All aspiring musicians think that the world is their oyster. You expect opportunities to come your way and people to adore you, all thanks to your unique talent and style.

Unfortunately, the music industry is very competitive, and it might take a while until you find a worthy producer to help you sell your songs. But don’t fret just yet – no one picked Shawn Mendes for quite some time, too, and look at him now.

If you don’t want to wait for a producer to magically stumble across your music, why not sell it yourself through the internet? It would give you some exposure as well.

Don’t know where to start?

No worries – here are some tips you can follow.

1.   Create a Website

It doesn’t matter where you end up selling your music – as an artist, you absolutely need your own website. Here are a few solid reasons why it’s crucial to make this move:

• It’s your professional portfolio. Think about it – every well-known musician has a website where you can follow their music career.
• A website makes you more discoverable. SEO optimization gives you a chance to end up on the first page of search results and helps people interested in your music genre come across your site.
• It’s a chance to show your unique personality. A website is an excellent outlet for self-expression – you can even turn a section of it into a blog to share insights about upcoming music releases.

Besides music, you can also use your website to sell merch, just like Death Cab for Cutie, an indie alternative rock group, did on their website:

Image Credit: Death Cab for Cutie

Apart from earning extra cash, selling merch brings you closer to your loyal fans, who will definitely appreciate some unique apparel from their favorite artist.

2.   Try Your Luck on a Streaming Platforms

It’s probably every musician’s dream to get featured on popular streaming websites. The most notable include:

• Spotify
• Apple Music
• Tidal
• Amazon Music
• Deezer
• Primephonic

However, getting your music on these services is a bit more complicated. For example, if you want to upload your music on Spotify, you need to be signed to a label or distributor. The list of labels Spotify works with includes Record Union, DistroKid, CD Baby, and others.

Is it expensive?

Surprisingly, no. A subscription to DistroKid, for example, is only $19.99 a year. That’s a good deal considering you’ll be keeping 100% of proceeds and royalties from Spotify.

How about other services?

In the case of Apple Music, you need to have a direct partnership with a distributor preferred by the platform. Again, most of them are very affordable and allow you to keep all the cash earned from sold albums.

3.   Consider Mediator Websites

If you can’t afford to spend money on labels and distributors just yet but still desperately want to start selling music online, why not try digital music stores?

You might have heard about at least one of these popular services:

• Soundcloud
• Bandcamp
• MusicDiffusion

These websites are also known as self-marketing platforms, where you can share your music with millions of people. It’s also your chance to get noticed by popular labels – they are always scouting these websites for new talents.

What are the benefits of promoting your music through digital music stores?

Here are some points to consider:

• These services are free to use.
• Fans can share your works, spreading the word about you as an aspiring artist.
• Digital music stores also recommend music to their subscribers, and your songs might end up in these recommendations.

Now, if you get a chance to sell music through these platforms, they will cut a certain percentage of your sales. For instance, Bandcamp charges 15% of earnings. But it’s better than paying money to the distributor up front and then waiting until it pays off (which can take a while).

4.   Reach an International Audience through Smart Marketing

We can’t talk about selling music and not mention the importance of marketing. It’s okay for you as an artist to want to get as many people to listen to your music as possible. That’s why targeting an international audience is perfectly normal.

How can you get worldwide recognition?

Before you get signed with the label, a lot depends on your efforts. For instance, you could do live streams on Twitch, play your music and tell more about your journey.

A great idea is to translate one of your most popular songs to another language. For example, if you want to attract more Spanish-speaking fans, why not adapt your song to this language? However, in this case, you might need the help of a Spanish tutor – they will assist you with finding the right words, building rhymes, and saving the original meaning of your song.

How else can foreign language tutors help you promote your music?

They can become a channel through which you will reach potential fans. Working with a tutor will also help you understand your foreign fans better, not to mention a dose of inspiration you will get from learning a foreign language.

Concluding Thoughts

So, is selling music online challenging?

It is, but it’s definitely not impossible. By all means, don’t get your hopes too high – producers rarely discover artists on their own. You need to get your music out there to get noticed and build at least a small fanbase to help you spread the word.

Thankfully, it’s doable with the help of the internet. The only thing to remember is to remain persistent and keep on trying. Hopefully, our tips will guide you and help make your art-recognized.

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