GUEST POST – Technology has changed the music industry beyond recognition over the last few years, but the musician’s main concern — how to make a sustainable income — remains the same as ever.
Although it may seem that tech hasdone nothing but take money away from musicians, some platforms have beendeveloped with musicians, and their bank accounts, in mind. Here are 5 of thebest:
1. Fat Llama
Peer-to-peer rental was brought to transport by Uber and to travel by Airbnb; now Encore and Fat Llama are bringing it to the music industry.
Fat Llama is an online marketplace for renting (almost) anything, including musical instruments and equipment of all kinds — from keyboards to omnichords, double basses to didgeridoos.
2. Encore
Encore connects musicians and event organisers (who can compare quotes, reviews and videos, and then book an act through the site). Nuno Oliveira, session drummer and member of bands Canoe Duo and RESET, uses both platforms. He says:
“I use Encore because it’s a great way to get booked for gigs, speak directly with the customer and have all of the fees and gig details at the ready and organised. I use Fat Llama because it’s a fantastic way of getting stuff done, without having to buy certain products that would otherwise be a big investment.”
Nuno Oliveira
And what if you’ve already made that investment in expensive music gear, which is now doing nothing other than gathering dust? Well, list it for rental on Fat Llama, and you could earn a continuous income off it through the circular economy.
3. Qrates
Vinyl hardly seems the most lucrative money-making venture for the modern musician. But by bringing discs to music lovers on demand, Tokyo-based startup Qrates are reinventing vinyl for the 21st century.
Musicians can use Qrates to either take pledges for a crowdfunding project or preorders on a record that’s ready to be shipped. Just upload your audio, design a label, and Qrates will press and deliver the disc for you. Designed to empower musicians, the site gives you direct access to their backers, customers and support team.
4. Artisound
By using Artisound to source royalty-free music for a media project, you can sleep easy knowing that the artist will be paid a fair 50% — regardless of the processes and costs involved. The site is the brainchild of musician and entrepreneur Yann Ireland, who founded it hoping to bring a more human touch to a marketplace increasingly driven by algorithms. Yann continues to personally curate the Artisound catalogue, handpickin geach of the tracks that go into it.
Submit your work for him to review here — although be warned that not everything makes it past his well-trained ear…
5. Musicoin
If you thought being a creative type meant that you could avoid ever having to learn what the blockchain is, you were sadly mistaken. Musicoin is at once:
- a streaming platform that uses the transparency of the blockchain ledger system to streamline the process of musical revenue generation and distribution and
- a currency designed for paying artists directly and instantly.
None the wiser? Put simply, the company promises “100% free streaming for listeners, industry best compensation for musicians” by eliminating the intermediaries between artists and their fans.
The finer details of how this works aside, you don’t need to be a cryptocurrency expert to use the platform. Just get yourself verified as a professional musician on the site, upload your music and design your licensing agreement. And then, hopefully, the streams will follow.
Have more tips for making extra money as a guitarist? Leave ’em in the comments below!
This is a guest post courtesy of the folks over at fatllama.com. Thanks, guys, for the tips and excited that Fat Llama is growing and helping musicians earn more money.
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