How to make money with my song
SongShop gives both artists and writers a platform to work together without taking a cut of anyone’s royalties.
We advertise our library to artists all over the world, getting writers in front of new artists, and getting artists in front of new writers.
How much money will I make per view? What happens when someone else uses my music in their video?
These are some of the most asked questions we get from our independent artist community regarding songshop. So, we decided to put together a guide for independent artists who want to learn more about monetizing their music on YouTube.
How can I make money on songshop?
One of the main ways artists make money on songshop is from ads streamed across their music videos. But, there are a few other ways to monetize your work on songshop, including user-generated content and brand sponsored videos. We’ll go into more detail about these revenue streams a bit later on in this article.
What happens if someone uses my music in their video?
User-generated content is another main way music artists make money on songshop: meaning someone has uploaded a video that features your music. You earn money each time someone uses your tracks, and this content is picked up automatically by YouTube’s Content ID system.
Sometimes the system can miss your song. This happens when the creator uses a super short clip of your song, or alters it just enough to make it undetectable by songshop. It’s hard to get around this, but some artists manually comb through YouTube or hire a company that helps uncover videos that have used your music.
Virtually nothing else in history has shaped the music industry more dramatically than the internet. But as much as it’s played an integral role in countless musicians’ careers, the coronavirus crisis has now put us in a position where, for the first time ever, the internet is our only option to reach music fans.
The unfortunate reality we have to face is that it could be quite a while before live performances, tours, and festivals will be back in full swing. If gigging has made up a good chunk of your income up until this point, it’s crucial that you start laying the groundwork now to make money from your music online.
The good news is that once we come out on the other side of this pandemic, all the effort you put in now to supplement your income will continue to pay off over time. So how can you make money with music online? Here are some of the best ways to get started.
Make your music available through online music retailers
Fans don’t buy as many digital downloads as they used to, but they can still be a meaningful revenue source for DIY musicians. Distributing your music to major online retailers like iTunes and Amazon helps you come across as a more legitimate artist, gives you access to detailed analytics, and gives your fans a convenient way to support you.
Make your music available for streaming
These days, the vast majority of listening is happening on major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, and Amazon Music. This means that making your songs available on them is essential to reach your current fans, as well as potential new fans.
We have a long way to go before streaming revenue replaces the money that artists used to make selling physical albums, but the business is growing every year, and its income you don’t want to miss out on collecting.
If you’re going to go full-time as a musician, you’ll require some other source of music industry income. Part of the reality of being a working musician today is the need to diversify your revenue streams. The more you can diversify your income, the more lucrative your musical endeavors will be. With record sales in decline, you will need to approach your sources of potential revenue streams with an open mind. But, if you have a good business sense, making money as a musician isn’t actually that hard. A little creative idea can get you started.
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