Sean Pancirov
If you’ve been following the current series that I’ve been covering, you know that the overall theme is about The E-commerce Revolution and the major impacts it has had on the way people do business in the current times. Well, today I’m going to discuss another industry that has been impacted greatly by this E-commerce Revolution, and that would be The Music Industry, and the audio market in general.
Just a couple of years ago, The Music Industry was very different than it is now. The E-commerce Revolution, along with social media, and streaming services like YouTube, has completely changed the way that people listen to and shop for music.
Up until very recently, if you we’re an aspiring music artist, or if you we’re in a band, you had to get a record deal with a major record label in order to make a decent living from your music. Back then, having an album go platinum was the highest level of success that a band or an artist can achieve with their music. At that time, if you couldn’t get a record deal and then subsequently have an album go platinum, then you were just another starving artist. Fortunately, things are much different now.
Thanks to the Internet, e-commerce, social media, and YouTube, nobody really buys CD’s anymore. If you are a musician, a singer, or in a band, your success is no longer tied to how many albums you sell, nowadays it’s about how many downloads or YouTube views you get. E-commerce, and streaming sites like YouTube have made it so that you no longer have to get a record deal with a major record label to see success in the music industry.
If you are in the business of producing and selling music, or if you sell any type of audio product for that matter, then pay attention, because this post is for you. I’m now going to discuss some online platforms where you can set up shop for free and begin selling your music or your audio products to the masses.
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Platforms For Selling & Licensing Music
The following platforms are specifically for music sales. If you are in a band, or if you are a music artist of any type, then you will want to consider these websites first.
Arrange Me
On this platform you can self publish and sell your music. Arrange Me allows you to sell arrangements of popular songs, public domain works, and your own compositions.
Band Camp
This is a platform where independent bands and artists can upload their music and sell it for the price that they set. Sellers can sell digital downloads of their music, as well as physical CD’S. Band Camp also allows for the sale of any band merchandise that you may have such as shirts, bumper stickers, etc.
Beat Stars
The world’s #1 marketplace to buy and sell beats online. On Beat Stars, you can sell your beats in the marketplace, and you can also monetize your beats by streaming them through platforms like Souncloud and Audiomack where you can get paid a portion of their ad revenue.
CD Baby
CD Baby enables you to sell and stream your music everywhere. Make your music available on 150+ streaming and download services. With CD Baby, you have the most revenue streams for your music which includes the following: streaming, downloads, CD and vinyl sales, YouTube monetization, sync licensing, publishing royalty collection, direct to fan sales and more.
Discogs
Online music marketplace where you can list your music and sell it for the prices that you set.
E-music
This website offers crowdfunding for you to raise capital, a marketplace where you can sell your music, loyalty incentives and more.
Fresh Tunes
Music distribution service that enables you to sell your music on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and many other digital music stores. The greatest thing about this service is that artists are allowed to keep 100% of the royalties.
Premium Beat
This platform by Shutterstock enables music producers to license their music for use to whomever is interested in using it. Now, if you decide to license your music, you can charge a much higher price for it than if you were to simply sell it for listening purposes.
Reverb Nation
With Reverb Nation, you can create your own band or artist website where you can sell your music directly, and distribute it to other digital stores. Reverb Nation provides you with the tools to promote your music and gain fans. There is also a tool that helps you find live performance gigs.
Sound Click
This is another website that enables you to create your own artist or band website for showcasing your music. You can sell your music directly in the Sound Click store, and you can license your music to interested parties.
The Music Case
Here is another platform where artists and bands can license their music as opposed to selling it.
Tracklib
The world’s 1st record store with songs for sampling. Instead of licensing entire tracks, this platform enables you to license samples of your music which you can price according to the length of the samples.
Tune Core
Another platform that will distribute your music for sale in all of the major digital music stores.
Podcasts, Audio Books & Other Audio Products
Now we’re going to focus on platforms where you can sell any audio product that is not music. This includes audio books, podcasts, sound effects, and any other products where you are selling sound.
ACX
If you are an author, earn additional revenue from your books by turning them into audio books through this platform.
Author’s Republic
As the world’s widest audiobook distribution network, Author’s Republic will publish your audiobooks for free and distribute them to major audiobook retailers worldwide. You’ll receive 70% of whatever your audiobooks earn across 30 channels.
Awesome Sound
Sell podcasts, audio books, & online courses. Awesome Sound enables you to sell your products in their marketplace, and directly from your own website.
Nimbit
The question that most people end up having regarding Nimbit is not what can they do, but what can’t they do? Nimbit is used by artists, podcasters, comedians, educators, and many other types of influencers, and entertainers. Here are some of the things that you can do with Nimbit:
- Manage & engage fans
- Manage events & sell tickets to events
- Email marketing
- Offer loyalty rewards to your fans
- Sell audios, merchandise, and other products in an embeddable store front
- Showcase your brand with an embeddable profile
Production Trax
Online marketplace where you can sell your audio media. This includes music tracks, sound effects, stock audio & production music.
Sound Board
The online marketplace for nothing but sounds. Here you can upload and sell podcast episodes, sound effects, sound loops, beats, or just about anything audio.
Sound Exchange
An online platform for music & podcast licensing.
Street Lib
Publish your audiobooks and distribute them across the globe.
So there you have it. Whether you’re a music producer, a podcaster, or some other audio product creator, there is no shortage of opportunities for you to monetize your creations online. Now, it’s up to you to make it happen.
