Yes, You Can Excel as a Musician From Home

Article by Derek Cannon

These days, you no longer have to tour the world or secure residencies to flourish as a musician. As technology advances, more musicians are opting to use their talents remotely. And it’s proving quite lucrative for those who are approaching it with a strategy.

That’s right — there are many ways to make a living as a musician. And you don’t even have to leave your house! Strum University discusses a few of them below. 

Forming a Business      

No matter what type of job you are looking for, consider establishing a business structure that will provide advantages come tax time and protect you from personal liability. Many freelancers and entrepreneurs choose to form an LLC because it allows for more flexibility in how you get paid and requires less paperwork than some other structures.

Each state has rules regarding LLCs, so do some research before diving into the process. You could also save time and stress by hiring a formation service to establish it for you. 

Marketing Yourself

Whether you choose to get into music production, lessons, licensing, or any other field, you will need to market yourself effectively. It’s no secret that digital marketing is crucial for all types of entrepreneurs these days, but you shouldn’t neglect traditional marketing altogether.

For instance, infographics can make a strong first impression and keep your services top of mind for potential clients. An information-packed infographic can be used in several areas, including your website and social media platforms. You could hire a graphic designer to design your eye-catching infographic, or you could save when you create an infographic using a template that you can customize to your liking. Once you choose a template, you can personalize it by adding your own text, colors, background, and design elements.

Music Production

Producing music from home is nothing new, but as computers and other technologies have advanced, more producers are making money from their home studios. If you have a knack for production, use sites like Music Jobs HQ to start finding musician-specific job posts.

You might be surprised by how quickly you can start connecting with potential clients. If you hope to produce other artists, start networking online and in-person, and keep improving your craft to establish a solid reputation.

Session Work

Today, musicians can record everything they need remotely. In fact, most artists and producers expect musicians to be able to record remotely and send them the files. This means that if you want to perform session work from home, you will need to invest in the proper equipment and learn how to use it effectively.

The good news is that you do not have to be a top-notch engineer to succeed as a session musician. That being said, Marshall notes that you do need to learn how to record your instrument and provide high-quality tracks.

Online Lessons       

If you excel at a specific instrument, why not teach others? These days, Musiprof points out that you can make a decent living by teaching virtual lessons. And you could even combine in-person and online lessons without ever having to leave your house.

Music Blogging

If you are knowledgeable about music in general, consider starting an advice blog. You could start your own blog or get your feet wet by writing for existing sites.

You might discover that writing about music helps you improve as a musician, not to mention teaches you about various genres, styles, and techniques. Researching alone will teach you a lot about music.

Sync Licensing

Sync licensing is one of the best ways to make money as a remote musician. By working with a production music library, you can build passive income each month and potentially get your song picked up by licensing companies for TV shows, movies, commercials, and more. Essentially, this means that you write and record songs (or record covers), and then you submit them to libraries and licensing companies to shop them around.

You don’t have to leave your house to make money as a musician. Consider these ideas – including session work, blogging and creating an infographic for marketing – as you develop a plan for optimizing your creativity and talents to supplement your income. You may even find that you can entirely support yourself and your family through various outlets.