Music production might not seem like a lucrative business at first glance - the media portrays the entire music industry as being impossible to break into, with little to no financial reward for a vast majority of music producers.
This doesn't need to be the case though. It's absolutely 100% possible to become a full time professional music producer, and earn a very solid living doing so. Granted, there are other businesses have a higher success rate, but breaking into the top couple of percent can be hugely financially rewarding, to the tune of millions of dollars per year.
If you don't believe it's possible, this might give you hope: Metro Boomin recently sold a portion of his catalogue for 70 million dollars. That's right, a portion of his catalogue. Not even all of it. He's not even 30 years old yet
Now stories like this are extremely rare, but making a decent living is a lot less uncommon. Here's exactly how to make money as a music producer (from our personal experiences).
1. Release Instrumentals Everywhere
A huge number of music producers in 2023 focus purely on selling beats. This can be a great business for many, with countless thousands of people running their beats pages as their full time jobs. Another option which is less obvious is to produce instrumentals and release them via an digital music distribution service such as DistroKid. Using a distributor will let you reach new audiences through getting your Music on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and more.
These services pay pretty reasonably for every single stream you earn on your music. Although the rates vary greatly from artist to artist, as where you get your plays from makes a big difference, I've personally found that 1 million streams combined (across YouTube, Spotify, Amazon etc) will pay around $4000-$6000, which means that depending on where you live, you could potentially make a living from music royalties with as little as 300,000 streams per month, or 10,000 streams per day.
2. Make More Music
This might seem really obvious, but it's easier said than done. Unless you're incredibly lucky, you're probably going to need to make a huge amount of music to be successful as a music producer. Aim to finish at least 1 song per day, if not more. This might seem extreme, but with the sheer amount of competition it's simply a numbers game. See every single song as a new potential stream of revenue, as well as free advertising for your personal brand.
Post music to YouTube, post on Social Media, release music to streaming services, it all builds up your catalog, and, in time, your income.
Trust me, I get it - balancing a full time job or education with trying to become a producer can be extremely challenging, and that's where we come in. At Symitone, we focus on creating amazing resources that music producers can use to make better songs, faster. Whether you want better drum sounds or entire drag and drop songs and Serum Presets, we've got you covered. Check out our site here and take your music career to the next level today.
3. All Businesses Cost Money and Time - Music Production is No Exception
When it comes to creating amazing quality music and turning it into a business, it takes a lot of investing, of both time and money. A general rule I like to follow when buying sample packs, software, or anything else for my music career is very simple.
Ask yourself this:
"If I buy this, will I see a return in time and money?"
It might seem super obvious, but think about it. If a sample pack costs $20 but you are able to make and release 50 great songs using some of the loops inside, it's pretty safe to say you will get a good return on investment. Sample packs also allow you to make more music, faster, which gives a return on both time and money. This is why almost all producers use sample packs and resources rather than making something entirely from scratch every time.
Another example which might seem more abstract would be a music production course. It might not immediately give you the instant financial return that using sample packs might offer, but investing in your skills and knowledge is one of the best investments you can make. Take time to learn how to truly make great music and strive to constantly improve. Amazing music, especially when you have a lot of it, is not going to stay under the radar for too long.
4. Get Creative With It
Let's be honest - if you manage to rank number 1 on YouTube for "Drake type beat" you have probably just made yourself at least $10k from a single beat, but that niche is extremely competitive, and it's near impossible to stand out. Seek out creative ways of selling your music, such as by reaching out to YouTubers and offering them a folder of trap beats for them to use in their videos for a fee.
It's important to break out of the idea that the only customer you have is rappers. There are all kinds of people and businesses willing to pay a music producer for their skills, for example in social media advertising. The more different opportunities and sources of income you explore, the more likely you are to find a niche that works. Don't expect to post 10 Drake Type Beats and retire, is what I'm saying.
On top of just selling beats, here are some other potential sources of income a music producer can add to their repertoire:
- Release Music to Streaming Platforms
- Sell Sample Packs
- Sell Beats to YouTubers who need no copyright music
- Sell Instrumentals on Corporate Music Sites
- Post YouTube videos about making beats
- Start a Website about Music
- Collaborate with other producers and share the splits
And there you have it. That was a quick article covering the basics of how to make money as a music producer in 2023. If you agree that being faster and making better music is important for your success in music, then I would highly recommend you give Symitone a try, by clicking here.