In this podcast, I’ll be talking about how you should monetize your music. You need to come up with a good plan to do this.
Now, you’re probably thinking, “How can you make money out of music that is typically free?” being, rap and hip-hop mixtapes are usually free on the internet, right?
So there’s no way someone can make music for something that is typically free, right?
Wrong!
There are tons of ways to make money out of your music, you just have to know how.
I’ll be sharing my best tips and tricks to you guys on how and what you need to do to monetize your music, but there are two very integral factors that you need to have before you can start making money and doing any of these steps.
Learn how to build up your Instagram followers using follow adder software. What the tutorials right here.
Music Marketing: Where Do I Begin?
KEY FACTORS
While I was on those sites, I was sending my fans to other areas where I was competing with others, which isn’t what you want when you want to be well known.
When there are changes and updates to be made on these websites, you had no say in what they are or how they affect you, which isn’t good if you’re trying to get your name out to numerous people.
You can easily create a website of your own. Buying your domain name is a great way to start, or if you don’t have the money yet, you can check out my course on my website on how to set up your own website with WordPress.
It doesn’t take long to set one up and it’s all for free, until you have enough money to buy and make your own. Don’t worry if it isn’t as amazing as you’d want it to look.
My first website wasn’t all that amazing but after a few more tries and tutorials on how to get your website looking better and better with coding and such, you’ll have a website you’d be proud off, where the only focus is you and your music along with your fans being able to interact even more directly with you.
Email Marketing In Music
The second thing you’ll need is an e-mail list.
Now, I talked about this in a previous episode so you don’t have to worry about me rambling on about it in this one. You can either just go back to the last episode or go and check out the course I have on it on my website. It’s free and it’s helpful. So big win-win situation.
The great thing about an e-mail list is that you get to bounce the traffic back from your site to your e-mails and vice versa, so you don’t have to worry about losing any followers or a dip in your views. There are tons of ways to gain an e-mail list, and I’ll explain one way how to, later.
Now, if you have everything ready, then let’s get on with the methods on how to monetize your mixtapes. There are a number of ways to do so, so you’ll never run out of things to do if you want to get money through your music.
METHODS
Music Licensing
Now, the first thing to do is get your music licensed. If you want your music played anywhere, they’ll need to be licensed or else you and whatever business is playing the music will be in legal trouble.
Why?
Because when your music is being played, you and whoever published your music are owed royalties. If you’re serious about your music career, then you’ll seriously need to look into getting your music, which is your property, licensed.
In this instance, make sure you’re signed to a PRO (Performance Rights Organizations). These are the people who collect your royalties on your behalf and make sure you’re paid when your music is used, which includes air play on the radio, TV air time, commercials and even public places.
Visit Local Radios/College Radios
These are the places to go if you want to get exposed or want to get paid, even if it’s a small amount.
Local radios are always looking for hip hop music to play in the background whenever an advertisement is played, so why not head over with your mixtape and let them take a listen.
Don’t worry if you don’t get placed immediately, just keep trying over time, but don’t start spamming the radio station.
The same can be said for college radio, but for a smaller audience percentage.
They’re more inclined to help local artists than big names in the industry. Another thing you can ask from a college radio is if there is an open mic night where you could perform your music.
Now, you might not get paid but you at least could get exposure, along with the chance to plug your merchandise, and even your event! (If you have one)
Events
Events are a great way to get money, provided you have people who come.
To make things easier, find another local artist so you can split the work of setting up the event. You also need to find
professionals to handle the technical side of the event so you can focus on performing instead of setting the lights and mic.
You can actually create an e-mail list during an event. Get an iPad or any device or even a piece of
paper and go around the audience, asking for them to subscribe to you and while you’re performing,
anyone else who’s working with you can do the job.
Apart from obtaining the e-mail list, you also start building a fan base who choose to support you. Learn how to build an email list by read out email marketing for musicians Guide here.
Merchandise
Artists are afraid of having their own merchandise… who isn’t?
There’s a constant fear in the back of everyone’s heads about not selling all the shirts, mugs, and even stickers that they’ll create, sitting in the basement of their mother’s house, collecting dust and dirt over the months.
There’s a great service that takes out all the grunt work of creating the merchandise, from the printing to the packing and shipping out. It’s called Printora, and they make your merchandise based on the number of orders you receive.
After that, they take care of everything else and you don’t
have anything to worry about.
As a last little tip, go check out PayUsNoMind on YouTube. They were a guest on one of my previous blogs and give amazing advice for artists on the rise. Their videos are very informative on what to do and where to go when you’re just starting out, so why not go and take a look?
Now, those are just some tips to getting your money from the music you created. There will be a second part to this where I talk more about what to do to monetize your work, so check back soon.
