Best Passive Side Hustles for Musicians

Are you tired of working all of the time and just getting by? Consider whether some of the best passive side hustles for musicians could help.

I’ve made a nice side income from a few different music side hustles, and you can to. Read on to learn about the best side hustles.

But first, this post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy to learn more.

Blogging

I have to start with one of my own passive side hustles: blogging. If you have a way with words, you can create a website or add a blog to your existing website.

Then, you can write blog posts on almost any topic you can think of. However, to make money with it, you’ll need to write about topics that interest people.

A great example of this is this website. I’ve written about a lot of music and music career topics, and that has helped drive traffic to this blog.

As you get traffic, you can monetize your blog with display ads and affiliate marketing. You can even create digital products that you upload once and sell over and over.

One of the downsides of blogging is that it can take time to become profitable. Still, it’s a flexible way to make extra money if you’re willing to put in the work.

Affiliate Marketing

Another one of the best passive side hustles for musicians is affiliate marketing. You can do this with or without a blog, and it’s where you make a commission when you drive sales for another business.

Someone clicks on your link and buys what you recommend. The merchant will then give you a cut of the profits in exchange for you helping with the sale.

It’s easy to do this with blog posts, especially reviews and comparisons. But you can post links on your static website or social media to see the same results.

I’d especially recommend this side hustle for music teachers. You already tell your students when they need new music or other supplies.

So why not give them a special link so that you get a cut of that sale? Just make sure you follow the rules of whatever affiliate programs you use.

Online Courses

If you like teaching but have a packed studio, consider creating an online course. That way, you can educate more students without having to work more hours.

You can create a series of smaller courses or one larger course. Either way, you make all of the lessons once, and you can make money every time someone enrolls.

An online course can be as passive as you want, so you could just record videos and be done. Or you could offer a more active bonus, such as hosting a Facebook group where you answer questions.

Still, an online course can be more flexible than just teaching live private lessons. You can work when you want, and there’s no cap on the number of students who can enroll.

Now, you’ll want some place to host your courses, and I’d recommend Teachable. You can get started for free and upgrade for more features.

Composing and Arranging

Maybe you like writing original music or arranging existing works. One of my favorite ways I’ve made some extra cash is through composing and arranging.

Now, this side hustle can be super active in that you take commissions. However, you can compose or arrange on your own time and self-publish your sheet music.

You can then promote it to your audience and use SEO to get even more reach. If you sell the files digitally, you just have to upload them to your website once.

The website should then take care of the delivery and any other issues. Just make sure you don’t arrange any songs under copyright without permission from the copyright owners.

And if you want to sell sheet music on your own site, I’d recommend using Easy Digital Downloads. The WordPress plugin is super easy to use and has a lot of tools to help you track your sales.

YouTube

YouTube is one of the best passive side hustles for musicians because of how flexible it is. Of course, you can post recordings of yourself playing.

But it’s also a great way to promote your sheet music for your composing side hustle. And if you have an online course, you can offer previews of the lessons to increase enrollment.

Not only that, but YouTube can be a side hustle in and of itself. You can earn money from ads, affiliate links, and brand partnerships.

For better or worse, it can take time before you start to make money from YouTube. You’ll need 1,000 subscribers to earn from ads, for example.

However, it can be a great creative outlet. And of course, you can use it to promote your other musical projects to earn more money.

Why Start a Passive Side Hustle

When comparing the best passive side hustles, you may wonder why you should do any of them. Here are some benefits an extra income stream can provide.

Save Time

Like any new venture, a passive side hustle will take some upfront work. However, once you get things going, it can turn into semi-passive income.

As your side hustle continues to grow, it can earn even more money. Then, you can get back some of that time that you put into your side hustle.

You can spend it with your loved ones or work more to increase your income yet again.

Save Money

You can start a lot of the best passive side hustles from your home. That means you don’t have to pay for an office space or use extra gas going places.

All of that money you save can be reinvested back into your side hustle to cover related costs. And you may even be able to deduct certain expenses from your taxes.

Be sure to talk with a tax professional about your situation.

Increase Your Earning Potential

We only have so many hours in a day, and we need down time to eat and sleep. If you find you’re hitting a proverbial income ceiling, consider setting up passive revenue streams.

That way, once they’re working well, you can earn more than you used to. You won’t have to wait until you get a raise at your job.

And if you have clients, you won’t have to raise your prices all of the time to keep up with inflation.

Create Your Own Benefits Plan

I have a day job that offers many traditional benefits, like health insurance and retirement savings. But if you don’t, your passive side hustle could cover the cost of those things.

You can make some money to help cover your health insurance premium, for example. Or maybe you use your side hustle earnings to save for retirement.

Just remember to set aside a portion of your side hustle money for taxes.

What Are the Best Passive Side Hustles for You?

As a musician, you may have a fully booked schedule. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to make a little extra cash when you need it.

Consider some of the best passive side hustles to use your musical knowledge. Whether you teach a course or compose music, you can make some money online.

And if you want to use Instagram to promote your new venture, enroll in The Instagram Marketing and Sales Academy!