Best Ways To Make Money As A Musician (Off The Stage)

Before You Begin

When you move off the stage and into other money-making opportunities, open a new bank account. This will help you track incoming and outgoing funds, which is crucial come tax time. It might also be a good idea to form an LLC, which is a simple business structure that can protect your personal assets, such as your home and car if you wind up in trouble during a side gig. You also want to get set up with an insurance policy designed for gig workers. You want to make money as a musician, the last thing you want is to lose that money to an accident, theft, or other unforeseen circumstance.

At some point, you may turn your side gig into an actual business. This means hiring employees. And, it also means you must pay them. When accounting isn’t your strong suit, you’ll need an easy way to make payroll each week. If you need to track hours, logging time in a spreadsheet is a convenient way to keep up with employee pay. You won’t have a problem finding a template online but keep an open mind and upgrade to an automated program later on, which is easier and less prone to man-made errors.

As a musician, you are a creative individual. Your innate talents can serve you well in many areas that don’t require late nights and loud bars. Here are five options to consider.

Host A Podcast

Musicians Hosting A Podcast Session

One of the best ways to make money as a musician is to build your social media presence and then sell your personality. Hosting a podcast is a great way to do this, and it’s one that marketing company The Best Media notes that can net you up to $900 per episode with just 10,000 downloads. Before you get started here, grab a notebook and gather your equipment. You’ll want to know what you’ll talk about and have a narrative draft for your first airing. Try to have at least five episodes prewritten, which is enough to help you gauge what works and what doesn’t.

You also want to make sure that you have a powerful computer and a crystal-clear microphone. Musician Nerd believes the best microphone for podcasting would be the Rode Podmic.

Work In A Local Theater

Your local theater is a great place to not only keep your skills sharp but to also learn new ones that may come in handy further in your career. To make money as a musician in the local theater, consider joining their crew. You may have to work as a stagehand or in another non-musical position, and the pay is often low, but it’s a great networking opportunity. And, if you want to be an actor, don’t be shy about trying out for a role that involves both speaking and singing. Julie H. Jordan tells the On Stage blog that you have a better chance of acing your audition if you read the script, bring a resume, and put yourself in the character’s shoes.

Become A Tour Guide

Unless you live in Nashville, Seattle, or New Orleans, you might think working as a tour guide is a terrible way to make money as a musician. The truth is that it’s an awesome opportunity to showcase your personality and to use your stage skills to tell a compelling story. You also already have experience facing the crowd, and, likely, you recover easily from imperfection. You probably won’t make an impressive salary, but, with the right attitude, will likely bring in lots of tips.

Create Online Courses

If you understand music theory, composition, and other aspects that go into creating a marketable piece, write it down. You can teach music to others by creating and hosting an online music course. Another educational option here is to teach guitar, piano, or other instruments to local students. And, if you have a degree, you might even be able to land a spot on your local high school’s staff as a band teacher.