Over the last 6 years, I've tried over 25 different ways to make money in music. Some made me six figures. Some made me nothing. Here's my full report.
A couple years ago, I released a free list of ways to make money in music. Yes, every one of them has the ability to generate dollars. But here's what that list doesn't tell you: which ones are actually worth your time.
After years of trial and error, financial wins and devastating losses, I can finally give you an honest breakdown of what worked, what didn't, and what I learned along the way.
This is my ultimate tell-all that I've kept under wraps while I figured it all out. So grab a notebook, because this is the most important information I can share with musicians who want to make sustainable income from their craft.
The Context: What I Actually Care About
Before we dive in, it's important to understand my priorities. This will help you weigh this information against what YOU care about.
I'm not trying to be a famous artist. I don't want to tour. I don't want to wear makeup every time I go grocery shopping.
All I care about is making a sustainable income somewhere in the music realm, so I can have freedom with my time, work on my own schedule, and live the quiet life I want. (Yes, I just bought my first house—all from music money.)
If you're an artist who wants a successful career while also making money on the side, your priorities might be different. And that's okay. Take what resonates, leave what doesn't.
THE BREADWINNER: Demo Singing & Custom Songwriting
Annual income at peak: $100,000+ | Current status: Still my most reliable stream
This has been my most successful and most reliable income stream by far. But it was a building process, and I got discouraged so many times along the way.
How it started:
Someone I was writing with for sync paid me to record vocals for their other songs. This was the first time I'd received actual dollars to sing and record after 9 years in music.
It literally made my brain explode. I'd never even thought about trying to make money this way.
The platforms:
Soundbetter.com - The gold standard. They vet creators, so you need a professional sound to get accepted as a premium provider. I waited 8 months as a free member before getting accepted. Once I did, everything changed. This is where the majority of my demo singing income comes from.
Vocalizr - People post jobs and artists publicly bid on them. I find this gross because it drives prices down. I stopped using it.
Airgigs - Everyone has a chance to be seen if you buy a featured ad. Decent visibility for about a month. I got some good gigs here.
LANDR Network - Random gigs here and there. Not a lot, but when a gig pays $650, it's worth having a free profile.
Fiverr - I don't like it. Nobody really likes working on Fiverr. They take large fees, and the culture is "cheap work for hire." Prices get driven down, and you have to trick people with add-ons to make it worth your while. But I know several singers who grind it out on Fiverr until they make it onto Soundbetter and never look back.
The investment required:
If you're thinking "buy an ad, pay for a membership, wahhh I want to make money not spend it" - listen.
Tell me what business doesn't require any investment to start?
If you want to open a restaurant, you need to spend money on chopsticks and plates. This is no different, BUT it's way less overhead than launching most businesses, so it's quite low risk.
If you spend even $1,000 attempting this and you get 3 jobs - that's it, 3 - you made your money back.
Don't have a scarcity mindset. Do your homework. Make sure you have everything in place:
- Perfect profile
- Perfect demo reel
- Incredible product quality
- Great customer service
THEN launch it so you can launch successfully.
What makes you successful:
After meeting with one of the founders of Soundbetter, here's what it comes down to:
- Product quality—Professional sound. Tuned vocals. Proper editing. Proper gain levels. This is why I talk so in-depth about vocal production on my channel. If your product isn't ready, you won't make money.
- Customer service—Don't be a dick to your clients. Respond quickly. Be professional. Deliver on time.
That's it. Product and customer service are the keys to success.
The reality:
This income requires showing up every day to sing. You're trading time for money, which has a ceiling. At my peak, I was recording 2-4 songs per day, making $8,000-$20,000 per month.
It's a dream in many ways - I work from home, on my own schedule. But it's also exhausting. There's no passive income here. If I don't sing, I don't get paid.
That said, it's still my most reliable stream, and I'm grateful for it.
SYNC LICENSING: The Cool Factor with Inconsistent Pay
Quarterly income: $1,000-$3,000 (occasionally up to $4,000 for a big placement) | Current status: One album per year, low effort maintenance
Sync licensing is getting your music into TV shows and films. It's also selling stock music through licensing libraries.
The reality check:
I have hundreds of placements over 7 years. My biggest sync ever put $4,000 in my pocket - after my agent took half and my producer took half.
I've heard all the wonderful claims of landing ads that pay $100k in one shot and renew for another term. I've never seen one of those checks. Ever.
Sync fees have been going down over the years, contrary to inflation. Most of my placements pay $20-$200.
What I love about it:
The feeling of hearing my own song in the background while watching my favorite TV show is incredible. It's more than just money - it's validation, it's cool, it's a rush.
If you're an artist promoting your music, having your song in a TV show where people can Shazam it is amazing marketing.
The danger for artists:
You'll quickly learn that certain types of songs work for sync and some don't. I've seen artists compromise their authenticity to fit into the sync licensing box.
You might get famous for a song that isn't your true sound.
Many artists get around this by making up a new band name for their sync stuff and only putting their name on their real stuff.
My approach:
I spend maybe one month per year on sync now. I create one album, give it to a sync licensing agency, and let it ride.
My numbers would probably be higher if I spent more time on it, but my time is better spent on guaranteed income streams like demo singing.
The verdict: Sync is my "finding unexpected money in your jeans" kind of revenue stream. It's cool, it feels good, but it doesn't pay consistently enough to rely on.
SAMPLE PACKS: What Doesn't Work vs. What Does
Total earned: $10,000-$15,000 from commissioned work | Current status: Only doing commissioned buyouts
Two years ago, I would have told you to run far away from sample packs. But my approach changed.
What doesn't work:
Making sample packs hoping to sell your samples to producers on marketplaces. The competition is insane, and you make pennies per download.
What does work:
Partnering with companies who will commission you to make sample packs that live inside their software for their users.
They pay you a big buyout fee ($3,000-$10,000 for 100 samples), and that's all you ever make. But it's guaranteed money upfront.
If you can get in with companies that provide samples for their users, this can be lucrative.
The verdict: Only worth it if you can secure commissioned work. Don't waste time trying to sell samples retail.
COURSES: Scaling Dream Turned Marketing Nightmare
Total earned: ~$30,000+ | Current status: Shut down, gave it away for free
The thought was: courses = scaling. It's hard to make a lot of money as a demo singer because you need to show up every day. But courses are different - work really hard to launch it, then it sells over and over, right?
Yes. Then no. Not at all.
What they don't tell you:
Once you make the course, yes it's a product you can sell over and over (if it's evergreen). But then you become a full-time marketer and community leader.
I learned so much about content creation, marketing, and sales. I met some really awesome people.
But I also met a lot of people I'd rather not have.
Why I shut it down:
I made a 17-hour course on vocal recording and production. I was proud of it. But only people who paid $1,300 got to see it.
That made me sad.
More than anything, I wanted my work to be seen and to be impactful, not locked behind a paywall.
I also realized I was becoming obsessed with money - like Gollum pining for the ring. And I believe that obsession was the number one reason I wasn't making more.
So I gave it away for free on YouTube.
What I learned: Follow what feels fun. Give more freely and you'll receive what you deserve. Trust your intuition, even with crazy ideas.
If something isn't feeling right anymore, shut it down.
The verdict: Courses can work, but only if you genuinely enjoy marketing and community building. If you don't, the money isn't worth the burnout.
CONTENT CREATION FOR HIRE: The Accidental Discovery
Per project: $300-$5,000 | Current status: Active and enjoyable
This revenue stream accidentally came out of trying to market my course.
I made a lot of content for YouTube and Instagram, doing plugin demos and vocal production tutorials. Music tech brands started noticing.
When I got hired for the first time, it opened my eyes to new opportunity - just like that first $250 demo vocal gig.
What I did:
I started making content as though I was already hired by certain plugin companies. It was like a showcase for what I could do for other brands.
It worked. They started reaching out.
What I discovered:
For the first time since demo singing, I was 100% in charge of the music in my demonstrations. I could write whatever I wanted (as long as it was clean), and I felt creatively expressed again.
That exposed how creatively starved I'd been.
Everything I created - for clients, for TV shows, for brands - was supporting other people's dreams.
What about my own?
The verdict: Content creation is genuinely fun for me, pays well, and allows creative expression. It's staying in my portfolio.
THE RAPID FIRE: What Didn't Work
Acapella Licenses
It was a bubble that has now burst. The websites out there aren't profitable anymore, and the one that was (Vokaal) pretty much stole all our money and shut down.
I still sell acapellas on my own website, but I put zero effort into it.
One song sold 80 times at $40 each = $3,200. More than I would have made if someone hired me on Soundbetter to write it. But that was the exception, not the rule.
Verdict: Dead end unless a reputable platform emerges.
Beats with Hooks (Beatstars)
Total earned: $1,000-$2,000
If you're a music producer, selling beat licenses is a big endeavor with potential. But fewer people are looking for beats with hooks.
I had decent sales by piggybacking off successful producers' audiences through collabs.
Verdict: Not worth it unless you're also selling beats and building a whole business around it.
Digital Products (eBooks, Templates, Presets, Patreon)
All doable, but requires a LOT of marketing.
If you enjoy marketing and have an engaged audience, go for it. If not, your time is better spent elsewhere.
Verdict: High effort, moderate reward. Only worth it if marketing energizes you.
AI Voice Model Training
I trained an AI voice model when they were new. The company paid me, then went under. Luckily, my model didn't sound that good anyway.
Now the competition is better, and companies let people use voice models for free.
I'm staying away until there's a way to digitally watermark and protect your intellectual property. It's the wild west right now.
Verdict: Too risky. Waiting in the wings.
Hosting Songwriting Retreats
Fun, but a lot of work and hard to commit to. You can't book spaces until you've sold tickets, but how do you sell tickets without telling people where it is?
People don't like booking far out and want to be able to cancel. You could lose a lot of money or make a lot - too risky for me.
Verdict: High risk, high effort. Not for me.
Song Feedback Services
Charging people for song feedback probably takes a lot of work to build credibility and authority first.
I never pursued it deeply enough to have a real opinion.
Verdict: Unknown, but seems like a slow build.
WHERE I'M HEADED: Plugin Development
After years of supporting other people's dreams through demo singing, sync, courses, and content creation, I asked myself: what about my own dream?
Five years ago, I had an idea for how I would make plugins differently if I could. I met a plugin developer and it felt possible, but I assumed I'd need to partner with someone.
I almost had a collab deal, but it would have been under their company, their umbrella.
I craved making something that was completely my own. Not answering to anyone but me.
So one day I said: fuck it.
I bought a book on how to develop audio plugins for beginners. Then another on implementing AI into audio plugins.
Along with lots of Googling, GitHub crawling, and chatting with Claude.ai, I became a software developer.
Very soon, I'll launch my first plugin. Then about 9 more after that.
All curated to how I wish my vocal production workflow was.
Why I'm doing this:
- Creative expression—I'm excited. I feel fulfilled. I'm building my dream.
- It all connects—Music tech videos, marketing skills, vocal production expertise, teaching experience, genuine excitement for creation. Everything I've done leads here.
- I want to scale—I want a digital product I can put out into the world so I don't have to sing every day. I want to start a family and be present with life.
I'm so busy it's insane. All I do is work.
It will be amazing when my only job (after building the plugins) is to market them.
The evolution:
I started this journey motivated by survival - I needed money.
But along the way, I discovered what really makes me happy. And it's not just money.
It's creative expression. It's building something of my own. It's supporting my own vision for once.
I'm grateful for every revenue stream I tried. Each one taught me something and led me here.
What I've Learned After Trying 25+ Revenue Streams
1. Diversification is survival.
If one stream dries up, others float you. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
2. Product quality is non-negotiable.
No amount of marketing can save a mediocre product. Perfect your craft first.
3. Time vs. money trade-offs are real.
Trading time for money (demo singing) has a ceiling. Digital products (courses, plugins, sample packs) scale.
4. Follow what feels fun.
Burnout kills businesses. If it stops being enjoyable, reassess.
5. Give freely, receive abundantly.
When I stopped grabbing at money and started giving value, opportunities appeared.
6. Your dream matters too.
Supporting other people's visions is honorable, but don't forget your own.
7. You can learn anything.
I taught myself recording, production, marketing, content creation, and software development. If I can, you can.
The Bottom Line
What made me the most money:
- Demo singing: $100k/year at peak
- Content creation: $300-$5k per project
- Sync licensing: $1k-$3k per quarter
What was worth the effort:
- Demo singing (reliable, flexible schedule)
- Content creation (fun, creative, pays well)
- Sync (cool factor, occasional wins)
What wasn't worth it:
- Courses (burnout, constant marketing)
- Acapella licenses (bubble burst)
- Beats with hooks (too niche)
- Most digital products (high effort, moderate reward)
What I'm betting on next:
- Plugin development (scalable, creative, my own vision)
Your journey will look different than mine. Your priorities, skills, and dreams are unique.
But I hope my story helps you think about how you want to craft yours.