Time was if you wanted to become a recording artist it was a long, hard struggle. You had to make a demo tape, send it round to all the record companies and pray that they’d even listen to it – let alone consider giving you a deal.
Make money from music? Here’s how…
Thankfully all that has changed! Now, courtesy of the Internet it’s easier than ever before to become a recording artist or make money from music.
It’s all thanks to the growing number of online music distribution services. Basically what these services do is take your song and distribute it to the growing number of online music stores so that music lovers can buy directly from you, without needing a music publisher. They can even register it with the music charts for you, gaining valuable publicity for your release.
Start with some music. You can record and sell whatever kind of music you like. Safe to say it needs to have artistic merit. Do you think your song is something music fans will actively want to listen to and seek out? That’s a good start.
It doesn’t need to be technically perfect, but it does need to pass a certain minimum standard.
You can either sell your own music this way or do a deal with a singer or band. However, it’s very important that you own the copyright to the music you upload. In some cases you can sell cover versions and remixes using these methods, but not always.
Package your song up professionally. You’ll probably need some artwork to serve the same purpose as a record/CD cover and a bio of the artist/band. Something to pull in possible new fans from the outset.
Now you can upload your song to your choice of music distribution service. Here’s how these usually work: They submit your music to all the different online stores where it can be sold as either a download or a stream. If someone buys your tune these stores pay out a fee. The distribution services pay that back to you. Some services charge commission, others charge a monthly subscription fee.
These distribution services can also register your song with the various music charts. If it does well then, as well as sales, you could get a lot of publicity this way.
Here’s just one music distribution service to try: Dittomusic.
They can distribute your song to iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Spotify, Nokia, BBM Music, Medianet, 7 Digital, HMV and many more stores around the world. They charge a monthly fee (depending on exactly which services you use which starts at less than a tenner – there is even a basic free service). They don’t deduct any commission from your royalties.
More tips. You aren’t guaranteed overnight success (or even any success) with these services. How well your song will do and how much (or little) money you’ll make depends on how many people are willing to buy it, as ever. But these services are certainly a much easier way of getting your music out to the public than back in the good old days of The Beatles or The Bee Gees!
If you want to maximise your sales you probably need to do other publicity, such as get reviews or set up a website or blog. You might also consider giving away free downloads to generate publicity.