Make Money with Your Music - the Top 5 Ways


Try Emusic FREE for 14 days, keep the 25 Free songs even if you decide not to continue.

Songwriters dream of making their living by writing, and sometimes performing, their songs. But until that day comes they've got to make a living somehow! Sound familiar?

With a little imagination, you can probably find a way to convert your love for music and songwriting into a means of making money. To help you get started, here is a list of ideas worth looking into:

1. Sell your tapes and/or CD's online.

It is really remarkably easy (and pretty darn inexpensive) to set up your own web site and begin selling your tapes, CD's, and whatever else you have to offer. And, although it's beyond the scope of this article to tell you in detail how to do this, as a minimum you will need: a website; a web host; a means of collecting money (you can get a merchant account or use a service such as PayPal); and, of course, visitors to your website.

2. Write and sell an eBook about your music expertise.

An eBook, or electronic book, is extremely popular these days on the Internet. The benefits to you include ease of production and very low delivery cost. Customers benefitfrom the instant gratification of downloading the book immediately after purchasing it.

Don't forget, information is the hot product for today, especially on the Internet. With a little effort, you can surely come up with special information that others would be willing to pay for.

3. Organize contests.

Why not organize a songwriting contest for all the songwriters in your area? Or, better yet, use the Internet and start one on a national basis! Let's say you collected 250 entries at $10 a pop... that's $2,500. Even if you offered up $500 in prizes, you still walk away with $2,000! You might also get local songwriting clubs, music stores, etc., to help with the advertising and even contribute to the prize offerings.

4. Publish an online newsletter.

Publishing your own newsletter, or "ezine", can be an excellent way to earn some extra money. And, although some folks have succeeded at offering a fee-based newsletter, it's much easier to publish a free one.

Three of the most common ways to make money with your free newsletter are: sell advertising space, promote affiliate programs, and advertise the sale of your own products, such as your tapes and CD's.

5. Start your own jingle business.

There is alot of money to be made in writing jingles. And, as a songwriter, you probably already have all the equipment you will need to get started. It's also good training because it helps you learn to "write on demand".

Brian Cook is a freelance writer whose articles on music and songwriting have appeared on many websites. You can find more of these at http://www.songwritersguide.com


MORE RESOURCES:

JamBase

Free Music Downloads for Climate Change
Blogcritics.org (blog)
The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festive, Headcount, and the NRDC Action Fund have organized a collaboration of top music artists to encourage Americans to contact ...
Making Our Voice Heard on Climate ChangeHuffington Post (blog)

all 23 news articles »


Businesses Giving Away A Little To Get A Lot Of Goodwill
Mediapost.com
Starbucks has been giving away free music downloads; Auntie Anne's has offered free pretzels; book publishers are giving away free eBooks on Amazon; ...

and more »


IntoMobile (blog)

Rogers launches DRM-free music downloads
Hollywood Reporter
TORONTO -- Canadian mobile and cable giant Rogers Communications has introduced digital music downloads free of digital rights management ...
Rogers offers DRM-free music downloads from urMusicMobiletor.com
Rogers Gives Music Enthusiasts Freedom To Enjoy Tracks Anywhere, Anytime With ...FOXBusiness

all 10 news articles »


AOL Announces Smokey Robinson to Appear at the SXSW Soul Revue at Austin Music ...
MarketWatch (press release)
... Spinner has become the most-visited rock site on the Web* with more than 4 million unique visitors a month**, offering fans free music downloads, ...

and more »


Weak economy means it's a freebie nation
msnbc.com
Starbucks has been giving away free music downloads at its stores in the US and Canada; Auntie Anne's has offered free pretzels at its franchise stores; ...



Smartphones, Technology Used to Grab Hispanic Youth for 2010 Census
TMC Net
The new campaign is seeking to target “tech-savvy” Hispanic youth by offering incentives like concert tickets, free music downloads, and more, ...

and more »


AOL and Spinner.com Announce Broken Bells to Kick Off Pop-Up Show Series in ...
MarketWatch (press release)
... more than 4 million unique visitors a month**, offering fans free music downloads, an MP3 blog, music videos, interviews, news and live performances. ...

and more »


Media Asia

Korea: Music fans are happy to receive adverts in exchange for free downloads
Media Asia
Koreans also show a high willingness to view or listen to advertising in exchange for free music downloads (78 per cent will oblige) and streaming (71 per ...



Vivendi 4th-quarter net loss narrows 32 pct
The Associated Press
Universal Music Group, behind acts such as Black Eyed Peas, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, saw earnings and sales slide last year as free music downloads ...

and more »


Death of the Album?
St. John's Telegram
The final panel member was Allan Reid of MapleMusic Recordings. Here, Reid adds his thoughts on the idea of free music downloads for promotional purposes.


Google News

Free Music Download Sites (Home Page) |   Free MP3 Downloads  |   RSS Feed  |   Artists  |   Music Resources  |   Music Downloads