“I made six figures this year selling my music online!”
“Use Facebook ADs to sell your music. That’s what I do.”
“I made $50,000 from my Spotify playlist!”
Effing gag me.
The make-money-with-music-online hype is everywhere.
And I have just got to vent about it.
Because most of the people preaching this message are internet marketers selling internet marketing to musicians.
They’re selling get rich quick schemes by exploiting our desire for big success with little work.
I admit, the idea is alluring. But when you jump on this wagon with all the others, you quickly discover it’s not as easy as they make it sound.
But what pisses me off most about the make-money-with-music-online indoctrination, is that they try to “sell it” by criticizing you.
Implying, that, if you truly desire to get your music heard, performing live just isn’t possible anymore.
And that’s not true.
Here’s an article detailing the statistics of how income is made from professional musicians. It’s split into percentages, showing where most musicians earn their income based on the source. Licensing, merchandise, record sales, etc.
According to the article, “The largest revenue stream for musicians comes – unsurprisingly – from live performances, which account for 28% of the total annual income.”
That’s right. The group who makes the most money in the music industry, does it through performing live music.
That’s why my skin crawls every time I hear someone chanting the it’s-easy-to-make-money-with-music-online mantra.
What bothers me most, is that they’re persuading people who get their souls fed performing live music, that they have to abandon that path if they want to be profitable.
And it’s total bull shit.
As I’ve told you before, some of the featured guests on the Musician Monster Podcast—Shannon Curtis, Michael Walker, and Danika Holmes—are all independent musicians that have built a sustainable career performing LIVE music.
In addition to spelling out the simple way to earn income from live music, I’ve also created a step by step, paint by numbers, blueprint showing how to do it.
So if you love performing live music but are disappointed with your income, don’t buy into the hype. You don’t have to surrender the thrill of performing on stage for the glow of a computer screen to make money. It is possible to earn a dependable living from live music.
Just make sure you learn how to earn income from your live performances instead of hoping it will happen.
It’s simpler than most of us think.
You just need a few simple strategies to get you started. Things musicians like myself and others have used to earn income from every gig.
The Success With Live Music Blueprint is a great place to start.
What do you think?
Have you felt pressured to pursue the all online path with music? Does this excite you or discourage you? Would you rather perform live or online? Let me know in the comments below.
