As much as many of us dream of supporting ourselves by being a big touring performer, such success is a rarity. Even when this does happen, musicians don’t typically fall into instant popularity, instead having to cut their teeth with experience and other jobs for years until their big break.
With that in mind, those who desire to make a living off their musical talent need to understand that there are far more opportunities available out there on the web than many realise.
Taking a look at a few of these options, it can be possible to support yourself in the short term, expand your craft, and maybe even find a passion within the industry you never knew you had.
By the Numbers
For a direct look at how income for musicians plays out, we could take a look at the surveys like the Future of Music Coalition study investigated at Output. In this study, 4,453 musical professionals were surveyed, 74% of whom had more than 16 years working in music.
According to this study, the most significant percentage of income, at 27%, came from the money earned in live performances. This is certainly impressive, but it doesn’t particularly help those looking for work through online avenues. Much more relevant are the income allocation percentages presented by teaching (22%), compositions (6.3%), sound recordings (5.6%), and other (6.4%). It’s these options that provide the most exploitable opportunities, especially when given the rapid growth of national and international remote work.
According to various studies, 2020 and 2021 have presented the largest growth in remote work in history. The shift of culture and the now-proven success of remote work has led many businesses to more seriously consider the option. One statistic even stated that an estimated 70% of the workforce will be working remotely by 2025 at least five days a month, and this is the type of growth musicians will want to focus on.
What Can You Do?
As per the above statistics, one of the most promising and financially rewarding ways musicians could find work experience online is through teaching, either for a college or as an independent. Whether focussing on a mainstream instrument like the guitar or something a little more esoteric, there’s always an audience willing to learn, for those who wish to pass their knowledge on.
Another growing opportunity, though one which requires significant long-term dedication, could be found in musical streaming on platforms like Twitch. The music channel here consistently finds itself as one of the most popular on this service, boasting more than 17.8 thousand simultaneous viewers at the time of writing.
For those after something even less traditional, it could be worth simply paying extra attention to your regular browsing patterns, to see what sort of audio they use that could be created remotely. Many of the small jingles in popular advertising campaigns started small, with reaches far beyond what we’d expect. This idea also holds for websites that host interactive entertainment experiences, such as the titles on Betway’s online casino. Here, the slots like Assassin Moon and Book of Atem all required original songs, and all hired dedicated musical artists.
Outside of casino titles, another form of entertainment that could present a fine opportunity for musicians to make a name in the professional music sphere are indie video games due to the sheer number of people who will end up listening to the soundtrack while playing. Many of these soundtracks are fantastic in their own right and have generated international attention to their composers.
Getting Hired
As for where you could find this type of work, there’s always the option of contacting an interesting party directly through a website like LinkedIn, but an easier option could be found on online employment websites. The most famous of these are Freelancer and Upwork, which boast 50 million and 18 million registered freelancers respectively.
If you don’t have professional experience in online music work yet, these will typically require a user starts small to build their work portfolio, but their potential rewards are undeniable. Millions of people have leveraged these systems into full-time careers, and with the right approach, you might find similar success.
Other than this, our only suggestion would be to be patient and understand that good things take time. With the right investment and frame of mind, working with music online could be exactly what you need to not just support yourself, but also develop your skill and refine your sound. Besides, if you did manage to rush straight to the top, then you can hardly boast the credibility that comes with first paying your dues as a struggling artist.
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