The complete guide: sell your songs online | Music streaming platforms
What exactly is the process to sell your songs online and when should you start? When trying to navigate all the options available, it can be overwhelming. But you have the best music-selling platforms by your side. You’ll want a marketing plan in place to optimize your music sales whenever you release an album, EP, or powerful single.
This tutorial will walk you through selling your songs online. Focus on your website and your mailing list to maximize revenue, then create a strategy to engage your fans and sell your songs online.
You need to take your time and be careful when creating new music. You’ll see more sales from your fans if you put as much effort to sell your songs online as you have into creating it.
Let’s get started!
You need to prepare all forms of communication, photos, and videos as much as you can after sketching out your ideas. You need to be organized to be able to maximize your release when things start moving quickly.
Sell your songs online: when to do it
Making your songs available for online sale is the easy part once you’ve got your music ready to go. It is really important to develop a strategy that outlines when to sell your songs online and what tools you should use to maximize your revenue, like the best music-selling platforms.
First, create a strategy to sell your songs online. As a result, you will have something to do when your music is ready on your best music-selling platforms.
Organize your album or single sales into phases to make things easier. To build anticipation for your new music, strengthen your relationship with your fans, and raise money, you should build anticipation and strengthen the relationship with your fans.
1. Building a fan base in your best music selling platforms
From the very beginning to sell your songs online, you’ll want to engage your fans. You probably already have a demo in your head, or you have music in your head already.
You need to start letting people know you have music coming up right now. Your journey is just beginning, but they can and should be a part of it.
Use some promotional ideas to promote your new songs, and learn how to market your music online. Make Facebook and Instagram videos and teasers for your fans, and post regular updates and photos to keep them up to date.
2. Start a crowdfunding campaign
Pre-orders to sell your song online can be set up with crowdfunding, the ultimate pre-order system in some best music selling platforms. You’ll keep 100% of the pledges sold from a crowdfunding campaign if you set it up directly on your website.
You don’t just fund your album by adding perks, but you can also figure out how many CDs or other items you will need to produce. The campaign will also build excitement for your upcoming release. If you do it online, you can rely on music streaming platforms.
3. Making pre-orders on the best music selling platforms
You should put your album up for presale in the weeks leading up to its release regardless of whether you crowdfunded. In addition to receiving another announcement to make (“album now available for pre-order in these stores”), you will be able to invite non-participants in the crowdfunding campaign to purchase the album.
On your website, you can set up a preorder option to sell your songs online. SoundScan (Pro subscribers) will report the sales, and you’ll collect email addresses to build a mailing list.
In order to maximize revenue from pre-sales, make sure you place them on music streaming platforms where you collect email addresses (such as your website or Bandcamp). Apple, for example, doesn’t give you important data and customer email addresses, so you’re losing money.
Using a service, such as Show.co, to create a Spotify pre-save or audio ad can be an option during the pre-release stage. Find out what works best for you as far as releasing a single is concerned. Is taking from this path to selling your songs online.
4. Album or single release
You should release your album or single to your pre-ordered fans once it is ready. Once that is done, sell it on your website and in popular online retailers and streaming services (best music selling platforms).
Along with email newsletters, social media posts, and other techniques to promote music, this should be coordinated. One of the best music selling platforms is creating a YouTube channel where you can upload each of your new songs (music videos, or even simple lyrics videos with a buy link in the description) so people can find you.
The place where fans should be able to buy your album, even if it’s available through popular online stores, is on your website.
You should update your Homepage with the latest information about your new music, your info to sell your songs online. Provide direct-to-fan purchasing options on your Music page, along with links to other music streaming platforms where the music can be bought and listened to.
A complete guide to setting up your best music selling platforms: How To Create A Perfect Music Page
5. Follow-up on sales of music
If you are having trouble releasing your album, take a break. You can then proceed to the final element to sell your songs online: following up.
Your fans will remember your music if you schedule social media posts and email newsletters that will direct them to your website.
A milestone (your album has been out for a month, you have fulfilled all your pledges, etc.) can be celebrated in such a way. Bundling your music and providing discount codes for your entire catalog will create buzz.
What are the best places to sell your songs online?
Is possible to sell your songs online through two main sources. Online retailers, such as Apple Music and Bandcamp, are the first two ways to reach your audience.
Best music selling platforms: A website of your own
Your own website is a necessity, and it is an excellent place to sell your songs online. You might feel overwhelmed uploading your music, maintaining your narrative, and advertising your pages. These things are worthwhile, however.
You have your own little slice of the internet with a website. The fans will always be able to find your dedicated music page on your own website, no matter what social media platform (music streaming platforms), comes and goes.
In a world dominated by streaming, maintaining your own music website is more important than ever with the best music selling platforms. Those who are truly fanatic about supporting you can purchase directly from your website store, and this will increase your income to sell your songs online.
However, you will own the data and emails collected on your website as a result of sales. Your career’s long-term success relies on the ability to communicate with (and sell music to) your fanbase via email.
A music store online
As important as your own website is, you need to distribute your music as widely as possible so that more people can hear it. Keep this in mind when considering how you will sell your songs online.
Bandcamp
You can sell your music directly to your fans on Bandcamp, one of the best music-selling platforms, and you can easily collect their contact information. It takes a cut of sales (15%), but the site focuses on the discovery of new music as well. The Bandcamp Weekly podcast, blog, and app actively suggest music to fans. Additionally, a lot of fans go there to discover new music.
Download music from iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon
It is undeniably true that music streaming platforms have grown in popularity as ways to consume music and to sell your songs online, but you should also consider selling your music online through online retailers like iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play.
Music fans tend to purchase new music from established music stores that they trust, where they know their credit card information is on file, and they know the music streaming platforms is compatible with their music collection.
Easy-to-use digital distributors like CD Baby or TuneCore can help you sell your songs online. You don’t have to worry about any heavy lifting, as your music will be distributed across 150+ download and streaming sites worldwide. You’ll find your music on retailers such as iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon. So, people can listen to your music in the way they prefer.
Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music offer streaming services — best music selling platforms
Many music lovers prefer services such as Spotify and Apple Music for listening to music. Even if streaming is often a small source of income for artists, don’t ignore these music streaming platforms. When it comes to discovering new music, these music streaming platforms are crucial. It’s possible to build a career on Spotify and have more sales in the long run.
Best music selling platforms: SoundCloud
Having your music on SoundCloud could help give your music a boost in visibility since this kind of music streaming platforms have a large community of users and curators. In addition to editing or adding ‘Buy’ links to track metadata, Pro users are able to let fans purchase tracks from other sites outside of the site.
Here are some tips to help you sell your songs online
As you create, share, and sell music, you will want to use as many tools as possible to reach out to the world. Using these same tools will allow you to get the word out and increase sales once your new music is ready for purchase.
Email list
Your email list is your most important tool for driving sales. The importance of email lists has increased significantly over the past few years, as it might seem old-fashioned.
Your database of fans is a major reason for this. Your email list can always be downloaded, regardless of the mailing list tool you use.
Emails are read, clicked, or at least sorted by most people every day. Most likely, they would appreciate an opportunity to support you if they’ve opted into your mailing list to receive news or download music in the past.
Social media is not always checked every day, and even if they do, the low organic reach can result in your posts never being seen.
Announcing your album release on social media is definitely a good idea, but the first thing you should do is send an email blast with a link to your album to your fan list.
Other music streaming platforms: A social media platform
Take advantage of social media platforms to engage people in buying your music. You will make the most money (plus, they can browse your merch or other items) if you direct them directly to your website. They can also shop on their preferred music streaming platforms.
How will you implement these two tools to drive sales, if those are your main tools? A lot depends on the style and the type of music you’re selling, and whether you’re selling an album or a single. Fans of all levels should have a wide range of options.
Make sure your fans know about your music and can buy it after you send out your initial blasts. Add incentives to your music as time goes on to get more people to purchase it. You can boost your sales by using the following e-commerce options.
Pricing for songs based on how much you want to pay
Offer your songs for purchase at a pay-what-you-want price. There are definitely some fans who are willing to pay more for music, so why not let them? Some might just take it for free, but some are definitely willing to pay more.
Consider selling your songs online. Some people will give you much more than the standard $1/song or $10/album if they are really excited about your music.
Bundle physical and digital versions
In your online store, you should definitely bundle a CD or vinyl version of your album with a digital version.
As well as other merch, older albums, and a digital copy of your new album can be bundled together to help boost overall sales.
An agreement to digitize back catalogs
Make a deal for your back catalog of albums after your new album is released online. Tell your fans they can purchase the entire discography of your music while they’re on your store page.
Discount codes and sale prices
For a limited time, offer a discounted price once your new music is out. As a way to celebrate the release of your new music, you could also offer a sale on your older albums and merchandise.
Create a fan subscription
You could set up a fan subscription on your website if you plan to regularly make new music or create new content. You could launch your subscriptions area simultaneously with your new album, while it’s a different sales model. Provide regular content updates to your new release as a reward for paying a monthly membership fee.
How to sell your songs online: a step-by-step guide
Conclusions
To make the most of these music sales opportunities, make sure you follow a plan. To stay on top of things, create a spreadsheet or a whiteboard list. Keep your marketing interesting by changing angles and stagger your campaigns; don’t oversaturate your audience.
- It takes time and effort to sell your songs online, and take advantage of some music streaming platforms. You need to keep these in mind:
- Organize your album from the beginning to engage your fans
- You can maximize your revenue by investing in owned properties such as your website and mailing list
- Mix all services to allow your fans, both casual and superfans, to purchase your music
By doing this properly, you’ll be able to give your fans something more, drive more sales, and make money so you can produce more music in the future.
Did you learn the right steps to sell your songs online, music streaming platforms, and best music selling platforms? You can check some other tips right here:
