How to Become a Composer and Make Money from It?
Do you want to become a professional composer? Do you know how to gain the skills, knowledge, and experience in music to make money as a composer?
Becoming a composer is a dream for many, especially since video games and film soundtracks have become very popular. The path to becoming a composer may seem winding, especially in Iran, which also faces licensing restrictions. Daily practice playing music, obtaining a degree in your favorite field, and internships are considered to build a career as a composer.
In this article, we will provide you with a complete guide on becoming a composer and making money from this profession.
Spotify Advertising Guide and Tutorial
Your dream comes first.
One day, you decide to pursue music as your first or second job. At that time, you will not necessarily earn enough from this profession. You spend money on education first. Then you save up to achieve your dream.
There are very challenging goals to achieve in any profession. But with daily hard work, you get closer to your dream destination.
How to Become a Composer and Make Money from It?
Before you can succeed in music, you must define what it means to you. What are your long-term goals and dream destination as a composer?
The best thing is to sit down and think deeply about your real dreams and goals in music. Please don’t take this lightly, because it’s about your future.
Be optimistic and realistic.
You need to think optimistically but also realistically. It may seem contradictory, but both are important.
Of course, if I want to be as successful as Mozart and have my music remembered and played for centuries to come, it’s not very realistic.
You need to find a balance. Let me give you a practical example of this balance.
For example, a part-time musician’s goals and dreams in the music industry could be to earn a full-time living as a professional composer by doing commissioned music projects and teaching composition. He could also earn money as a musician from concerts and selling albums and audiobooks.
Finally, a songwriter can earn money as an artist by building his own brand and having his music played by a large audience on all major platforms.
These goals are all very challenging. But with hard work in the right direction, he will take steps forward every day and get closer to his dream destination.
Take action towards achieving your dreams.
Now it’s your turn to visualize your future in music. Once you feel like you have a clear vision of the future, write that vision down on a piece of paper.
Read your daily goals to remind yourself what you’re working hard to achieve. Also, track your weekly progress in the important parts of this professional journey. This motivation for success will give you the energy to move forward.
Ways to Become a Composer
Before we continue, I want to ask you: Are you ready? Are you prepared to pursue your dream of a career in music as a composer, producer, or artist? If the answer is yes, then start your journey now!
Way 1: Acquire skills and practice regularly
1. Learn to read and write music.
As a composer, being able to read and write music (notation) and learn music theory is essential for your work. To learn how to write music from scratch, read music theory books, take an online course, or watch free instructional videos. Or, for professional help, take an in-person class.
How to Become a Composer and Make Money from It?
You can improvise music to accompany a piece of media or even get by without writing it. However, reading and writing music will be helpful for you in this career path.
2. Join a choir or band to gain experience playing music.
To make music, you must familiarize yourself with how music works and is played. As you work towards becoming a composer, join a choir or band to expand and deepen your musical knowledge. Find a group that plays the same style of music that you like, such as classical, folk, pop, rock, etc.
Tip: Contact your local or city arts and culture center, school, or music school to see if they have a choir or band you can join.
3. Watch your favorite movies to get ideas.
If you want to get into film scoring or any other music composition, choose some great films to watch to get a feel for what directors are looking for. Look for films with soundtracks that help tell the story and enhance the audience experience. For example, you can watch movies that Hans Zimmer scores.
- Many different media have rated songs that you can listen to. To broaden your horizons, try sampling TV shows, video games, and classic pieces.
Option 2: Earn a College or Vocational Degree
1. Earn a degree in music to focus on music.
If you know you want to be a film composer, earn a degree in music and focus your studies on film. This will give you experience making short films and teach you how to use music to tell a story.
How to Add Music to Your Story?
You’ll also learn how to use an orchestra to accompany your filmmaking.
2. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Music or Composition
If you want to focus specifically on film, consider a broader degree in music composition. This degree will give you various skills, such as scoring different pieces using modern technology and live bands.
You can focus on your degree by determining the specific career path you want to take after graduation.
3. To further your style, pursue a master’s or doctorate in composition.
Although employers or producers usually only look for composers with a bachelor’s degree (and may not even care much about the degree), if you want to strengthen your compositional style, you can pursue a master’s or doctorate in composition. You will likely compose a few minutes of music and be asked to perform it before graduation.
Tip: If you already have a bachelor’s degree in composition, you may not need to pursue further education. Try to find a job with your degree before spending money on further education.
Get to know the different career paths in composition.
How can you make money from your skills, experience, and knowledge in the music industry? You don’t have to limit yourself to composing. Here are seven main areas of income:
1. Composition
It involves composing and performing various types of compositional activities. Of course, the standard way is to earn money as a composer. Here are two examples:
- Write commissioned music for clients.
- Orchestration, notation, transcription, and music arrangement
If you’re interested in composing, learn how to use music composition software.
2. Music Production
Producing music for other artists and doing various types of client work in music production is another common way to make a living in music. Here are a few examples:
- Music Producer: Mixing and mastering and producing music
- Recording Engineer: Recording in a studio or on location
- Lead Engineer: Mastering music production
How to Become a Composer and Make Money from It?
How do I have a second job?
3. Music Performance
Performing concerts and performing live as an artist for your fans is a classic income path in the music industry. This way, you build your brand. For example:
- Broadcasting your live shows
- Booking concerts and special events
- Contract musician in an orchestra, band, club, restaurant, etc.
- Recording Session Musician in the Studio
- Live: Performing Your Music and Covers
4. Music Education
People always want to learn, grow, and develop their knowledge and skills. That’s why education and coaching are another great field in music. For example:
- Teach at schools or colleges
- Give in-person tutoring
- Online personal training
- Create online courses
- Write a printed or e-book
- Write for newspapers or magazines
- Write for online magazines
- Write for a blog
5. Sound Design
If you have the skills to record, shape, and create sounds, you can do anything from recording in a studio or outdoors to composing melodies or playing an instrument. Here are some examples of sound design:
- Sound Design for Music
- Sound Design for Media
- Sound Design for Sample Libraries and Sound Banks
- Sound Design for Musical Instrument Presets
- Sound Design for Products and User Experience
6. Support your fans
If you have built a fan base as a music artist, there are many ways to let your fans support you. For example:
- Stream your music on streaming platforms like Spotify.
- Watch videos on YouTube and Aparat to earn ad revenue.
- Receive fan donations from online services.
- Sell merchandise to fans.
7. Music Influencer
If you have established yourself as an artist with your brand and a following, then you have a lot of potential to earn money as an online influencer. For example:
- Earn money from advertising.
- Earn money from sponsorships.
- Earn money from brand deals.
- Earn money with affiliate marketing.
Here are seven main areas in which to earn money as a composer, producer, and artist.
Getting a job as a composer
1. Post a portfolio online
You can easily impress potential employers by showing examples of your previous work online. Design a simple website for yourself and collect all the projects you have worked on or completed there. You can get help from freelancing sites like Carlancer to order cheap website designs.
Choose your best videos and songs to impress potential employers.
2. Search for composer job ads online
Many film studios and video game companies post job openings online. Look for openings in your area to make sure you don’t miss out on any opportunities.
How to Become a Composer and Make Money from It?
Even if you don’t live near a major film studio, you can still work remotely and become a freelance music composer.
3. Get an internship to get started.
Some companies don’t have any real job openings, but many will have internships. Internships don’t usually pay well, but they can give you a chance to show people what you’re doing and prove that you’re a hard worker. Apply for internships, even if they’re not exactly what you want to do in the long term. This could lead to a real job later on.
Tip: Some colleges and universities will give you a license and an internship certificate if you do an internship while working toward a degree.
4. Accept any job to get some practice.
You may not find your dream job right away, and that’s okay. When you start, try to get as many jobs as possible to gain experience, even if they don’t pay well. Anything you do can be added to your online resume.
Be wary of low-paying jobs or people who promise to give you exposure. Your time is valuable; even if you’re just starting out, you still need to earn money for your work.
Ultimately
The key to success in the music industry is optimizing your workflow for maximum productivity. Everyone wants to spend less time and energy getting more results, so learn as much as possible about music and composition to maximize your productivity with minimal effort.