How to Sell Music Online

Understanding your options for selling music online

Online music selling has become a prominent market for music makers. Typically, most music fans buy, sell, and share music through the web, whereas in the past customers might have opted for physical purchases, like in-store copies of records and vinyl. A shift to digital retailing and releases means many buyers now make their purchases through streaming platforms or other places online.

The best methods for making money with your music depend on the type of music you make and your target audience. If you're a DJ, vocalist, or part of a band, you may be selling mixes, songs, merchandise, or tickets for live bookings and performances.

There are also options to sell music online for those who are not performers but still work within music. This might be the case if your area is music production, development, composition, or instrumentation. You may be a songwriter, instrumentalist, composer, work in mixing and mastering, or be a producer selling instrumentals or sample packs.

Thinking about where you sit as a music creator can give you an idea of what type of creations you can sell. Other things to consider are the type of music you make and whether this is more mainstream or more niche. This can impact where you find your audience and what you're likely to earn.

5 methods of making money from music online

Depending on what you create, there are a few different ways to sell your musical expertise. Here's a breakdown of the various ways you can sell online, from digital sales to online courses, and the pros and cons of each.

1. Digital music sales

This includes selling digital forms of your music via downloads or paywalled access. These could be:

• MP3s

• Albums

• Recorded video performances

Pros of digital music sales

Digital music sales go directly to listeners and avoid third-party fees from other retailers or streaming companies. They're often easy to upload independently. This might be particularly attractive if you are a creator without label or external support and ideal for first time music sellers.

Cons of digital music sales

The main issue with digital music sales is the challenge of producing returns on your investment. As many music fans prefer to access songs through streaming companies and similar places online, you may have to work harder to build audience or customer loyalty to encourage this type of sale.

Those opting for digital sales may have to sell high volumes of copies to make a profit. You may also have the challenge of avoiding piracy and file sharing for purchased copies of your work.

Learn how to sell digital content on Squarespace

2. Physical music sales

This is selling music online in its physical form. You'll need to have a plan to produce and ship your items in this scenario. This covers things like:

• Physical CDs

• Cassettes

• Vinyl records and LPs

Many buyers enjoy owning physical forms of music for their aesthetic quality and their ability to accompany music tech they already have, like a vinyl player or hi-fi system.

Pros of physical music sales

Physical music forms often command a higher value than digital music, which means you can potentially bring in greater profits. They can also build excitement if sold as collectable items or limited runs, which, if sought after, can increase in value over time.

Cons of physical music sales

There are often high production costs and long lead times associated with producing physical forms of music, which may be challenging to fund upfront. You may also have to manage quality control or shipping issues, which can be costly and time-consuming.

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