logo
logo
  • Products
    • Studio Pro
    • Professional
    • Content Creation
    • Unified Communications
    • Accessories
  • Blog
  • Company
  • Support
  • Where to Buy
  • Search
  • Login / Register

← Back to blog

4 Ways to Getting Your Music Heard Without Middlemen

December 6, 20214 Minutes

In the past, musicians had to rely completely on middlemen such as record labels and distributors in order to get their music to fans. These days, the internet has made it possible for musicians to do some of this work themselves.

Here are four platforms that make it possible to get your music out into the world with just a laptop and some creativity. While none of these are replacements for traditional methods, they have unique features that can be helpful for the working musician—and can also be a lot of fun.

 

Best For Building a Community: Patreon

 

Patreon logo

Patreon is a digital subscription service where you earn a monthly income by providing exclusive content to fans who sign up to become your “patrons.” Established artists are active on Patreon, but smaller artists have found success with it as well. It’s becoming a popular choice for musicians—the “music” category grew by 25% since March 2020.

The Good: You can set up different price tiers for your subscribers and offer unique rewards for each, such as exclusive merchandise, unheard songs, personalized videos, playlists, etc. Get creative!

The Less Good: Patreon is not great for discovery, so don’t expect to start gaining a lot of fans through the service. It is up to you to encourage fans to become patrons via your other channels.

 

Get more information on Patreon for musicians here.

 

Best For Selling Directly To Fans: Bandcamp

Bandcamp logo

 

Bandcamp is a digital storefront for musicians to sell directly to fans. Just sign up, set up your page, upload your music, set your price, and you’re ready to go.

The Good: Accounts are free to create and Bandcamp takes 10-15% of any sales you make, meaning you keep the majority of the money from any sales.

The Less Good: You are responsible for keeping your page up-to-date; digital distributors do not upload to Bandcamp.

 

Learn more about Bandcamp here. 

 

Best For Networking: Soundcloud

 

 

Founded in 2007, Soundcloud is an audio distribution platform with global recognition and unique community-oriented features.

The Good: Soundcloud operates similarly to a social network, allowing listeners to like, share, and write comments on tracks they like. Its auto-generated playlisting feature is also ideal for music discovery. 

The Less Good: Pro accounts are a little pricey ($144 per year) and it also might be difficult to monetize your music on Soundcloud due to its eligibility standards. 

 

Learn more about getting started with Soundcloud here.

 

Best for Discovery: YouTube

 

 

Believe it or not, YouTube is a major driver of music discovery—more music is reportedly played on YouTube than any of the other major streaming platforms combined.

 

The Good: The amount of users (a reported 2 billion every month!) is hard to beat. It’s free to use and the recommendations algorithm can help get your music to people who might be unfamiliar with it—though you might occasionally be competing with funny animal videos.

The Less Good: As it is not a music-focused service, YouTube on its own will not be enough to sustain your career. Consider it a supplementary platform that you can use in creative ways while also relying on other distribution and promotional channels.

Learn more about YouTube for artists here.

← Back to blog

QUICK LINKS

Product support

Where to buy

Contact

Blog

Privacy

Products

All products

Studio

Studio select

Content creation

Unified communications

Get the latest about mics & stuff

    Get the latest about mics & stuff

      Connect with us
      Quick links

      Product support

      Where to buy

      Contact

      Blog

      Privacy

      Products

      All products

      Studio

      Studio select

      Content creation

      Unified communications

      Connect with us
      Quick links

      Product support

      Where to buy

      Contact

      Blog

      Privacy

      Products

      All products

      Studio

      Studio select

      Content creation

      Unified communications

      Get the latest about mics & stuff

        Connect with us

        © 2023 MXL Microphones. All rights reserved

        By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device that will enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Cookie Policy.
        Cookie SettingsAccept All
        Manage consent

        Privacy Overview

        This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
        Necessary
        Always Enabled
        Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
        CookieDurationDescription
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
        viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
        Functional
        Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
        Performance
        Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
        Analytics
        Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
        Advertisement
        Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
        Others
        Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
        SAVE & ACCEPT

        Privacy Preference Center

        Privacy Preferences