If you want to make money from music, you have to treat it like a business.
Sometimes the business of music plays by “normal rules”, but more often than not, it doesn’t.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Because music differentiates itself in so many ways (and really, art, in general), we don’t have to jump through a lot of the same hoops that more “traditional” businesses do.
And this is a good thing.
So let’s simplify the process and look at three simple steps to move from master in hand to money in your pocket.
Create something they’ll love
Every business starts with awareness, music included.
No one ever bought anything they didn’t know existed.
Ever.
So step one is to make sure people know you exist.
Fortunately, with music, this can be as simple as creating art others will love.
A great song does the work of a whole smattering of elements in traditional business.
We win here.
The fastest way to earn attention is to create great work.
The fastest way to create great work is to create a lot of it.
Make music.
Make a ton.
Become prolific.
Fail fast.
Fail often.
But most importantly, fail forward.
Every song you create, mix, master, release, and promote is an opportunity to learn.
Learn what to do next time.
And what not to do.
Eventually, assuming you don’t quit, you’ll discover what works for you and what resonates with your audience.
Now you’ve found your “sound”.
Give them a reason to care
This next part is a bit more nuanced than the first.
Out of all the songs in the world, why should someone care about yours?
And more importantly, out of all the artists in the world, why should someone care about you?
This is a question worth asking yourself.
What sets you apart from the pack?
What makes you unique?
Short answer: your story.
Yes, it starts with great music, but that’s not always enough to win people over for life.
You have to go deeper.
Who you are, what you do, how you create, what inspires you, how you think, the way you see the world—all of these things are unique identifiers that combine to formulate the one-of-a-kind artist that is you.
So share those things.
Give people a peek behind the curtain.
Give them the details of your writing and recording processes.
Transparency wins.
Don’t shy away from it.
Lean into it.
Combine who you are with what you create to give your audience a true reason to fall in love with what you do.
Deliver something of value
If we want to earn a living from music, we have to monetize our work.
There, I said it.
Please don’t be afraid to monetize your work.
Ignore anyone who tells you it’s wrong to make money from your art.
That’s not the way the world works.
You have this crowd of people who love what you do and care about your journey.
You may not believe it, but they want to support you.
Because they want you to keep creating the art they so desperately love and need.
And they want to use their merch pickups, live event tickets, and online communities to connect with other diehards just like them.
It is the idea behind your work that brings people together.
How it makes your audience feel.
So build a world around your work, then offer ways for your audience to pour back into you, just as you pour into them.
Give them value through merchandise, live shows, and anything else you can think of.
If you can do these things—and do them well—you may just be on the cusp of building a business out of your passion for making music.
And what could be better than that?
If you want to make money from music, you have to treat it like a business.
Sometimes the business of music plays by “normal rules”, but more often than not, it doesn’t.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Because music differentiates itself in so many ways (and really, art, in general), we don’t have to jump through a lot of the same hoops that more “traditional” businesses do.
And this is a good thing.
So let’s simplify the process and look at three simple steps to move from master in hand to money in your pocket.
Create something they’ll love
Every business starts with awareness, music included.
No one ever bought anything they didn’t know existed.
Ever.
So step one is to make sure people know you exist.
Fortunately, with music, this can be as simple as creating art others will love.
A great song does the work of a whole smattering of elements in traditional business.
We win here.
The fastest way to earn attention is to create great work.
The fastest way to create great work is to create a lot of it.
Make music.
Make a ton.
Become prolific.
Fail fast.
Fail often.
But most importantly, fail forward.
Every song you create, mix, master, release, and promote is an opportunity to learn.
Learn what to do next time.
And what not to do.
Eventually, assuming you don’t quit, you’ll discover what works for you and what resonates with your audience.
Now you’ve found your “sound”.
Give them a reason to care
This next part is a bit more nuanced than the first.
Out of all the songs in the world, why should someone care about yours?
And more importantly, out of all the artists in the world, why should someone care about you?
This is a question worth asking yourself.
What sets you apart from the pack?
What makes you unique?
Short answer: your story.
Yes, it starts with great music, but that’s not always enough to win people over for life.
You have to go deeper.
Who you are, what you do, how you create, what inspires you, how you think, the way you see the world—all of these things are unique identifiers that combine to formulate the one-of-a-kind artist that is you.
So share those things.
Give people a peek behind the curtain.
Give them the details of your writing and recording processes.
Transparency wins.
Don’t shy away from it.
Lean into it.
Combine who you are with what you create to give your audience a true reason to fall in love with what you do.
Deliver something of value
If we want to earn a living from music, we have to monetize our work.
There, I said it.
Please don’t be afraid to monetize your work.
Ignore anyone who tells you it’s wrong to make money from your art.
That’s not the way the world works.
You have this crowd of people who love what you do and care about your journey.
You may not believe it, but they want to support you.
Because they want you to keep creating the art they so desperately love and need.
And they want to use their merch pickups, live event tickets, and online communities to connect with other diehards just like them.
It is the idea behind your work that brings people together.
How it makes your audience feel.
So build a world around your work, then offer ways for your audience to pour back into you, just as you pour into them.
Give them value through merchandise, live shows, and anything else you can think of.
If you can do these things—and do them well—you may just be on the cusp of building a business out of your passion for making music.
And what could be better than that?
If you want to make money from music, you have to treat it like a business.
Sometimes the business of music plays by “normal rules”, but more often than not, it doesn’t.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Because music differentiates itself in so many ways (and really, art, in general), we don’t have to jump through a lot of the same hoops that more “traditional” businesses do.
And this is a good thing.
So let’s simplify the process and look at three simple steps to move from master in hand to money in your pocket.
Create something they’ll love
Every business starts with awareness, music included.
No one ever bought anything they didn’t know existed.
Ever.
So step one is to make sure people know you exist.
Fortunately, with music, this can be as simple as creating art others will love.
A great song does the work of a whole smattering of elements in traditional business.
We win here.
The fastest way to earn attention is to create great work.
The fastest way to create great work is to create a lot of it.
Make music.
Make a ton.
Become prolific.
Fail fast.
Fail often.
But most importantly, fail forward.
Every song you create, mix, master, release, and promote is an opportunity to learn.
Learn what to do next time.
And what not to do.
Eventually, assuming you don’t quit, you’ll discover what works for you and what resonates with your audience.
Now you’ve found your “sound”.
Give them a reason to care
This next part is a bit more nuanced than the first.
Out of all the songs in the world, why should someone care about yours?
And more importantly, out of all the artists in the world, why should someone care about you?
This is a question worth asking yourself.
What sets you apart from the pack?
What makes you unique?
Short answer: your story.
Yes, it starts with great music, but that’s not always enough to win people over for life.
You have to go deeper.
Who you are, what you do, how you create, what inspires you, how you think, the way you see the world—all of these things are unique identifiers that combine to formulate the one-of-a-kind artist that is you.
So share those things.
Give people a peek behind the curtain.
Give them the details of your writing and recording processes.
Transparency wins.
Don’t shy away from it.
Lean into it.
Combine who you are with what you create to give your audience a true reason to fall in love with what you do.
Deliver something of value
If we want to earn a living from music, we have to monetize our work.
There, I said it.
Please don’t be afraid to monetize your work.
Ignore anyone who tells you it’s wrong to make money from your art.
That’s not the way the world works.
You have this crowd of people who love what you do and care about your journey.
You may not believe it, but they want to support you.
Because they want you to keep creating the art they so desperately love and need.
And they want to use their merch pickups, live event tickets, and online communities to connect with other diehards just like them.
It is the idea behind your work that brings people together.
How it makes your audience feel.
So build a world around your work, then offer ways for your audience to pour back into you, just as you pour into them.
Give them value through merchandise, live shows, and anything else you can think of.
If you can do these things—and do them well—you may just be on the cusp of building a business out of your passion for making music.
And what could be better than that?
Take the next step
Read the Newsletter: Explore previous issues of The One Thing to learn at your own pace and upgrade your marketing knowledge for free.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a one-on-one call with me to improve your marketing across paid advertising, social media, and more.
Become a Client: Hire our team to manage your marketing across streaming platforms and social media so you can focus on what matters most—making music.
Take a Course: Join the hundreds of artists who have successfully learned to automate their growth on Spotify using paid ads on Instagram.
Take the next step
Read the Newsletter: Explore previous issues of The One Thing to learn at your own pace and upgrade your marketing knowledge for free.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a one-on-one call with me to improve your marketing across paid advertising, social media, and more.
Become a Client: Hire our team to manage your marketing across streaming platforms and social media so you can focus on what matters most—making music.
Take a Course: Join the hundreds of artists who have successfully learned to automate their growth on Spotify using paid ads on Instagram.
Take the next step
Read the Newsletter: Explore previous issues of The One Thing to learn at your own pace and upgrade your marketing knowledge for free.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a one-on-one call with me to improve your marketing across paid advertising, social media, and more.
Become a Client: Hire our team to manage your marketing across streaming platforms and social media so you can focus on what matters most—making music.
Take a Course: Join the hundreds of artists who have successfully learned to automate their growth on Spotify using paid ads on Instagram.