8 Ways to Make Money As A Music Producer

Working As A Music Producer

The music industry is a big and booming business. Total industry revenue for 2016 was equal to $15 billion and continues to grow. So you might be asking yourself, how can I get my piece of the pie? In this article, I will break down 8 ways in which you can take your skills as a music producer and use them to generate revenue.

1. You’re A Music Producer, Make Music!

Chances are, most of you started out as music producers simply because you wanted to create a certain genre. I know when I first got into it, I had big dreams of re-kindling the 90’s boom-bap scene. Things haven’t quite worked out yet. Although nowadays you might be working on different content to pay the bills, you haven’t forgotten how to make the music you started with. It’s time to apply your professional skills to making music that generates income.

The internet is full of rappers looking for beats and singers seeking backing tracks. Use some of your time to produce music for other artists. While this can be a slow money-maker initially, once you establish yourself, you can easily start charging hundreds of dollars per track. The more you do and the more your music gets around, the more people will seek your skills.

2. Networking With Up-And-Coming Artists

Exploring our previous point further, networking and collaborating with some of these up-and-comers can be a goldmine if you meet the right people. The big thing to consider with this one is whether you’re happy to take a cash sum upfront or if you could make more long-term by being a credited music producer and collecting royalties. Weigh your options with the artists you’re working with. If they’re in it for the long run, perhaps you should be too.

While the internet is a great place to meet people, it can be a little oversaturated. Try to find out about local concerts and networking events and get out there. In my experience, face-to-face connections and word-of-mouth are infinitely more valuable than any other form of advertising. Speak to artists, agents, and label representatives. Get your name out there as much as possible.

3. Licensing For Sync

Perhaps the most lucrative of all the options mentioned here, licensing music can pay big money. A representative of one of my clients recently placed a piece on the television program Downton Abbey for a whopping £9,000 along with royalties. The idea here is to find placements for your music in content such as commercials, films, TV shows, and games. Services such as Tunefind allow you to see where music producers with similar styles to you are placing their music.

This can be a tricky area to navigate, but it’s well worth the time. Make sure that you are represented by someone in a legal capacity before you sign anything. After all, you want to get the best possible deal for yourself. The more you can negotiate out of a deal, the better it’ll be in the long run.

4. Meeting Music Publishers

Signing on with a music publisher would be a progression on the last point. By doing so, you can spend more time working on the music and perfecting your mixing whilst someone else aims to place it. A lot of music producers will openly list their publishers on their social media so finding them isn’t too difficult. Contacting them and getting a response can be harder. As long as you keep your communications brief and to the point, you should see results.

Most publishers are ultimately looking for a payday, just like you. They will take a cut of any profits you make. However, if you can focus on creating the best content, more publishers will be attracted to you. If placing your work is easy for them, they get paid and you make money. Once you have these people bidding on what they can offer you, you can negotiate a much better deal.

5. Sample Packs: A Music Producer’s Best Friend

Sample packs have always been a great option for those who are willing to get out and about. The misconception here is that you need access to a multitude of instruments in order to create samples. However, many sample packs these days are created using found sounds and digital manipulation. Grabbing a Zoom mic, setting it up for recording, and going for a walk can often yield some great and unusual material to work with.

The major consideration here is copyright. Make sure that you own everything that you include in your pack so that you don’t run into any problems down the line. Other than that, try to be diverse. With the amount of content available online along with products such as Splice, the best way to stand out is to be different. Provide something creative and innovative, and think outside the box, and you will make money.

6. Teaching

The old adage is that Those who can’t do, teach. I’ve always preferred to live by the idea that Those who aren’t teaching as well as doing are missing out on  Teaching revenue! Teaching is not only a great way to make money as a music producer, but it also comes with a fantastic sense of fulfillment. You can teach anything from using EQ to advanced sidechain techniques.

You have a few options here. If you live in a well-populated area, offering one-on-one lessons is a great way to start. If you, as a music producer, tend to work on a laptop, even better. The more flexible you can be starting out, the better. Your other option is to grab a camera and shoot a series of videos that can be sold online as lessons. There are plenty of platforms such as Udemy where you can host your content. The biggest thing with this is making sure your content is fresh. You need to ensure that you stand out among the sea of others already doing the same thing.

7. MIDI Processing

This one is a little less common to come across but has value. Plenty of musicians write their music using basic MIDI because they do not have access to instruments or high-quality sample libraries. If you have these at your disposal, then you are in a great position to help transpose some of this music. By gathering stems and making MIDI sound more realistic, you can essentially produce someone else’s work remotely.

Usually, this type of work is going to be for a fixed fee, much like mixing or mastering would be. However, if you find a client who is hoping to use this process long term and doing well with releases, you may benefit from agreeing fixed, regular payments as well as royalty options.

8. Make Money With YouTube

I’ve saved the best for last. Every day, we seem to be graced by another teenager who has become a millionaire as a result of YouTube. Original content thrives, and advertising pays big. This is one of those points where you can begin to merge everything I have already mentioned in this article.

Host your lessons via YouTube, monetize the videos, and set up a Patreon account where your regular viewers can support you. Upload videos showcasing your productions and tracks available for sync licensing. Network with other channels and commenters to create new, genuine connections for work purposes. Create promotional content for your sample packs and use videos to demonstrate their usage.

TL;DR

As a music producer, you have quite a few avenues available to you. Obviously, time is needed to investigate them all, so I suggest trying one at a time. Find out what works for you and work to secure some regular income streams from a variety of sources. Diversifying your income is the best thing you can do. Avoid the dreaded office job and keep working in the music industry as a successful music producer!