more about how records are distributed and sold there.
There are endless possibilities when it comes to making money through your musical hobby depending on how dedicated you are to pursuing it as a profession.
There have been many success stories where people have gained popularity by becoming singers or playing in bands but even if you are shy or do not have a stage presence, there are still many other things you can do to make money in the tech age.