One way to make revenue is by selling concert tickets.
their music. They can sell apparel, concert tickets, and other types of merch to make a quick buck. The only problem with this method is that it costs money to make money. When a musician is first starting their career, it can be difficult to find a venue that will give them a good-paying gig. Additionally, it’s almost a waste of money to invest in merchandise in the early stages of a musician’s career, as nobody other than family and friends really knows enough about the artist to invest in merchandise. This route should only be taken when a musician has at least built up a small, loyal fanbase.
There are a few other ways to
make money as an underground musician (such as streaming, which is more of a way to spread music than to make an income), but the common problem with most of these methods is generating a steady income and a fanbase. Aaron Gervais touches on a couple good points in his article, “Why Musicians Aren’t Paid More Fairly”. Gervais writes about topics like the incompatibility of entrepreneurship and art, stating, “You can build entrepreneurial models around music, yes, but not within music itself. Starting a record label is an entrepreneurial activity… Founding an ensemble or composing music are not entrepreneurial activities because the models don’t benefit from being scaled up, and they are much too easy to copy.” Basically,