Making Money Producing Music At Home
Becoming the next Timbaland or Dr Dre doesnt happen overnight, but do you know where to start when producing music as an independent artist.
We will give you tips on how to publish your music, who to call for advice and what the industry is looking for in today’s digital world.
You can also learn about the music production side of things and see what types of equipment are the most popular at the moment.
And if you want to know about that all elusive record deal, it’s not going to come knocking on your door but there are still ways you can get one in this day and age.
Music publishing
There are a few ways to publish your music through Copyright. One is to go the traditional route of setting up a publishing deal through a company like Warner/Chappell or EMI Music Publishing.
This means you will earn royalties each time your songs are played on the radio or someone downloads them off iTunes. You still have creative control over what happens to your music, but you are restricted by the terms of the publisher.
The other option is to be a self-publisher, which means you set up your own publishing company, register it with the Performing Rights Society (PRS) – a non-profit organisation that collects royalties for performances on behalf of publishers and songwriters – and then you collect all the royalties.
However, there are limitations on how much you can earn under this system. You can write into the PRS and ask them to waive any fees due to special circumstances.
We have a guide to music publishing if you want to know more.
Song plugging
If youre in a band and want to know how to break into the music business, there are people out there that can help get your music heard by record companies. These people are called pluggers. They work for independent PR firms that send your album off to every record label in the hope of getting a recording contract. You can learn more about these companies on Music Week’s search engine.
Record label opportunities
It’s worth remembering that whilst your music may be heard by record companies through the plugger route, it is still down to you to convince them that your music will sell.
If theres a budget for PR services then you should look into what is available commercially. The most popular way of doing this is via a record label deal. Under this arrangement, there will be a record company that looks after your album for distribution and marketing purposes.
Record company criteria
Here are some things to consider if you want to sign with a record label:
Can your music be distributed through online retail, such as download or streaming services? If so then that will mean a lot of people seeing it and downloading it. It shows various search engines that your music is out there. This is called online marketing. Can the record label get your album played on mainstream radio? This will mean headlining tours and festivals in major cities across the country.