6 Ways How Rap Artists Can Make Money Online
Here are 5 ways how you can utilize the internet to maximize your revenue as an upcoming or established hip hop artist aside from touring and selling tickets to your shows.
1. Distribute Your Songs on Spotify & Co.
This is obvious, if you already recorded some songs or eventually recorded a whole ep or album, make sure to distribute your songs on streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music, a distributor
If you are brand new to this business, it may be better not to release your songs on streaming platforms first and release them for free on YouTube, SoundCloud and eventually Bandcamp, to build up a fanbase first and sell an official project
The point is if you are an experienced recording artist and stand 100% behind your songs, release them on all outlets available to maximize your revenue and reach, but do it smartly and efficiently.
2. Sell Merchandise
With companies like BandZoogle or Spreadshop you have the option to sell an unlimited amount of merch on your website without the hassle of going in prepayment and doing it all by yourself, you don’t even need to ship it to your customers.
I don’t have experience with these service providers but if I would sell merchandise I probably would use one of these two companies.
3. YouTube (Monetization)
Start a YouTube channel, this is not optional, this is a requirement for every independent entrepreneur and a marketing tool you can’t ignore.
YouTube is the biggest search engine in the world besides Google, and it continues to grow, and you can utilize it in many different ways. Don’t just use it to release your songs, start vlogging, do Q&A’s and start putting yourself out there.
If you do this with consistency and engage with your viewers, which can turn into customers and fans later on, you’ll see growth in exposure and ad revenue.
If you want to learn more about how exactly you can utilize YouTube efficiently as an artist, we wrote the basics down in this article
4. Use Patreon
Patreon allows artists and creators, in general, to set up a subscription-based service for their fans. Your fans can donate every month, and you can offer them something in return, a new video, merchandise or shoutout on social media, for example, this can be combined with your Merchandise shop or YouTube by setting up a live stream for your Patreon subscribers.
5. Start Blogging
This may not be for everyone but if you are into web design, know how to utilize WordPress and since you are a rapper, I assume you think you are good with words as well, start a blog.
If you write a lot of lyrics, publish them on a website or just blog about your daily struggles and thoughts, it will lead to knowledge, and if done right, your blog topics will get picked up by search engines.
You could monetize the blog with ads, build a mailing list or use it to support your published YouTube videos.
6. Ghostwriting Services
Another way to utilize a website or blog is to offer ghostwriting services. With plugins like WooCommerce, you can turn your site in an online shop offering various versions of your service and optimize it for search. You can combine it with your blog and your merchandise shop, and if done right you have a brand new business, another source of income.
I’m using WooCommerce as well to sell my music productions.
Conclusion
These are just a few of many different ways how you can utilize the internet to generate income as an artist. They all have something in common, they require work and consistency, and it is up to you, how and if you utilize these sites and services.
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