By Danielle Pietersen

Selling music online can be hard, but there are loads of options available if you’re willing to put in some time (and probably some money). The audience and market that you can reach online are really big, so getting your music out there can help pay the bills if you can get enough people to listen to it.

Mainstream Online Music Stores And Streaming Services

If you want to sell your music on the mainstream digital music stores and streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Google Play, or iTunes, you’ll need to use a digital music distributor. Most of them don’t take any cut of your profits, but they do charge you a monthly fee to work on distributing your music.

How Does It Work?

Most distributors have a variety of packages available to help you sell music online. They distribute your music to all the different stores. It’s simple and painless and means that people can have your music playing with just a few clicks. The simpler packages are cheaper and the more basic your package, the fewer benefits and services will be available. Some, like Amuse, have a beginner package that gives you a basic service for free.

Choose A Package That Works for You

Using a digital distributor like Landr or TuneCore to get your music into the mainstream online music stores and streaming service can work out quite expensive if you choose a package with all the bells and whistles. It’s important to choose a package you can afford and one that will help you sell your own music and make money in the long term. Packages vary and can include anything from unlimited distribution to whole albums, and even a single release.  

Sell Music On Your Own Website

Selling music online on popular platforms and streaming services exposes you to many potential new fans, but you are giving up a lot of control over how your music is marketed and how you communicate with your fans and followers.

Selling your music on your own website helps you stay in control of the process. You sell your music directly, which means you also have access to emails and other information of people that are buying and listening to your music

Do Something In Between

Selling your music online on a site like Bandcamp gives you the best of both worlds. Your music is exposed to more fans than it would be on a personal page and you get to keep emails and details of your fans. The only catch is that they do take 15 to 20 percent of the income you earn.

A site like Bandcamp doesn’t have the reach and fan base of an online store like Apple Music or Google Play, but they do have listeners who are looking for new artists and open to trying music they haven’t heard before. They actively promote independent artists and believe that musicians should be fairly paid when they sell music online. Their goal is to get more money into the artists’ pockets and less to the mainstream stores.

Another option is to set up your own YouTube channel to share your original music and music videos. You’ll get the benefits of YouTube’s long-term success and can earn a little money in the process. 

No matter what option you choose, be sure to share your music on social media platforms to distribute your music more widely.

What Else Can I Do To Make Money?

There are so many ways to make money online while you wait to sell your music online. It can take a while before you start selling your music online or earn royalties. If you’re wanting to focus on your music then you’ll need ways to earn money, that don’t take your time and energy away from building your music career.

Taking surveys is a great way to earn some extra money. Swagbucks is a good website to look into if you’re wanting to make some money on the side. They offer rewards for completing simple tasks like watching videos or taking surveys. They also have an extensive rewards program that will help you save and earn while you focus your energy on building your career.

Be Prepared To Go Through The Hard Times

Selling your music online probably isn’t going to be quick and easy. Do your research well and then be prepared to put in the hard work of recording and uploading your music. It can take a long time to distribute your music. Don’t be afraid to try more than one distribution route. Remember, you’re going to need another income source to help pay for distribution and tide you over while you wait for the sales and royalties to start coming in.

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