As a music artist, you’re owed money whenever the music is purchased, streamed, covered, played on the radio, performed in public, heard on YouTube, or sampled.
In this easy and actionable course, you'll discover the necessary steps you need to make money from music.
Every day around the world, artists produce music but don’t earn their maximum earning potential. Your songs can generate money and royalties for your entire life.
In fact, in 2012, more that $1 billion dollars in music publishing royalties went undistributed due to missing or unverified data.
Read more
As a music artist, you’re owed money whenever the music is purchased, streamed, covered, played on the radio, performed in public, heard on YouTube, or sampled.
In this easy and actionable course, you'll discover the necessary steps you need to make money from music.
Every day around the world, artists produce music but don’t earn their maximum earning potential. Your songs can generate money and royalties for your entire life.
In fact, in 2012, more that $1 billion dollars in music publishing royalties went undistributed due to missing or unverified data.
As a music artist, you’re owed money whenever the music is purchased, streamed, covered, played on the radio, performed in public, heard on YouTube, or sampled.
In this easy and actionable course, you'll discover the necessary steps you need to make money from music.
Every day around the world, artists produce music but don’t earn their maximum earning potential. Your songs can generate money and royalties for your entire life.
In fact, in 2012, more that $1 billion dollars in music publishing royalties went undistributed due to missing or unverified data.
You need to make sure those earnings have no problem finding you. You’re entitled to these royalties every time gets played, purchased, or streamed.
Today, music artists have more opportunities than ever to make significant income from their songs. While artists want to concentrate on their craft, making an income from your passion is the hardest aspect of the music industry.
Having access to information online doesn’t equal understanding; and just because you CAN make money from your music doesn’t mean you know HOW to do it. This is where this course comes in.
Learn the 20 best ways to make money from music. I will clearly explain each method and give practical tips you can use to make money from your music.
Student review by Margaret Lovell, “This is a great course about Music Marketing - Sam discusses copyright and what that entails, plus he discusses contemporary ways of marketing one's music, in particular, through online channels. It's a perfect starter course.”
Student review by Medi Farshidfar, “This course was really great. I got familiar with many online platform to sell my music online. The instructor went through all the websites and gave a detailed instruction."
► WHO AM I?
I’m a music lawyer in Los Angeles and I have years of experience working with music artists with their career. I completely understand how tough it is as an artist.
I have been a producer and musician for the last 15 years and I live and breath music just as much as you. I frequently give lectures on music law so I decided to combine all of my teachings and share my secrets in this course.
►
What makes this course unique is that it’s an over-comprehensive course of everything you need to know making money from your passion.
With over two-hours of HD video content, you will be able to learn the secrets that successful artists make to make money from music.
Just imagine what you can do from making money and doing something you love at the same time.
►
Thank you for making this the best selling music marketing course on Udemy. I show my gratitude by consistently making new lectures and answering your questions in the course discussion.
► What are you waiting for?
Every day you wait is costing you money.
Don’t forget that this course is covered by Udemy’s 30-
Enroll right now.
What's inside
Learning objectives
- Discover how to turn your passion for music into an income
- Learn what is music copyright and who owns a song
- Discover how to collaborate with other music artists and prevent disputes with your collaborators
- Learn what music copyright doesn’t cover
- Discover why you should register your music
- Learn how to register your music to get copyrighted
- Discover how how to get paid for your performances
- Learn how to apply for bmi live to get paid every time you dj or perform in public
- Learn how to sell your music on itunes, spotify, amazon music, google play, and other online platforms
- Discover how to monetize your relationship with your fans
- Learn how to get paid for having your music on movies, shows, and video games
- How to sell merchandise and connect with your fans on a personal level
- Discover how to get paid when your music gets streamed
- How to grow your youtube channel and earn youtube ad revenue
- Learn how to get paid from other artists when your music is sampled
- How to get fan funding to help you make more money
- Discover how to sell prints rights to sheet music to make money
- How to build your fan base with the exchange of song download for email addresses
- How to grow and maintain your social media accounts, including facebook, twitter, and instagram
- Discover how a music lawyer can help boost your music career
- Learn how a cover song can violate copyright law
- Learn how to research who owns a song
- Discover what creative commons licenses are
- How to stand out from the rest!
- Show more
- Show less
- Discover how to turn your passion for music into an income
- Learn what is music copyright and who owns a song
- Discover how to collaborate with other music artists and prevent disputes with your collaborators
- Learn what music copyright doesn’t cover
- Discover why you should register your music
- Learn how to register your music to get copyrighted
- Discover how how to get paid for your performances
- Learn how to apply for bmi live to get paid every time you dj or perform in public
- Learn how to sell your music on itunes, spotify, amazon music, google play, and other online platforms
- Discover how to monetize your relationship with your fans
- Learn how to get paid for having your music on movies, shows, and video games
- How to sell merchandise and connect with your fans on a personal level
- Discover how to get paid when your music gets streamed
- How to grow your youtube channel and earn youtube ad revenue
- Learn how to get paid from other artists when your music is sampled
- How to get fan funding to help you make more money
- Discover how to sell prints rights to sheet music to make money
- How to build your fan base with the exchange of song download for email addresses
- How to grow and maintain your social media accounts, including facebook, twitter, and instagram
- Discover how a music lawyer can help boost your music career
- Learn how a cover song can violate copyright law
- Learn how to research who owns a song
- Discover what creative commons licenses are
- How to stand out from the rest!
- Show more
- Show less
Syllabus
Course Introduction
Introduction to course with a short summary of topics covered in this course.
Here's a a preliminary course of action you should take to make the most out of this course.
Read more
Syllabus
Introduction to course with a short summary of topics covered in this course.
Here's a a preliminary course of action you should take to make the most out of this course.
Please review before continuing.
Music artists own the exclusive rights to their music. This is called a copyright. Artists who make the song have the exclusive rights to: make copies of the song, make derivatives or revisions, distribute or publish the work, perform the work in public, or display the work in public. Anyone else who wishes to use the music in these ways must have the permission of the author.
The most important aspect of music copyright you should know is that there are two different forms of copyright in music: the musical composition and the song recording.
The most important players in the music industry are: the songwriter, publisher performing artist, record label, and Performing Rights Organizations.
One of the best ways for emerging artists to gain new fans is to be exposed to another artist’s audience through the use of collaborations.
Split Sheets are very important to ensure that you and each person you are co-writing with gets paid their fair percentage of income.
► See Resources for a "Split Sheet Template."
► See Resources for link to SongSplits.com
It’s also important to note that certain aspects of your song are not protected even if you’ve registered the copyright. These include: the names, titles, short phrases or expressions, chord progressions, or the overall idea or concept of your song.
Just because the song is technically copyrighted as soon as you record it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t register your song, especially if the song is important for you. There are several special and important advantages to registering your music.
What is the Poor Man’s Copyright and does it work?
Poor Man's Copyright is when you mail whatever song you’ve created to yourself. That way, even if you don’t do anything with your work for many years, you still have a copy with an official date stamped on the package showing that that the work was on yours on that date.
Learn exactly what you need to register your music online.
Learn the step-by-step instructions of how to register your music online so that you will be able to protect yourself just in case someone else makes money from your music.
► See Resources for link to Copyright.gov
In addition to registering your songs with the Copyright office, registering with Performing Rights Organizations can help ensure that you receive money for your work.
Performance Rights Organizations collect royalties from businesses or people who play copyrighted music in public locations and in return, pay the majority portion of that money back to music artists. That means that PROs track down cash for you when your music is played on television, radio, online, or any other publicly broadcast music in some other fashion. These places and stations pay fees to PROs, who in turn pay their registered songwriters, most of whom are owed more money than they know.
Step-by-step instructions on how to apply for BMI, a Performing Rights Organization, as a music creator.
BMI is what is known as a music Performing Rights Organization. A Performing Rights Organization represents songwriters, composers and music publishers. Often called PROs, these companies collect license fees from businesses that use music, including television and radio stations; broadcast and cable networks; new media, including the Internet and mobile technologies; satellite audio services like XM and Sirius; nightclubs, hotels, bars, restaurants and other venues; digital jukeboxes; and live concerts.
These license fees are then distributed as royalties to the songwriters, composers & music publishers the PROs represent. BMI has been in operation for more than 70 years, is recognized in U.S. copyright law as a licensor of music, and currently represents more than 700,000 copyright owners and their more than 10.5 million musical works.
When you play at gigs, such as clubs or lounges, you may also be entitled to money for your performances. So if you have performed songs, by DJ’ing at a club or anywhere else in the last 6 months, you may be entitled to money with your name on it.
BMI Live is a new program that allows performing DJs and songwriters to input which songs they have played at performance and get paid for it.
► See Resources for link to BMI Live
Of course if you create a song, you want to also sell your songs online.
In today’s world of digital distribution, you want to work with a online distribution company who will take care of all of the hassle of getting your music on all of the major online music platforms while you get to keep 100% of all of your rights while at the same time earn as much percentage of the music sales as you can.
► See Resources for links to two of the largest music distributors you can use to distribute your music online.
Direct-to-Fan is a business model where you can build and leverage your fan base for your music career.
These direct-to-fan model bypass the major record label model that typically controlled radio, venue, and distribution channels, and lets you, the artist, create interest in your music directly to your fans, and market directly and develop relationships with those fans, and of course, sell directly and monetize those relationships, and even use those relationships to expand your fan base.
► See Resources for links to some of the most popular direct-to-fan platforms you can use to connect to your fans.
Synchronization license royalties are royalties generated from the “distribution” of copyrighted music. When a song is used as the soundtrack for a TV show, film, commercial, video game, presentation, or YouTube video, a fee is owed to the songwriter.
► See Resources for link to MusicRegistry.com to grab a copy of the Film & Television Music Guide which has a a complete guide of registered music supervisors.
Selling merchandise at a show is probably one of the biggest sources of revenue that an artist can have. The staples of CD’s, shirts, and stickers have become even more important as income from performing has gradually dropped.
► See Resources for links to great websites you can use to create merchandise for your fans.
Streaming services are currently the hot topic in the music industry.
Examples of streaming services are Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon Prime Music, and Google Play Music among many others.
I personally believe that streaming is a huge part of the future. Learn how to get your music on streaming services.
These days it's more important than ever to have your music available on YouTube.
First and foremost, you can use YouTube to grow your audience. You can also use YouTube’s Content ID System, YouTube’s Partner Program Service, and you can even get paid Performance Royalties from Performance Rights Organizations.
How to Turn Your YouTube Channel into an Engine that Makes You Money.
YouTube is quickly becoming the world’s most popular search engine for music. Think about it: whenever your friend recommends a new band, whenever you have a craving to hear a rare oldie, whenever you want to see if a musician can put on a good live show, where do you turn? YouTube.
If someone wants to use a drumbeat, sound bite, or any other portion of a song you have written and recorded, they must first get your permission and then also pay you royalties for its use. This is known as getting a license for sampling.
Crowdfunding can be a great way to generate income for your music career. A well-executed crowdfunding campaign can help you raise enough money to pay for the cost of producing and marketing your album.
► See Resources for links to the most popular crowd-funding websites.
Online concerts are a great opportunity for musicians to perform for all of their fans at once, connect in a unique and creative way with fans, and open up performances to ticket purchasers everywhere who otherwise may not be able to attend a concert.
► See Resources for links to the most popular online concert platforms.
Sponsorship spending on music tours, venues and festivals is on the rise.
As a music lawyer, I frequently get asked from music artists, “How do I get sponsorship?” or “How do I get an endorsement?”
The best to try to succeed with sponsorships is to change our mindset with sponsorships. Sponsors don’t really care about what they can do for you. In reality, they care about what you can do for them – or rather, what you can do together.
As the songwriter, you are paid whenever your music is duplicated in print form, including sheet music, lead sheets, fake books, and other ways. The majority of printed music revenues comes from sheet music.
Learn how to get paid for Print Royalties every time your sheet music is printed.
You’re an artist and you want to let people download your music. But you also need followers on Soundcloud, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Getting people to follow you on these social media websites is important.
Learn how to implement a "Follow to Download" tactic to get yours fans to follow you on social media before they download a song from you.
► See Resources for links to popular "Follow to Download" platforms that will allow to have your fans follow you before they download a song from you.
Marketing is the art of telling your story to the right people at the right time, and telling it well. Put even more simply: it’s about making meaningful connections.
When it comes to music, there are literally millions of alternatives out there for consumers — and a lot of it is quality stuff — so you need to make a positive impression or emotional appeal before potential fans hear a single measure of your music. For today’s independent artist, a good musical story (and how well it’s told) can mean the difference between obscurity and stardom.
With so much music out there and so many different forms of entertainment, it's hard to get people to pay attention you. This can be extremely frustrating, and it can be tempting to take shortcuts.
Most of these are a waste of money but more importantly, a waste of time. With that, I present to you eight ways not to market your music...
Wins fans and sell music on the world's most popular website.
Facebook is the most visited website in the world. But numbers alone wouldn’t necessarily justify spending a lot of time promoting your music on the site. What makes Facebook special is how its users connect with other people and subjects they care about (like your music!), creating smaller public groups (fans!) within the larger social sphere.
A Ready to Use Set of Tried and Tested Promo Ideas.
The idea of this guide is to be a quick reference and planning tool to help you master probably the most taxing part of our work together, which is of course, getting mountains of hits to your fan-catcher website.
As a songwriter, you’re owed money whenever the music you’ve written is purchased, streamed, covered, played on the radio, performed in public, heard on YouTube, sampled, sold as sheet music, or used as the soundtrack to a film, TV show, commercial, video game, or presentation.
Today, songwriters have more opportunities than ever to make significant income from their songs. Music publishing plays a large role in that equation, but it’s also one of the least understood aspects of the music industry.
This guide outlines the basics and clarify a few of the more confusing aspects of music publishing.
Streaming is mid-way through a transition phase.
Streaming is coming of age: global streaming revenue growing by 39% in 2014 with subscriptions and ad supported growing at the exact same rate. But midway through 2015 streaming is a divisive issue for the music industry.
Though the momentum is clear and there are stand out success stories - such as Sweden where streaming grew the entire market - growth appears to be coming at a price. Music sales – physical and downloads – were down by 8% in 2014 and there is a growing body of evidence that suggests streaming is playing a contributory role.
All of these factors are symptoms of a transition phase, with the global music industry on the cusp of the biggest shift in business models and behavior since the rise of the CD.
The next few years will deliver the same confusing mix of momentum and disruption and until total paid subscribers grows from the 37.9 million subscribers at the end of 2014 to 200 million or so, artists, labels and publishers will all continue to simultaneously experience a combination of growing confidence and fear.
A full set of tried and tested content ideas and why you should even bother.
The mission here is to remove all the head-scratching from your social media marketing by giving you a set of tried and tested posts ready to go.
Great checklist to help you get signed to a label.
Developing a marketing strategy for your music is a lot like preparing for a big show.
You’ve got to build the stage (online), turn on the marquee (to generate traffic), set up the merchandise booth (products=$$), and distribute flyers (email).
The music industry is no longer controlled by executives and agents. The internet is a world wide word-of-mouth machine. So you have the ability to truly connect and engage with fans all over the world, and make a living doing it!
The tools and resources available on the internet give you the power to control your own career and maintain your creative independence.
While it's difficult to be 100% sure what makes any given track a hit single, a recent look at the data reveals that their are some characteristics that most chart-toppers do tend to have in common.
Recording cover songs can be a good way to create music that is easily accessible to fans, but doing so also enters into tricky legal territory. Here we look at several important steps to follow in order to avoid running into issues with licensing.
Course summary is a concise summary of everything we have learned in this course about making money from your music.
As a music artist, you’re owed money whenever the music is purchased, streamed, covered, played on the radio, performed in public, heard on YouTube, or sampled.
In this easy and actionable course, you'll discover the necessary steps you need to make money from music.
Every day around the world, artists produce music but don’t earn their maximum earning potential. Your songs can generate money and royalties for your entire life.
In fact, in 2012, more that $1 billion dollars in music publishing royalties went undistributed due to missing or unverified data. You need to make sure those earnings have no problem finding you. You’re entitled to these royalties every time gets played, purchased, or streamed.
Today, music artists have more opportunities than ever to make significant income from their songs. While artists want to concentrate on their craft, making an income from your passion is the hardest aspect of the music industry.
Having access to information online doesn’t equal understanding; and just because you CAN make money from your music doesn’t mean you know HOW to do it. This is where this course comes in!
Learn the 20 best ways to make money from music. I will clearly explain each method and give practical tips you can use to make money from your music.
► WHO AM I?
I’m a music lawyer in Los Angeles and I have years of experience working with music artists with their career. I completely understand how tough it is as an artist.
I have been a producer and musician for the last 15 years and I live and breath music just as much as you. I frequently give lectures on music law so I decided to combine all of my teachings and share my secrets in this course.
► COURSE TOPICS
- How to Register Your Music for Copyright - Prevent someone else making money from your music
- Music Copyright, Who Owns a Song, Collaborations, and What Music Copyright Doesn’t Cover
- Poor Man’s Copyright - does it work?
- How to Get Paid Performance Royalties from Performing Rights Organizations - make money every time your music gets played
- How to Get Paid for Your Performances - get paid every time you perform a public performance
- How to Sell Your Music on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music - how to leverage your fan base to make money
- How to Get Your Music on TV Shows, Movies, and Video Games
- How to Successful Sell Merchandise to Your Fans
- How to Get Paid When Your Music Gets Streamed
- How to Turn Your Passion for Music into an Income
- How to Get Paid When Your Music Gets Streamed
- How to Make Money with Your Music on YouTube - how to use YouTube’s Content ID system, work with a YouTube Partner Program Service, and earn ad revenue
- How to Get Paid When Another Artist Samples Your Song
- How to Raise Money from Your Fans with Crowdfunding
- How to Host & Perform to Your Fans Online
- How to Get Endorsed or Sponsored by Brands
- How to Get Paid for Your Sheet Music
- How to Exchange Your Song Downloads for Email Addresses
- How to Grow Your Social Media Reach - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
- How a Music Lawyer Can Help Boost Your Music Career
- How a Cover Song Can Violate Copyright Law
- How to Research Who Owns a Song
- Common Music Licenses - mechanical license, master recording license, and sync license
- Creative Commons - alternative way to copyright your music
- Transfer of Copyright of Your Music
- The Difference Between a Performing Right and a Mechanical Right
- When Do You Need Permission to Sample Another Artist’s Music
- How to Get Sample Clearance
- What Constitutes Copyright Infringement
- Digital Distribution Costs
- And many, many topics added weekly!
What makes this course unique is that it’s an over-comprehensive course of everything you need to know making money from your passion.
With over two-hours of HD video content, you will be able to learn the secrets that successful artists make to make money from music.
► WHAT YOU GET
- Over 27 video lectures clearly explaining the ways you can make money from music!
- Lifetime access, ask questions, and see the newest information available about making money as a music artist!
- Quick actionable resources & links to help you boost your income
- Certificate of Completion
- Discounts on future courses
- 30-Day Money Back Guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied with our course for any reason whatsoever, I will offer you a full refund. No questions asked.
Just imagine what you can do from making money and doing something you love at the same time!
Thank you for making this the best selling music marketing course on Udemy! I show my gratitude by consistently making new lectures and answering your questions in the course discussion!
What are you waiting for? Every day you wait is costing you money!
Don’t forget that this course is covered by Udemy’s 30-DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE - so you don’t have anything to lose!
Traffic lights
Save this course
Save
Reviews summary
Essential music artist revenue streams
Excellent starting point for new artists.
Useful links and templates provided.
Provides steps and tips you can apply.
Wide range of revenue streams covered.
Activities
Review Music Copyright Basics
Show steps
Reinforce your understanding of music copyright, a fundamental concept for monetizing music.
Browse courses on
Music Copyright
Show steps
-
Read articles on music copyright law.
-
Review key concepts like performance rights and mechanical rights.
-
Take a short quiz on copyright basics.
Read 'Music Law: How to Run Your Band's Business' by Richard Stim
Show steps
Understand the legal aspects of the music business to protect your rights and income.
View
Patent Pending in 24 Hours
on Amazon
Show steps
-
Obtain a copy of the book.
-
Read the sections on copyright and contracts.
-
Take notes on key legal concepts.
Read 'All You Need to Know About the Music Business' by Donald Passman
Show steps
Gain a deeper understanding of the music business landscape and how various revenue streams work.
View
All You Need to Know About the Music Business:...
on Amazon
Show steps
-
Obtain a copy of the book.
-
Read the sections relevant to revenue streams.
-
Take notes on key concepts and strategies.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Create a Royalty Tracking Spreadsheet
Show steps
Practice tracking potential royalties from different sources to understand income streams.
Show steps
-
Identify potential revenue streams for your music.
-
Create a spreadsheet with columns for each revenue stream.
-
Estimate potential earnings for each stream.
-
Update the spreadsheet as you release and promote your music.
Design Merchandise for Your Music
Show steps
Explore merchandise design to understand how to create appealing products for fans.
Show steps
-
Brainstorm merchandise ideas related to your music.
-
Create designs for t-shirts, posters, or other items.
-
Get feedback on your designs from potential fans.
-
Research printing and production options.
Follow a YouTube Tutorial on Music Licensing
Show steps
Learn the process of music licensing to understand how to get your music placed in media.
Show steps
-
Search for tutorials on music licensing on YouTube.
-
Watch a tutorial and take notes on key steps.
-
Research music licensing companies.
-
Prepare your music for licensing opportunities.
Create a Press Kit
Show steps
Develop a professional press kit to showcase your music and attract media attention.
Show steps
-
Gather your best music, photos, and bio.
-
Write a compelling press release.
-
Design a visually appealing press kit.
-
Distribute your press kit to media outlets.
Review Music Copyright Basics
Show steps
Reinforce your understanding of music copyright, a fundamental concept for monetizing music.
Browse courses on
Music Copyright
Show steps
- Read articles on music copyright law.
- Review key concepts like performance rights and mechanical rights.
- Take a short quiz on copyright basics.
Read 'Music Law: How to Run Your Band's Business' by Richard Stim
Show steps
Understand the legal aspects of the music business to protect your rights and income.
View
Patent Pending in 24 Hours
on Amazon
Show steps
- Obtain a copy of the book.
- Read the sections on copyright and contracts.
- Take notes on key legal concepts.
Read 'All You Need to Know About the Music Business' by Donald Passman
Show steps
Gain a deeper understanding of the music business landscape and how various revenue streams work.
View
All You Need to Know About the Music Business:...
on Amazon
Show steps
- Obtain a copy of the book.
- Read the sections relevant to revenue streams.
- Take notes on key concepts and strategies.
Create a Royalty Tracking Spreadsheet
Show steps
Practice tracking potential royalties from different sources to understand income streams.
Show steps
- Identify potential revenue streams for your music.
- Create a spreadsheet with columns for each revenue stream.
- Estimate potential earnings for each stream.
- Update the spreadsheet as you release and promote your music.
Design Merchandise for Your Music
Show steps
Explore merchandise design to understand how to create appealing products for fans.
Show steps
- Brainstorm merchandise ideas related to your music.
- Create designs for t-shirts, posters, or other items.
- Get feedback on your designs from potential fans.
- Research printing and production options.
Follow a YouTube Tutorial on Music Licensing
Show steps
Learn the process of music licensing to understand how to get your music placed in media.
Show steps
- Search for tutorials on music licensing on YouTube.
- Watch a tutorial and take notes on key steps.
- Research music licensing companies.
- Prepare your music for licensing opportunities.
Create a Press Kit
Show steps
Develop a professional press kit to showcase your music and attract media attention.
Show steps
- Gather your best music, photos, and bio.
- Write a compelling press release.
- Design a visually appealing press kit.
- Distribute your press kit to media outlets.
Career center
Independent Artist
Music Manager
Music Licensing Coordinator
Rights Manager
Music Publicist
Music Attorney
Business Development Manager
Social Media Manager
Music Supervisor
Crowdfunding Consultant
Talent Scout
Music Educator
Concert Promoter
Music Journalist
Audio Engineer
Reading list
Share
Similar courses
OpenCourser helps millions of learners each year. People visit us to learn workspace skills, ace their exams, and nurture their curiosity.
Our extensive catalog contains over 50,000 courses and twice as many books. Browse by search, by topic, or even by career interests. We'll match you to the right resources quickly.
Find this site helpful? Tell a friend about us.
We're supported by our community of learners. When you purchase or subscribe to courses and programs or purchase books, we may earn a commission from our partners.
Your purchases help us maintain our catalog and keep our servers humming without ads.
Thank you for supporting OpenCourser.
