We see you out there — the future musicians of the world, pouring coffee, mixing drinks, designing websites for shifty moving companies, all the while dreaming of making it big: signing to a label, cutting a record, reaping the benefits that only a throng of gaping groupies can herald.
While not all of you will make the proverbial “Big Time” — we can’t all be Lady Gaga, nor should we strive to be — that doesn’t mean that you can’t reap some monetary benefits for your musical labor.
Jeff Price, founder of TuneCore, recently wrote on the company blog: “More musicians are making money off their music now [than] at any point in history… Technology has made it possible for any artist to get distribution, to get discovered, to pursue his/her dreams with no company or person out there making the editorial decision that they are not allowed ‘in.’”
We would tend to agree (with the caveat that such openness has also led to a more crowded music scene, with more bands fighting for the public’s attention — but that’s a post for another day).
If you want to start seeing some payback for all your hard work, you don’t have to wait around for a label exec to catch your jazz flute set at the local coffee shop and catapult you to stardom. There are a ton of services out there that can help you make some cash, while also gaining exposure and experience.
Mashable (Mashable) spoke with folks from a quartet of such services in order to help you, the artist, devote more time to your lute than those lattes.
Note that none of the below are get-rich-quick schemes, so it might be wise to hang onto your day job — even if it is designing graphic tees for tiny dogs.
Go Into Show Business
Service: Jingle Punks
We know, we know, the moment a song makes it into the commercial, it’s an immediate sign that a band has “sold out.” But, c’mon, guys — do you really want your favorite drummer/banjo player/keytarist working in a taco trunk in order to survive? Yeah, thin may be in when it comes to the indie scene, but musicians need to eat, after all.
That’s why services like Jingle Punks can really be a boon to bands. Jingle Punks — which is basically the Pandora (Pandora) of music licensing services — focuses on providing filmmakers, TV networks, media companies and ad companies with music from up-and-coming bands. Band and Punks split the earnings 50/50.
“We work in a very smart but unsexy part of the music business,” says co-founder Jared Gutstadt. “Most artists tend to spend their time focusing on the old standards of how to ‘make it.’ They’re still thinking about record deals, pub deals, merch, touring. To really stand out and compete with this type of competition you need to be thinking about launching a music career in a much more unique way.”
Why Use This Service?
According to Gutstadt, “Music in film and television is a great way for artists to get the word out there. More importantly, you can generate money to help fund the growth of a band’s musical endeavors.”
In addition, the service makes use of the democratic nature of the web to get your music into the right hands. “In the past, the way people used to pitch music for media placements is that they would mail CDs off to as many music supes or producers they could,” Gutstadt says. “We have removed the giant pile of CDs on peoples’ desks and aggregated them into a user-friendly database organized in a dynamic way.”
What’s the ROI?
According to Gutstadt, money made runs the gamut. “It can be anywhere from $250 for a web placement all the way up to $30,000 for getting music in a commercial or motion picture,” he says. “[Mostly], you make money over time through royalties paid out by BMI and ASCAP, who are able to track usage. I always tell artists its not a get-rich-quick scheme as much as it is a way to make some money over time off your hard work.”
So Who has Succeeded?
“We work with an artist named Mike Del Rio (see above) and his music was used in a rebranding effort by the History Channel. The channel has really embraced Mike and Jingle Punks and has a couple things in the pipeline that could do great things to really help launch Mike Del Rio’s career on a more mainstream level.
“We also work with a really great band called I Love Monsters, and their music was placed in the season premiere of Entourage. This type of exposure can be great for an up-and-coming band.”
Collaborate
Service: Indaba Music
We’ve seen instances of bands forming partnerships through Twitter and the like, but wouldn’t it be easier for y’all to have everything in one place?
I mean, it’s enough of a hassle to get all your gear into a single taxi (can’t afford two) before a gig, why add 50 social media tools into the mix? That’s where services like Indaba Music — which is like the LinkedIn (LinkedIn) of music — come in.
Indaba is a platform — boasting more than 500,000 musicians — that provides musically inclined folks with a place to build a profile, promote their tunes and collaborate with other musicians from around the world.
Why Use This Service?
According to co-founder Dan Zaccagnino, “There are many ways for musicians to make money using Indaba Music. The core of the platform is about collaboration, which can be just for fun, but can also generate income for musicians through work-for-hire sessions (where a musician is paid for his/her tracks) or collaborations where songwriters share in the ownership of the song.”
In addition, Indaba features a ton of contests that “give both amateur and professional musicians a chance to collaborate with world-famous artists and in the process win cash or possibly participate in future royalties if the winners’ material is released,” Zaccagnino says.
What’s the ROI?
“There are incredible opportunities to gain experience on Indaba because the community is full of everyone from amateurs eager to learn, to music educators, to Grammy Award winners,” Zaccagnino says.
“Members learn from one another through contacting and communicating with people online, having music peer reviewed in sessions and contests, learning from master-artists through our Artist-in-Residence programs, taking online video lessons, and much more.
“Education is a big priority for us and it’s been amazing to see that organically happen because musicians are interested in helping one another.”
So Who has Succeeded?
Zaccagnino cites the following examples:
Linkin Park + NoBrain (see above)
Indaba member NoBrain’s mix was included on Linkin Park’s album A Thousand Suns and got the opportunity to collaborate directly with Linkin Park front man, Mike Shinoda, through Indaba Music.
Rivers Cuomo Producer Sessions
Rivers Cuomo of Weezer started a few sessions on IndabaMusic.com and began working with members to produce rough demos that he had written with his wife. Rivers used Indaba’s session platform to work collaboratively, utilizing the commenting system to engage musicians and achieve exactly what he envisioned. The producers were also paid for their work.
David Minnick/PBS The Music Instinct
PBS ran a contest to source music for an upcoming show about music and the brain. It found the winner, David Minnick, to be so talented that it hired him to arrange music for another show.
Toshi Osawa and Pikes Peak Ringers – Yo-Yo Ma Collaboration Winners
Yo-Yo Ma was so impressed by the quality of musical collaborations that he picked two winners, an 18-piece hand bell choir from Denver and a speed-Metal guitarist from Canada. Yo-Yo invited them into the studio to record with him in a truly unique collaboration — both tracks were later released as bonus tracks to Yo-Yo Ma’s holiday album, Songs of Joy & Peace.
Partner Up
Service: YouTube’s Musicians Wanted Program
At last year’s SXSW, YouTube (YouTube) launched a partner program for up-and-coming musicians, and, just recently, the program went from U.S.-only to international.
If you have a YouTube channel, and you’re pumping out the music vids like an A-V nerd on a sugar high, you should apply for this program post haste. Basically, it allows you to make some extra cash by adding ads to your videos and garners you more exposure from YouTube with prime placement.
Why Use This Service?
It’s all about getting your name out there, and getting your music heard, right? So go where the people are. Every day, YouTube racks up more than 2 billion video views. That’s a lot of eyes. Still, every minute, the site sees 24 hours of video uploaded, which means your genius work could get lost in the shuffle. That’s why the partner program is a must — you get the YouTube stamp of approval, which brings more attention to your work.
What’s the ROI?
YouTube couldn’t tell us how much money you can earn from the program, but they did tell us that artists get the majority share of the revenue — not to mention access to those millions of viewers. You need to be consistent with your channel, though, and really focus on putting out lots of original content. So if you’re only down to make one vid, this might not be the option for you. In order to see ROI, you have to put in the time and effort.
So Who has Succeeded?
YouTube has helped launch the careers of score of performers — from Justin Bieber to Pomplamoose.
Kina Grannis is one such artist. “I joined YouTube three years ago when I was in a contest called Doritos Crash The Super Bowl,” Grannis told us. “I needed to get people to vote for me every day in order to get my music video played during the Super Bowl (which it did, woo!), so the hope was that by agreeing to post a new video every day, people, in exchange, would come back and vote daily. This run of putting up a video every day lasted about two months in total, and while it made me crazy and sleep deprived, it was also fun and exciting and very helpful in growing my viewers.
“Post with consistency if possible,” Grannis advises artists. “Be genuine, talk to your supporters, be grateful.”
If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them
Service: BitTorrent Featured Artist Program
OK, we know what you’re thinking — you hear the word “BitTorrent” and you’re about ready to rage, am I right? File sharing is the monster under the bed for many an artist. It connotes theft, basically. Still, the model — when used correctly — can really be a boon to lesser-known artists.
We spoke to Trent Reznor — who is well-known for having released his music via torrent sites in the past — who told us: “I felt furious when the record I’d worked on for a year, that my heart and soul’s gone into, [leaked]. I’m pissed off at people that are listening to it. I’m mad that they’re snubbing me — by what? By being excited about hearing my music? And that’s wrong. I shouldn’t be mad at these people. I should be glad that people are interested.”
“Easy for you to say, Trent Reznor,” you might scoff, “You’re already famous.” Well — there’s the rub, right? You’re not famous. And you want to be. Or, at the very least, you want someone other than your roommate to come to your gig — and perhaps buy a T-shirt or two. And how do you do that? By getting the attention of the masses, of course.
Last month, BitTorrent launched a Featured Artist pilot program in an effort to give musicians more exposure. Some likened such an endeavor to getting in bed with the devil, but when you really think about it, what’s the difference between applying for the program and putting your music on MySpace (MySpace) or SoundCloud or any other music-sharing site? Well, that would be BitTorrent’s 80 million users.
We’re not saying that file sharing is totally copacetic or anything (there are a lot of pirates in them waters), but it’s not like BitTorrent is out to ruin your career, either. “In many ways, Trent Reznor’s work inspired a lot of our work,” says CEO Eric Klinker. “We really do want to riff on a lot of what he’s done. He’s in an experimentation phase, as are we.”
Why Use This Service?
“The Featured Artists pilot program encourages musicians and filmmakers to submit creative works for the chance to be spotlighted to millions of BitTorrent users around the world,” Klinker says. “For a lot of artists it is about creating a sustainable business model that will allow them to continue their creative works. So, we are interested in working with artists to experiment with various business models that play to the strengths of the Internet (Internet) while allowing them to tune into the distribution potential of BitTorrent to reach millions of consumers.”
What’s the ROI?
“In today’s digital age, the traditional model does not serve artists in the same way it used to, and instead forces them all down the same funnel where only a select few ultimately receive distribution,” Klinker says. “With BitTorrent’s Featured Artist Pilot Program, artists can tap into online communities and reach millions of people who might otherwise be inaccessible. These communities are powerful and provide intrinsic value for emerging artists trying to build a fan base. In doing so, these are fans that will invariably attend shows, purchase merchandise and become invested in future works.”
So Who has Succeeded?
Since the service just launched last month, there aren’t any featured artists yet, but the site has seen some success with the musician PAZ (see above), who has been working with BitTorrent.
“Most recently, in August 2010, BitTorrent released PAZ’s debut mix tape, Young Broke and Fameless,” Klinker says. “On the first day alone the release saw over 100,000 downloads, and as a result has increased his fan base and following.”
Top 10 Singles
Top 10 Singles
Yuli Ziv is the founder & CEO of 
