5 Side Hustles for Musicians That Don't Require You To Neglect Your Art

It’s not uncommon for artists to struggle to support their work. Sometimes they even have to work multiple jobs at once, sacrificing precious time they’d rather spend doing what they love.

If you are looking for ways to make an income while you work on your music career, MRC shares a few side hustles you could try.

1. Take It to Social Media
The list of musicians, comedians, and other artists who got their start by creating a powerful social media presence is long. Start making yourself active daily across all social media platforms.

Dacast explains how you can stream live concerts across all your pages at once. On some pages, people can even donate to show support.

You can link your pages to your website where you can post new music and keep your followers updated about your music. Remember to be careful about the content you choose to post. This is where you will make a name for yourself and create your own brand.

2. Start Your Own Music Business
As a musician, music is your area of expertise. It’s only plausible that you could turn some of that knowledge into a business.

For example, you might invest in a music venue where artists can play gigs or open an online store that sells musical instruments. To help you keep your goals on track, you’ll first want to have your credit in good standing.

This is important so that when the time comes to secure funding for your startup lenders will see you as a low-risk investment. Know what your credit score is beforehand by downloading a free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com.

It’s also important at this stage to create a business plan with a detailed description of your company, the products or services you provide, your financial projections, and how you intend to structure your company. Check out this guide on how to start a company with ZenBusiness to learn about the specifics.

3. Freelance as a Writer
If you are a songwriter, you could take that creative skill and freelance as a writer. Many musicians started as songwriters for other musicians.

Use your knowledge as a writer to freelance your services. The key to securing a freelance writing position is to learn the tools of the trade.

For example, you should familiarize yourself with the different writing formats, such as AP and APA. You also want to create a writing portfolio to display your skills and what topics interest you.

Then you want to market your writing. You can use a website that allows you to create a profile for recruiters to view.

4. Freelance as a Music Teacher
Use your musical skills to teach others. You can offer voice lessons or tutoring sessions for people who want to play an instrument you know how to play.

Start by advertising your services at local community centers, coffee shops, schools, colleges, and stores. Even if you start with a single client, you can grow your client base fairly quickly just by word of mouth.

The key is to take your position very seriously. Create goals and lesson plans for your students and invest in their progress.

5. Consider the Service Industry
Working in the service industry is not a novel idea for artists, but it is a great way to make money in a pinch. Money Talks News reports that you can make a decent living waiting tables if you take your breaks responsibly and look for jobs that offer benefits.

You can typically stipulate the hours you want to work so you can schedule the job around the time you need to work on your music. Part of being a musician on your way up is working between gigs.

However, you can find ways to use your talent to make money as well whether you’re starting your own business or teaching lessons. When that doesn’t work, you can always fall back on the classic service industry job.

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