Let’s face it, as an independent artist, achieving sufficient, steady and reliable income is a challenge. Music is seasonal, gigs are sporadic, and there’s minimal stability. Even as a full-time musician, there are still periods of low cash flow because performance opportunities tend to ebb and flow. According to ASU Alumni Association, it was estimated back in 2006 that “as many as 42 million people have contingency employment arrangements or are self-employed, working multiple gigs for multiple clients.” At the publishing of this article, this was about 15 years ago. Just imagine what those numbers are today! Musicians and independent artists who are curious about how to make extra money are no different. But, earning significant income from your music is doable. There are so many side jobs for musicians to supplement their income. You just have to get creative!
When haters tell you to “have a backup plan,” or ask “when will you get a real job,” don’t listen! They are not entrepreneurs like you and they don’t possess the ability to take their fate into their own hands. There are many side hustles for artists on the internet and out in the physical world. The internet alone offers a multitude of money-making opportunities from freelancing websites to virtual tasks and more. What’s more, you can save time and gas by choosing alternative jobs for musicians at home that provide freedom of time. Here are 5 side hustle ideas for musicians that can help provide supplemental income during those low-performing months.
Option 1. Freelance using your other Creative Outlets:
If you are an independent artist, you are bound to harness other talents and creative skills. What are some of your other creative outlets? Can you monetize them to help earn extra cash during the low season or as a year-round way to supplement your income? Just to name a few ideas in this area: Graphic/Web Design, Visual Art, Photography, Videography, Video Editing, or Writing/Blogging. Speaking of videography, nearly every musician will want to film their live performances for promotional purposes. If you’re looking to pick up some extra cash on a weekly basis, consider purchasing an affordable video camera like this one or this one for under $200 and offer a live performance filming service for fellow musicians. If you’re going to go this route, you may also need an additional device for capturing high-quality audio. You could make $100+ per night doing this.
If you’re a songwriter, you would be a great blogger! You can make a lot of money with blogging if you have the patience and discipline to keep your blog active and monetized. If you’d like to start a blog of your own, use this link to get web hosting for only 3.95 a month.
Related: The Musician’s Guide to Blogging for Income
In addition to blogging, established blogs are always looking for contributing authors and most are willing to pay for high-quality articles. If you’d like to try your hand at blogging, start with being a contributor. You can make anywhere from $20 to $50 per article based on your experience and expertise. You can send some samples over to established blogs, or set up a gig on Fiverr. Or you can join Upwork and make yourself available there. To learn more about making money with copywriting, check out this resource.
Option 2. Provide a Service:
Think of a service you would want as an artist. Can you provide that to aspiring artists or younger artists? Can you facilitate a Song-Writing Workshop for kids or young adults? What about moonlighting as a guitar instructor? Are you well versed in your scales and modes enough to be a studio musician? Perhaps you can invest in home studio equipment and offer session work remotely?
What about managing social media sites for other musicians? There are also plenty of opportunities to become a virtual assistant. You can check job boards such as Craigslist to find local work. You can also join Upwork and make bids for jobs of interest. The great thing about finding jobs like these is that you can still operate within the music umbrella. The best side gigs for artists are those that don’t steal you away from your passion – music.
The best side gigs for artists are those that don’t steal you away from your passion – music.
The Crafty Musician
There are even more services you can offer not related to music such as being a Lyft/Uber driver or you could become a Shipt Shopper. You could rent yourself! Yes, this is a thing. You can rent yourself as a friend for a day or a party companion on RentaFriend. You could sit with the elderly or shop and run errands for the elderly. You could even become a virtual assistant by offering a gig or something similar on Fiverr. Fiverr is a really great way to start a side business as a musician. There are so many things you can offer as a seller on Fiverr. When I first started out doing freelance work, I was making $300+ a week on Fiverr. But you can potentially make even more depending on what gigs you offer. Take a look at How Sean Made $10k a Year Selling on Fiverr.
If your interest lies somewhere offline, a few more ideas would be auto detailing, house sitting, babysitting, or cooking meals for busy families. Or, you could try your hand at working on a farm. I found out recently that if you have an RV or camper, you can work on a campground in exchange for a free slot (so that’s no rent!) and possibly get paid work as well. Check out Workamping to see if this is right for you.
Option 3. Monetize your Hobbies/Interests:
Do you have a hobby that can be monetized? Do you like animals or have a green thumb? Hobbies can help you earn a few extra hundred per month while still working from home. Here are some ideas… Pet Sitting/dog walking, pet grooming, lawn care, sewing/become a seamstress (great idea during wedding season), or selling your crafts and homemade goods.
Option 4. Teach Something
Teachers are the cornerstone of society especially when it comes to teaching children! The beauty of a teaching gig however, is that everyone can be taught, not just the kiddos. Have you become an expert on something? Why not share it with others and make easy money by spending just a few hours per week teaching. You may need to become certified in order to be taken seriously, but in most cases these are just one-time fees that can reap you a return on your investment in doubles. Check out these great teaching ideas: Teach English to international students or immigrants. Teach fitness, Zumba, or Yoga classes. Teach financial planning and debt elimination. Or, you can tutor second and third graders with their math and reading.
Additionally, you can teach your own music-related classes such as vocal lessons, guitar lessons, songwriting workshops, mixing/mastering, etc. Teachable is a great platform to host your own classes online and earn money doing it. If you have a skill, you can teach it!
Option 5. Resell Stuff
There’s an entire industry built around refurbishing and reselling items. You can replace a quiet Saturday morning with a garage sale tour to find untold treasures and sell them on eBay or Amazon. Here is a very thorough article on how to sell on eBay that will inspire you to start selling today! Some people even go to auctions hosted by storage companies to scout for items. You may even find people to pay you for refurbishing their items. You can do the same thing with books! Physical books are still popping and there are people willing to buy them from you. Heck, you can even sell the books you get from yard sales and turn a profit. I went through my house and found $15 just laying around. What? Go to BookScouter and type in the ISBN numbers of books you’re looking to sell. BookScouter will give you a list of outlets willing to buy the book from you along with their bids. The outlets will even pay for shipping. All you have to do is print out the shipping label and send the books off while you wait for your money.
Other Ways to Earn Extra Cash:
If you’re like me, you’re always searching for ways to earn extra cash. So here are a few things I do online to earn a little extra cash…
Getting Paid to Shop Online
Because who doesn’t like to get paid to shop? I’ve been using Ebates for quite some time now and I get a check every 3 months or so with rebates paying me for my prior online purchases. I don’t do a lot of online shopping so it’s not a huge check, but it does help with things like gas, food, and small expenses throughout the month. At the time of this writing, Ebates is offering a $10 bonus for new sign-ups, but you have to spend at least $25 within a certain amount of time, so make sure to sign up when you know you’re about to purchase something. When I signed up, I didn’t purchase anything so I missed out on 25 bucks!
Online Surveys
The same goes for online surveys. Every bit adds up over time. I’ve been filling out surveys with Opinion Outpost for years. I’ve seen some bad reviews of Opinion Outpost, but from my experience, they seem to be upfront and reliable. They send me money when they owe me and count my completed surveys fairly. As far as earnings go, you can earn as much as the time you put into it. Here’s a little tip. I only take surveys that yield a high amount of points. I don’t fool with surveys that only offer 3 or 5 points. I shoot for surveys with a 10 point or above reward. Once you get to 100 points you’re eligible for a payout. They can payout through Paypal, Amazon gift cards, travel miles and other methods. Another tip is to be flexible to do the surveys as soon as you receive an alert that one is available. If you wait too long you’ll be too late. Once a survey has a set number of responses it will close and you will not be able to fill it out.
Inbox Dollars
Check out Inbox Dollars. It is just how the name suggests, you get dollars for completing small tasks such as reading e-mails, watching videos, answering questions and surveys, etc. Take advantage of the sign-on bonus and get more bang for your time. At the time of this writing it looks like you can earn $5 just for signing up. It’s easy money.
User Testing
User Testing is another great way to earn money online. You would be testing various websites and answering questions based on your observations. It’s very easy work. To get started you will have to fill out an application and prove that you can do the work. You’ll need a webcam and a reliable microphone to record your responses.
Making extra money with a side hustle as an independent artist is a world of opportunities. If your music is not bringing in as much as you hope, don’t give up on it. Take charge of your finances and choose a secondary “gig” that can help supplement your income whether it’s making money on the internet, making money at home, or finding money making opportunities outside of home, the possibilities are endless. Don’t let the haters fool you into thinking you “need a real job” in order to be successful. With a little planning, a little time, and a little starter money, you can do your music and earn money with a side hustle too.
Here are some other articles I wrote related to finances you might be interested in:
+Musicians, Here’s How to Give Yourself a Raise in the New Year
+8 Ways to Double your Gig Earnings with Merchandise
+Being an Independent Artist: When to Quit Your Day Job
Watch: 5 Passive Income Strategies Musicians Can Build Today
You don’t have to join the rat race to be successful in life. If your music is currently earning a part-time income or even a no-time income, there are many ways to supplement your income without sacrificing your freedom to do music. Use your hobbies, skills, and creativity to generate an income for yourself. For example, take a look at what this artist did to earn money to support her musician lifestyle. Also take a hard look at your expenses and see where you can make some cuts. That might mean moving to a cheaper living space like I did when I built a tiny house. Or, it could mean cutting some expenses that are not necessary such as cable or getting cheaper insurance. Have an open mind and think of it in terms of what your options are instead of your limitations. I’m positive you will come up with something that works for you.
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Hey Anitra, great tips, I love what your doing. As independent musicians we need to have each other’s backs! Thank you for putting so much thought into this. I also just watched your video on passive income strategies. I already decided that building passive income streams is the best way to fuel my music. It takes a lot of committment but I find people who are really committed to the musician lifestyle make excellent entrepreneurs. Affiliate marketing and e-commerce are awesome business models for freeing up time to be creative and persue your music. The skills also help you no end in marketing yourself and your music. It takes some time to get everything in place and learn the skills you need but it’s so worth it when it pays off.
Best of luck to you and your community. x
Wilko
mytimemylife.org
Hi Andrew! Thanks for reading and for watching my video too! You are absolutely correct. Building passive income systems does require a time investment and many times, a small financial investment too. But it’s well worth it in the end. The best part about it is that you can learn the skills you mentioned along the way. I’m wishing the best for you also. Have a look around here on this blog for more tips. I think you’ll find even more resources that might help or serve as encouragement in your journey! 🙂
Side hustles are so powerful! An extra $100 dollars in a month really makes a huge difference in the end, can’t argue with that!
A side hustle is extremely beneficial since it provides greater financial flexibility and extra income.