Make Money as a Music Composer
While filmmaking and videography are primarily visual art forms, the importance of a gripping score can’t be overstated. Music heightens the impact of moving pictures. With every frame, filmmakers and videographers are trying to convey a specific emotion. It can be argued that music is among the most vital and certainly one of the most powerful artistic tools at a filmmaker’s disposal.
Video essayist Jack Nugent looked at the psychology of music in film a few years ago. In the video he explores how the human brain responds to different approaches to auditory stimulation (great piece of content). I will link the video below. Some you are already composers or have least started the path to composing music for films. If you are currently trying to break into the industry, chances are you are a freelance musician. Freelance (contracted) usually means that you work on a per-project basis and projects are not available back-to-back (at least not all the time).
How to Make a Living as a Music Composer?
What can you do in the meantime? You might have just finished helping a small studio with a short film or a spirit group of filmmakers who brought you an amazing documentary for you to add musical magic! What now? Do you settle for an “okay” part time job that is not related to what you love or are passionate about? Why not be a musician while composing amazing scores for movies, and still a musician while you wait for the next big project?
I want to share with you a few options musicians have to make a decent share of money online. Keep in mind that the following options typically work better if you already have an audience. I’ve spoken about branding and building an audience as an artist in the past. Go back to that content in order for these options to work a lot better!
Patreon
I’ve put the subscription based crowd-supporting platform called Patreon at the top of the list because every single musician out there should already know about it. It’s highly recommended. It provides a way to rake in a steady stream of monthly revenue on the basis of sharing your art and giving rewards. They’ve built the site to provide a sense of community and filled that gap between artist and fan. It’s beautiful, and I can’t rave about it enough.
Online E-concerts
Concert Window is a platform that allows you to generate income as a musician without having to leave the confines of your cozy artist space. There are several tools available for use in all the platforms but something to keep in mind that Concert Window and Stageit have the option to collect tips and give ‘rewards’ to your best tippers.
Private Skype Shows
Similar to online e-concerts, but these are privately held events. This is something that you could set up on your online store as a gift option. Maybe a fan wants to understand your process and would like for you to play the scores in your films with some commentary and inspirational history. The possibilities are only limited to your imagination.
The three mentioned above are some of the most overlooked options for a composer to make money online. An important thing to remember is that putting a lot more content online will grow your visibility that might be interested in hiring you! There are other options for musicians with fans such as merchandise and live shows. I might bring those to another piece of content later, but I wanted to provide you a few options that will allow you to keep doing what you love on your off-days.
Some marketplaces worth noting are the following:
- Gigsalad
- Music Bed
- Air Gigs
- Smart Plug
Take some time to read about each individual platform in order to figure out what works best for your career goals and availability.
That’s it! I hope this information helped you figure out some of the next steps for your music composer career. What are some of your favorite movie soundtracks and film scores? Let us know in the comments below!
Source:
http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/musician-tips/5-amazing-ways-make-money-online-musician/
