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Published 3 days agoΒ β’Β 5 min read
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Welcome [back] to another week of your weekly dose πΆ
Every Tuesday, Iβll be sharing tips, updates, and must-know music marketing insights to help you get your music heard!
Yesterday, I asked a question in my Instagram broadcast channel:What's your goal with music money?
I expected most musicians to pick "side income" or "not focused on money at all."
I was wrong. 73% of you said you want music to be your full-time income. β
That completely shifted how I wanted to approach this topic, because if three out of four musicians reading this want to make a living from music, we need to have an honest conversation about how that happens.
Let me start with the uncomfortable math that every musician needs to hear -
At around $0.003 per stream on Spotify, you need 200,000-300,000 streams to make $1,000.
If your latest song has a few thousand streams, I'm not saying this to discourage you - I'm saying it so we can skip the fantasy and talk about what... Pays the bills. Because that's what most of you want, right?
Streaming isn't a revenue strategy for most independent musicians.
Streams are useful for algorithm credibility, playlist consideration, and pitching to venues. But as a way to pay rent? π€ Not until you're operating at a massive scale, which takes years to reach.
So if streaming isn't the answer, what is? β
Here are my favorite 8 ways to build income right now as a musician:
β Teaching other musicians: Steve Down from Exeter Guitar Lessons has 219 paid patrons on Patreon, generating an estimated $944-$9,322 monthly from guitar tutorials. Platforms like Skillshare, Udemy, and TakeLessons let you charge Β£30-Β£100/hour for one-on-one lessons, or create courses that earn passive income.
β β Selling your talent directly: Session work on platforms like SoundBetter, Fiverr, and AirGigs pays Β£50-Β£250+ per work. Set up profiles on those platforms to offer production, mixing, or session work. Or... Reach out to other musicians on Instagram and see how you can help them! Creating connections is the #1 way for fast growth in any industry.
β ββ Performing live: Still, where most working musicians make their money. Building consistent local and regional bookings changes your financial picture completely. Focus on relationships with venues and promoters - they book musicians who make their lives easier. In episode 8 of my podcast, we talked exactly about that (:
β ββ Sync licensing: Getting your music in films, TV, ads, video games, and podcasts. One well-placed sync can pay more than months of streaming. Music supervisors want distinctive, not generic, so having a clear brand gives you a financial advantage. Platforms like Musicbed, Artlist, and Songtradr can help you get started!
β ββ Merch: Works at every level. Print-on-demand services mean no upfront costs. A small, loyal audience buying hoodies is worth more than a large passive audience that just streams. Plus, every person wearing your name is a walking advertisement! You can start with a free platform like Spreadshop. It might not be a lot of money if you're just starting out, but slowly, with the right marketing, you can make it work for you.
β ββ Paid community: Platforms like Ko-fi and Patreon let your biggest fans pay for more access. Behind-the-scenes content, early releases, exclusive sessions. 100 people paying $5/month = $500/month - more than most independent artists make from streaming. The people in that community become your most invested fans too!
β ββ Brand partnerships: Once you have consistent engagement, music gear companies will pay to reach your audience. You don't need millions of followers - you need engagement in a clear niche. Start small and build from there - I've seen musicians with 100s followers getting small brand deals. You can reach out to 100 different brands whose products you use (DAWs, plugins, guitars) and see if they are open for a UGC deal. β
β Playlist curation: Building Spotify playlists is a business. Platforms like SubmitHub pay curators to review songs, and I've been doing this for years. It's a consistent income that funds my music career while helping other artists get heard. If you want to get started today, check out my online course. If you focus on growing a playlist this month, I can 100% proimise that you will be able to monetize it!
β βNone of these are quick, but all of them work, and all are available to you right now at whatever stage you're at.
There is no magic button that will help you make money easily - so first, you need to work on your mindset and priorities. And then, go all-in and make it work.
Pick one of these 8 strategies and write down one concrete action you can take this week - and if you need more help, reply to this email and let me know what's stopping you from monetizing your career :)
Your music might be art, but your career is business. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can make money doing what you love.
This is a great way to get people to engage with your music - play an instrument or perform your song, and add a simple caption like βPost a GIF that matches this sound/vibe/lyrics.β
The more unique, weird, or slightly controversial your video feels, the better it tends to perform.
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Thatβs it for this week! Hope todayβs email gave you something useful to work with.
Until next week, Finch πΆ
P.S. Newsletters arenβt social media - I canβt see what youβre enjoying unless you tell me. Hit reply and let me know what you liked (or didnβt) - Iβd love to hear from you! π
ABOUT: Hey there, Iβm Finch Bergling - a musician, business graduate, marketing specialist and playlist curator whoβs spent the last 10 years navigating the music industry while figuring out how to make the creative life not just sustainable but fulfilling.
My mission is simple: to help independent musicians avoid the pitfalls I faced and give them the tools, strategies, and confidence they need to succeed. I specialize in ads, storytelling, content creation, playlist curation, and much more. Whether itβs creating Facebook ads that actually convert or building a sustainable online brand, Iβm here to help you grow your career without sacrificing your creativity or your sanity.
If youβre ready to level up, I share free tips and resources across my social media channels and email community. At the end of the day, I want to see you succeed β and if you join me, I'm sure that I will see it.
β Letβs make this journey one worth sharing β¨ β
Every week, get content ideas, music marketing tips, exclusive tools & discounts straight to your inbox! Leave your email below to join 4,500+ musicians on my list ‡οΈ
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