How To Become A Music Freelancer – A Step-By-Step Guide

KEL

Everyone has heard the adage, “If it were simple, everyone would do it.” That unquestionably holds for supporting oneself as a musician. And it might be challenging to distinguish between legitimate online music business prospects and scammers. 

However, if you know where to search, there are many legitimate ways to monetize your music online. You can even create a full-time career from virtual opportunities alone if you have sound business judgment and are prepared to put in the effort.

This guide is directed to help musicians carve out an online presence through a freelance career.

Avenues For Online Music Freelancer Work

YouTube

There’s one distinct way that musicians can use YouTube to monetize their work digitally. You may create your channel with online tutorials or music videos, monetize those videos with adverts, and earn money based on the consumed media. 

Music Streaming Apps

Streaming music providers like SiriusXM, Music Choice, and Pandora must pay digital royalties if they play your song. To get your royalties, you can create a free SoundExchange account. 

Pros & Cons of Working Online

For many, the internet is a gold rush where you can get rich quickly and retire early. For others, it is a den of thieves, scammers, and nasty people. In reality, it has a bit of both. As a freelance musician, here are some of the pros and cons of freelancing that you should keep in mind.

Endless Opportunities

You’ve come up with many different options if you ever searched online for the query to earn money on the internet. In addition to the conventional ideas of authoring, online shopping, and online surveys, new websites are appearing that pay you for performing easy tasks. 

As a freelance music producer, you can exploit the networking and earning potential of the internet to diversify your work mediums.

Flexible Schedule

There are no set schedules to adhere to when working online. You can plan your work around other things you like to do. If you have reliable internet, you can produce music anytime. Since you are your boss, you can forget about pleading for early leave or a day off. 

This is a huge benefit, especially for parents of young children. 

Solo Riding

One of the cons of working online, you’ll usually isolate yourself at home or in another quiet location. Isolation and loneliness can result from a lack of social interaction. Additionally, prolonged computer use damages your eyes and interferes with your sleep.

Artists often thrive and long for situations like these, but it is an acquired taste.

Scammers

Although there are many online income opportunities, there are also many scammers. To prevent wasting time and money, you must exercise caution when applying for freelance music producer jobs. By refusing to pay anything in advance, avoiding employment with offers that seem too good to be true, and conducting thorough research on the hiring organization, you can prevent scammers. 

Personal Branding

If you don’t have a lot of confidence, self-promotion could be challenging for you. But to stand out from the crowd amid a sea of brilliant musicians, you’ll need to exert some persuasiveness. 

In-person self-promotion doesn’t always include boasting about your accomplishments. While discussing your skills and adaptability is important, you should focus on making an impression. You can accomplish this by keeping recordings on hand or carrying business cards. Additionally, it would be best if you were prepared to perform at a moment’s notice and be aware of your calendar in case a meeting is scheduled. The list is endless! 

It could take some getting used to self-promotion in discussions or events. But practice makes perfect, just like with anything else! 

Tapping Into Social Media

It’s no secret that social media is gradually changing how we live. You should have profiles on most (if not all) social media websites so that people can discover you if you want to be regarded seriously as an artist. 

Consider setting up separate social media accounts for your music if you already have personal accounts. You do not have to do this, but it is a good idea if you want to be hired on a case-by-case basis (for example, as a performer), making your music appear more professional and less like a hobby. 

We advise setting up accounts on social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, SoundCloud, and Facebook (make a Facebook page). 

After creating your profiles, commit to posting frequently. Start by posting at least once weekly, and as you gain confidence and your platform expands, try posting twice or thrice per week. Of course, YouTube is an exception to this rule, where you’ll probably upload less frequently, but once per week is still a terrific target for this platform. 

Forging Relations With People

Networking is hugely significant and crucial to your success in the music business. If you don’t know who you’re working for, you can’t get a job! However, where do you even begin? 

You’re undoubtedly used to attending conferences, events, and contests as a musician. If you studied music in high school or perhaps in college, you’ve probably attended more events than you can count. They make excellent starting points. The next time you go to an event, try to discuss it with the organizers, sponsors, other performers, and anybody else you can. 

Obtain their business cards by asking. What does the upcoming year hold for them? Are musicians being hired? Organizing concerts? Are you a festival sponsor? Learn about their work and how you may participate in it. Please pay attention to what they have to say with sincere curiosity. It can’t just be about you; it also needs to be about the possibility of working together. 

In addition to the activities you’ll already be attending, make an effort to connect with the local music businesses, professors, and recording studios. With some trial and error, you never know who you might run into, who might introduce you to someone or present you with an opportunity.

Learn, Earn, Repeat

They say the journey of a thousand miles starts from a single step. Your single step could be the determination to make the best of each challenge and hurdle thrown in your way to succeed. You have your passion and craft, and it is high time to work and earn a living through it.