The first step toward quitting your day job, and working full-time in the music industry is making enough money to pay your bills. Many musicians and music producers generate tremendous revenue doing freelance work. I’m going to show you how you can make money online using 4 of the best freelance websites for musicians and producers.
Technology has developed to the point that it’s possible to capture professional-quality recordings at home on a budget. Remote freelance work has become more popular than ever because people looking to hire musicians and producers have their pick of the litter. In contrast, freelancers have access to a massive number of potential clients.
As a freelancer, you can profit by selling a wide range of services online such as songwriting, studio recording (delivering vocals and instrumentals), beat making, remixing, sound design, editing (comping and tuning), mixing, as well as mastering. Freelancers can look for work on their own, or join online freelance marketplaces that help them find clients.
When it comes to freelance marketplace platforms, there are a lot of options out there. The beautiful thing about using these platforms is that you don’t need to commit to just one. You can sign up for a handful of platforms to increase the amount of work coming your way.
Trying to manage tons of seller accounts is time-consuming and unreasonable, so I’ve put together a list of 4 of the best freelance websites for musicians and producers to help get you started.
1. SoundBetter
SoundBetter seems to be the most popular website for musicians and producers doing remote freelance work. They’re a musician to musician marketplace that helps professionals in the music industry create high-quality songs. Users can find vetted vocalists, drummers, music producers, audio engineers, guitarists, and more.
This website hosts tens of thousands of freelancers, including dozens of Grammy Award-winning artists that come with high price-tags. SoundBetter currently has the most well-versed selection of handpicked musicians to choose from, which draws in lots of music creators.
SoundBetter books plenty of orders, but this means competition is high. Musicians and producers looking to sell their services on SoundBetter need to find a way to stand out. An excellent way to do this is to list your accomplishments, showcase impressive musical work, and upload a striking profile picture.
The free version of SoundBetter lets clients invite you to jobs and upload one demo of your work, while the premium version costs $59/month and lets you send proposals to clients on SoundBetter's job board, as well as upload multiple demos. The premium version also boosts your profile higher in SoundBetter's search results.
You're going to have to buy into SoundBetter's premium plan to make the most of the marketplace. For clients, the premium plan keeps proposal quality quite high by screening out freelancers who don't book enough jobs to pay the monthly subscription. As a freelancer, the burden is on you to recoup the cost of the subscription each month, but it's potentially worth it if the amount of work you receive translates into substantial income.
2. Melody Nest
Melody Nest is a freelance musician marketplace that connects vocalists, instrumentalists, audio engineers, graphic designers, and more, to other musicians and music producers that are looking for original recordings and album cover designs. All freelancers on this website are handpicked professionals actively working in the music industry, which helps keep the quality of work to a high standard. Musicians and producers can find and hire the right artist with full control over budget and style.
This platform has the most extensive selection of services in comparison to its main competitors. Freelancers can submit new ideas directly to Melody Nest if one of the services they offer isn’t included on the website.
Since Melody Nest is a new company, the competition is quite low, which makes it easier to stand out as a freelancer. The obvious downside is that the number of clients using the site isn’t quite as high as a website like SoundBetter. However, by building a strong portfolio on Melody Nest now, there’s the potential to conquer and cash in on the marketplace as it grows.
3. AirGigs
AirGigs first launched in 2012 and was the first major freelance marketplace for hiring musical professionals online. Just like Melody Nest and SoundBetter, AirGigs offers professional studio talent from songwriters, producers, vocalists, instrumentalists, and more.
What’s excellent about AirGigs is that anyone can sign up. You don’t need to wait to be approved, and the onboarding process is swift—it doesn’t take more than 5 minutes to get started.
AirGigs uses a classic marketplace setup that lets talent push their way towards the top. Since AirGigs has been around for many years, there are lots of sellers already dominating the platform. It takes some effort to wedge yourself into a marketplace like this, but it’s possible if you deliver quality work quickly.
4. Fiverr
Established in 2010, Fiverr was one of the first freelance websites musicians and producers sold their services on to start generating money. Even though Fiverr sells many different services including software development, business marketing, song composition, and creative writing, the website is still capable of delivering well-paying contract jobs to freelance musicians and producers.
Similar to AirGigs, you can easily set up a shop regardless of skill level. Sign-up is free, and the amount of website traffic and overall annual revenue Fiverr generates is impressive. Fiverr is worth a shot if you’re looking to earn some extra income.
The “starving musician” stereotype is very real, but it doesn’t need to be. Creating music is a valuable skill set that will allow you to quit your day job if you sell your services effectively.
Many musicians are unaware of all the opportunities out there. The websites on this list will help you generate multiple healthy revenue streams by connecting you with people in need of your services. Freelance marketplaces create mutually beneficial relationships that have been helping musicians and music producers for years.
Join the Black Ghost Audio group on Facebook to connect with musicians and producers looking to network and pay for your freelance services. Leave a comment below if you have any questions regarding this article. Your feedback is always appreciated!
Nick Voorhees is the CEO and Founder of Melody Nest.
