How to Sell Stock Music (Start Licensing Your Music Today!)
I recently did a wonderful interview on how to sell stock music with Jesse from Sync My Music. In this 30+ minute video on how to sell stock music, Jesse and I discuss how stock music libraries are different from other types of production music libraries, how anyone can get started selling stock music, and also what I have planned for the future.
Check out this free mini-course to learn how you can license your first song in five days.
Even though Jesse has been making a full-time living licensing his production music through libraries, he is now seriously considering putting his "rejects" on to a site like Pond 5 (affiliate link).
The Best Stock Music Site
It's really not that hard to do get started licensing your stock music. I had no idea what I was doing three years ago when I started trying to license my music. Also, I made TONS of mistakes. But I've muddled through with some hard work (the key to success at anything) and a commitment to investing in my growing knowledge.
Basically, any musician with some decent production chops can go and learn how to sell stock music by spending some time putting songs on Pond 5 and seeing which songs are successful. In my opinion, Pond 5 is probably the best stock music for beginners. There is a big marketplace of buyers and sellers, the editorial standards are fair, and the company is easy to work with.
If you want to know more about the best stock music site, I've made a more complete review of the best stock music sites.
How to sell stock music
First you should definitely watch the video with Jesse - it will teach you how to sell stock music. This post also offers a lot of tips on music licensing.
But when you write songs for stock music, try to think of an emotion or mood. You want your song to have a very clear emotional hook, and you want it to keep moving forward.
Your production doesn't need to be phenomenal, but it doesn't need to be clean, clear, and free of distractions.
Then you can grow your practice around that by getting better at keyword tagging, songwriting, and production.
That's the path I've taken, anyway. And I'm earning hundreds of dollars a month passively doing it.
Now, if you're interested learning how to license stock music by getting off to a running start, I also offer a course that teaches you exactly how to hit the ground running on Pond 5.
From a Frustrated Producer in a Ragtag Bedroom Studio to Major Placements on TV Earning $1,000s!
My name is Evan, and I've been making music since around 3rd grade. I'm from San Diego, California, but I've lived in Washington, DC for the last 20 years.
While I still have a full-time day job, I have created systems that have allowed me to produce dozens of songs a year in my spare time.
My songs have been on Netflix, TV shows like the 90 Day Fiance, an award-winning indie film, and NPR’s “All Thing Considered.” They've also been streamed millions of times.
In addition to being a music producer, I am passionate about teaching people how they can make professional-sounding music and earn money licensing it, all in their spare time.
Thousands of musicians, like yourself, have trusted me to guide their musical journey. My YouTube videos have been watched nearly a million times. And my story has been in Forbes, Side Hustle Nation, and the Side Hustle School.
EQ is the most essential tool you have for making music sound clean, clear, and professional. In this book you'll learn how to use the R.O.S.E. System, a simple 4-step EQ formula to help you master the world of EQ
