How Much Money Can We Musicians Earn Online

[Zed McJack]

I didn't realize you could earn money on Soundcloud.

Not yet, but they are introducing adds, and new account type for earning through adds.

I was just comparing plays on SoundCloud to Youtube or  Spotify and recent comments.

[Glenn Allen]

I think the music industry is extremely complicated by what you guys are saying, is there a simpler guide to getting herd, maybe sending a cd to virgin records or entering competitions?

 

The simplest answer is that you are barking up the wrong tree.   The old model of "getting discovered" or signed by a major label is pretty much dead, statistically improbable, and commonly considered a bad idea.  For the sake of discussion, let's say it wasn't.  

 

To get your song heard, you can't simply mail a cd to a record label.  You have to have a lawyer solicit it for you or know someone at the label who would do you a favor.  You would also need a press kit, web presence, and a way to stand out against the flood of other cd's and press kits that the label receives.  Furthermore, the label won't be interested in picking you up unless you have already established some notoriety in your market, generated a decent amount of sales from previous album releases, and have a significant mailing list and following.

 

It is also pretty rare to get "discovered" at a gig.  Labels don't send talent scouts out to venues to find the latest talent in the way the used to.  The web has made this largely unnecessary.

 

Competitions might be a good way to get some exposure, and they will certainly refine your performances over time if you take criticism to heart, but I have friends who have done them and it hasn't done anything for them. These same friends of mine are on indie labels, have their music on MTV shows and dramas like Grey's Anatomy, and a Target commercial, but this all came out of constant gigging, touring, writing, and -more importantly- networking.  

 

All of them made friends/got jobs with right people and worked harder than everyone around them.  That is how my friend Jenny got to be tour manager of Bjork and Arcade Fire, My friend Noel's drummer is Arcade Fir's touring drummer, my friend Brian has record credits on albums from everyone from DMX to Annie Lennox and was nominated for a Grammy two years in a row,  and my friend Paul has his music pre-loaded onto Zune MP3 players and his music videos were featured on MTV2.  Paul is the one whose infectously catchy song "Blogspot" was featured in this ad, (which is a pity for me because I left the band - on good terms - to move to California shortly before the song was recorded).

 

So if you're looking for success in the old sense of the word, play often, tour, build a following, make friends with other bands, engineers, etc. and consider moving to a larger market.  My friends and I all met in Boston and moved to New York and LA

Edited September 17, 2014 by Glenn Allen

[Glenn Allen]

I should say that while we were still in college, Paul was courting the former NKOTB manager/lawyer by setting up a largely promoted gig with an audience made up mostly of friends and showcased his band at their first gig.  They had rehearsed frequently for almost a year before finally playing a show, and they were very well polished.  Paul eventually got signed by a small division of Sony.  

 

They ended up, like so many other young bands, in debt thanks to their advance, initially unable to recoup recording, promotion, and limo/food/hotel/touring expenses,incurred in the UK.  The band broke up after the label "shelved" their debut album.  

 

When I joined his band, Paul and the Patients, we decided to avoid the labels and just perform like crazy all around Manhattan and build a name for the band.  Before I left, we opened up for the RZA, which was weird and exciting.  

 

I should note that Paul is hands down the most talented singer and songwriter I know, I'd rate him on a level on par with my favorite famous musicians, which I know is a bold statement.  That said, you've probably never heard of him or his bands the Merrickans, Paul and the Patients, Pitty Sing, or Adrienne Drake.

 

I don't say this to deter you or take the wind out of your sails, but simply to make you think about reconsidering what success really means in music.  When we're young, we think fame, getting signed, and having our songs on the radio is IT.  There's so much more you can do with music, and just because we don't reach fame in our career, it doesn't mean we've failed or we aren't successful.

[Glenn Allen]

Good point Tom.  Getting heard by a label doesn't equate to sales online either.  Back to the original topic, like blogging, writing, painting, or any other content creation, there are taste makers and gatekeepers.  Project2wo is onto something, maybe just not the right channel.  You can boost your online sales with the right gatekeepers.

 

Again this comes down to networking, and that is done differently online.  It's a good idea to send your music to online reviewers and influential blogs that involve your musical style or tastes.  Again, a (digital) press kit would be good to have, a website is also important, but don't expect that you can just send off your music and they will rave about you on their next post.  

 

Start out by contacting them and adding some value. Perhaps send them a link to a video they might like but haven't seen of an artist they have written about that they enjoy or an interesting cover they haven't heard. Compliment them on something specific that they wrote that influenced you to download the album or about a review that resonated with you on an emotional level, or find another sincere way to show that you know what they do, who they are, and what they are about.  Don't ask them for anything the first time you contact them.  They are busy, respect their time and keep it brief.

[starise]

I know I'd have a better chance to make money online by monetizing some funny video of my cat than I would with my music.  Here, kitty-kitty!

 

A funny kitty video might be a great place to place a song...or maybe not.....whats that popular song recently that went viral? Called " Whats the Fox Say" or something like that. How about, " Whats The Cat Say"?......second thought...scratch that

[Zed McJack]

This guy combined music with... kitty, ok its not kitty but its some kind of pet.. sort of.

And there you go ... 7.000.000 views!

So we can actually earn by performing music to certain "fans" if we are smart huh?

 

If I go out and play I suspect the biggest group of people that will come to my concert would be local police force. lol

 

 

 

[starise]

Zed.LOL!!  That's one way to get an audience.

 

Here is the video I mentioned in case you never seen it. Who would have thought.