Songwriters dream of making their living by writing, and sometimes performing, their songs. But until that day comes they've got to make a living somehow! Sound familiar?
With a little imagination, you can probably find a way to convert your love for music and songwriting into a means of making money. To help you get started, here is a list of ideas worth looking into:
1. Sell your tapes and/or CD's online.
It is really remarkably easy (and pretty darn inexpensive) to set up your own web site and begin selling your tapes, CD's, and whatever else you have to offer. And, although it's beyond the scope of this article to tell you in detail how to do this, as a minimum you will need: a website; a web host; a means of collecting money (you can get a merchant account or use a service such as PayPal); and, of course, visitors to your website.
2. Write and sell an eBook about your music expertise.
An eBook, or electronic book, is extremely popular these days on the Internet. The benefits to you include ease of production and very low delivery cost. Customers benefit from the instant gratification of downloading the book immediately after purchasing it.
Don't forget, information is the hot product for today, especially on the Internet. With a little effort, you can surely come up with special information that others would be willing to pay for.
3. Organize contests.
Why not organize a songwriting contest for all the songwriters in your area? Or, better yet, use the Internet and start one on a national basis! Let's say you collected 250 entries at $10 a pop... that's $2,500. Even if you offered up $500 in prizes, you still walk away with $2,000! You might also get local songwriting clubs, music stores, etc., to help with the advertising and even contribute to the prize offerings.
4. Publish an online newsletter.
Publishing your own newsletter, or "ezine", can be an excellent way to earn some extra money. And, although some folks have succeeded at offering a fee-based newsletter, it's much easier to publish a free one.
Three of the most common ways to make money with your free newsletter are: sell advertising space, promote affiliate programs, and advertise the sale of your own products, such as your tapes and CD's.
5. Start your own jingle business.
There is alot of money to be made in writing jingles. And, as a songwriter, you probably already have all the equipment you will need to get started. It's also good training because it helps you learn to "write on demand".
Brian Cook is a freelance writer whose articles on music and songwriting have appeared on many websites. You can find more of these at http://www.songwritersguide.com
A student wrote me an email about the lesson "Ocean... Read More
Piano lessons for adults is generally LOTS more fun than... Read More
There are 3 pedals on most pianos. The one on... Read More
Getting ready for any type of guitar performance can be... Read More
"Live music." That common saying may contain some truth, but... Read More
Propelled into fame as one of the Beatles, along with... Read More
Rosemary Brown (1916-2001) was a middle-aged South London widow, making... Read More
In the last article, the creation of a theme, its... Read More
Remember the old ad that used to run endlessly in... Read More
With the increased proliferation of online guitar and musical equipment... Read More
Did you ever wish that it was your song playing... Read More
Many students want to know how to improvise. What they... Read More
One of the most intriguing aspects of music is how... Read More
So now you've decided to record your songs. Good for... Read More
So you want to be more creative when playing piano.... Read More
Ideally each page of your website should serve a specific... Read More
There are essentially two ways to learn piano - note... Read More
While composers had already begun to write music for the... Read More
John Lennon wasn't always my favorite Beatle; at first it... Read More
Digital Music Download. Ever since file-sharing programs entered the hard... Read More
A while back, I wrote an article that compared flower... Read More
Do you remember the movie, Groundhog Day? In this wonderful... Read More
I can't believe how much of the year has gone... Read More
Already making plenty of noise in the marketplace is a... Read More
The Suzuki violin method has come to dominate the way... Read More
Most new guitar players and even some experienced ones have... Read More
Lately, I haven't been using my guitar pick all that... Read More
1. Don't try and make something happen. Trying blocks the... Read More
Playing the ModesWhen I used to use this pack with... Read More
Is your heart in the music? If so, it won't... Read More
After months of email and posts, we've finally compiled and... Read More
Do you ramble on endlessly with your improvisations? If so,... Read More
Music downloads are highly compressed audio files transferred onto a... Read More
Many students want to create music that has a certain... Read More
Songwriters dream of making their living by writing, and sometimes... Read More
There are essentially two ways to learn piano - note... Read More
Piano arranging is the process by which you take a... Read More
Do you remember finger-painting as a child? How fun it... Read More
While many people think that the mixing of the separate... Read More
One of the Appalachian Mountain region's greatest contributions to the... Read More
"In human life, art may arise from almost any activity,... Read More
Pakistan is blessed with talent and when we talk about... Read More
Let me guess, you love music and would do anything... Read More
Most people look forward to the summer months because they... Read More
You know your songs are great (and so does your... Read More
In an interview given to Musik Magazine in 2000, Eminem... Read More
Chopin used them extensively. So did Beethoven and Mozart. Arpeggios... Read More
Celebrities now such as Outkast, a fashion wear can be... Read More
I was listening to NPR the other day when they... Read More
Already making plenty of noise in the marketplace is a... Read More
The music of Rush influences and inspires, at least that's... Read More
There are essentially two ways to learn piano - note... Read More
Before they got together as Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong,... Read More
When I first began playing the piano and improvising, there... Read More
Some people think composing is this miraculous thing that only... Read More
It has become increasingly popular for U.S. military veterans and... Read More
Did you ever wish that it was your song playing... Read More
ABA form is like a musical sandwich. You have the... Read More
In the world of music, many Jazz improvisers and Classical... Read More
I can't believe how much of the year has gone... Read More
If you're a recent vintage guitar collector, the stories you've... Read More
I have always believed that success, in practically any subject... Read More
So you want to be more creative when playing piano.... Read More
How many chords do you need to create a piece... Read More
There are a lot of factors to writing a hit... Read More
Since chords (the main component of harmony) are one of... Read More
Music & MP3 |