Hi all! Long time lurker, first time poster.
So I've been trying to figure out a way to turn my love of playing music into something a little more profitable. For me, talent isn't the issue so much as finding a way to monetize it. Obviously, I don't expect to be the next super star, but I'm looking for something enjoyable and sustainable for my life style as a busy professional.
Here are some ideas I had, but would welcome any suggestions from creative types, or others.
- Hustle more gigs for my band and do more to promote them. This is sort of a double edged sword, because if we play too much without expanding the fan base, I worry that we'll start to become less appealing. Any suggestions for this?
- Expand the number of royalty free songs I'm selling on Pond 5. I've been at it for a few months and make about $25/mo, but I'm not sure how to optimize this. Here is my https://www.pond5.com/artist/RoughCoast. Maybe I'm not making the right type of music? Maybe I need to promote more?
- Put songs up on Youtube, spotify, etc. I'm not sure there's any money in what I expect will be a pretty low number of plays. Anyone have any experience in this?
Any other ideas for how to make a little more in my spare time doing what I love?
Thanks!