Musician Income Streams

G

galacticboy

Registered Loser
As sales of recorded music continue to decline, and as more and more artists are finding success outside the Big 4 record labels, it helps to keep in mind all the avenues that independent musicians can use to generate income from their music.

I found this via Hypebot


  • Publishing
  • Mechanical royalties
  • Performance Royalties from ASCAP and BMI
  • Digital Performance Royalties from Sound Exchange
  • Synch rights TV, Commercials, Movies, Video Games
  • Digital sales – Individual or by combination
  • Music (studio & live) Album – Physical & Digital, Single – Digital, Ringtone, Ringback, Podcasts
  • Instant Post Gig Live Recording via download, mobile streaming or flash drives
  • Video – Live, concept, personal, – Physical & Digital
  • Video and Internet Games featuring or about the artist
  • Photographs
  • Graphics and art work, screen savers, wall paper
  • Lyrics
  • Sheet music
  • Compilations
  • Merchandise – Clothes, USB packs, Posters, other things
  • Live Performances
  • Live Show – Gig
  • Live Show – After Party
  • Meet and Greet
  • Personal Appearance
  • Studio Session Work
  • Sponsorships, and endorsements
  • Advertising
  • Artist newsletter emails
  • Artist marketing and promotion materials
  • Blog/Website
  • Videos
  • Music Player
  • Fan Clubs
  • YouTube Subscription channel for more popular artists
  • Artist programmed internet radio station or specialty playlist. Any artist with a base creates a station or playlist for distribution programming the music he/she/they is/are into including their own. Fans could pay for shout outs and sponsors could pay for blocks of time or ads to support it. It could also be a subscription podcast that people could pay a couple of bucks or more a month for.
  • Financial Contributions of Support - Tip Jar or direct donations, Sellaband or Kickstarter
  • Patronage Model - Artist Fan Exclusives - e.g. paying to sing on a song in studio or have artist write a song for you
  • Mobile Apps
  • Artist Specific Revenue Stream - unique streams customized to the specific artist, e.g Amanda Palmer
  • Music Teaching - Lessons and Workshops
  • Music Employment - orchestras, etc, choir directors, ministers of music, etc.
  • Music Production - Studio and Live
  • Any job available to survive and keep making music
  • Getting Help From Other Artists and Helping Them - Whatever goes around come around. – e.g. gig swapping, songwriting, marketing and promotion

This is just a start, obviously there are many other ways for musicians to make money. Any ideas?
 
good **** n i think video games gonna have a big part in the future
 
The only people that know that the Big 4 record labels are slowly going downhill, are the musicians themsevles who take the time to notice.

Most of the people that matter, the consumers, still are pretty clueless, and to me that shows that they have a chance. I mean, yes, sales have decreased, but new pop artists continue to be signed and become commercially successful all the time.
 
Dudes need to find new hustles. I've said it a million times before. You can put your own songs on iTunes. You can promote yourself. You can distribute your own albums. The difference is, labels used to have hundreds of thousands to match your thousands. Nowadays they don't.

I can drop my own sh*t this Tues using my own budget, sell a good 1,500 units and make Billboard top 40 because no one else is dropping!!!!

I can get radio clearance alot easier, because no one's putting out new songs!!!!!

I can get fans because fans want music!!!!!

Even without the best sales, you can capitalize to the point you're well enough known to do shows when you want for money. To be invited to collab with other artists for money. To have your records put in film, on TV, or in movies. Hve people familiarize with your song enough to want it as a ringtone or want it on their iPod.

And when you do it all yourself, you keep 60-70% of the profits vs. doing it for a label where you keep 3-12%. Having 60% of 1,500 units profit is the equivalent of having 6% of 15,000 units(even though on a major that would most likely leave you in the red). And we're living in a time where majors do that on a good day.

Quit waiting for those dudes in the office to give you a call. They won't, they don't know what to do with you anymore. Figure out what to do with yourselves.:cheers:
 
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