How to Make *decent* money from music ....

May 29, 2015
Last time on the blog, I discussed the concept that what a musician gets paid depends on a single factor – the perceived value of his products or services in the eyes of his customer.

If the customer views his products or services as high value, he will be able to charge higher prices or fees. If the customer views his products or services as low value, then he will only be able to charge low prices.

In the worst case scenario, the customer may perceive his products or services as having no value at all, and will be unwilling to pay anything for them.

It can be hard for us to think of music in terms of ‘products’ and ‘services’ but the reality is that anyone who hopes to make any money out of music has to start thinking in a business-like way.


Let’s define some of these terms specifically in regards to a modern musician:

Product – anything that a musician creates, which he does not have to be in the room to get paid for. Obvious examples are recordings (in both physical and digital format), live DVDs or videos, notated compositions, tuition materials, video-courses, books and ‘merchandise’ such as T-shirts, keyrings, posters and condoms.

Services – any work that a musician has to be physically present to get paid. Obvious examples include playing gigs, lecturing, teaching, running workshops, recording sessions and so on.


Customer – anybody who might potentially buy a product or service off a musician. This includes fans, students, venue owners, function organisers, bookers, agents, band-leaders, fellow musicians and so on.

read more: http://barrydallman.com/how-to-make-money-from-music/