It is no secret that the internet has made life easier for all sorts of people, including rappers. In fact, many aspiring rappers can be found on MySpace and YouTube, both of which have become some of the most popular websites on the internet. As a matter of fact, there are even rap songwriters who can be found singing songs online! Now, this doesn’t mean that anyone can just start up a MySpace or YouTube account and write songs about drinking or doing drugs. No, it means that a person can be a successful, popular rap artist with a recording label if he or she knows how to harness the power of the internet to reach out to the right audiences. Here, we’ll take a look at how rappers make money with their music.
Rap music is unique – in that many artists receive royalties from the use of their songs on other rap songs. The royalties are, however, generally only one time per sale. So, if an artist writes a song that is used on a song by a different artist and receives a specific amount of royalties from that song, that person only receives royalties for that single sale. However, the royalties do not stop there. Whenever another artist uses the same sound recording copyrighted material (that is, the sound recording or the lyrics to the sound recording) in order to record a new release, then that artist will be given the opportunity to receive additional royalties for every single sale that they sell using the copyrighted material.
How rappers make money through – MySpace and YouTube is through the revenue stream provided by these two websites. For instance, on MySpace, when someone clicks on the “Browse MySpace” box, the user will see a list of the latest uploads that listeners can vote on and then choose. At the very top of this list is a box titled “Upcoming Popular Raps.” Anyone who is interested in listening to those songs will be able to click on that box and will be taken to the site where the artists themselves have posted their latest song. The buyer then has the ability to purchase the song (the legal copyright to the music) from the artist/band and then pay for it via a credit card or PayPal account, as determined by the seller.
On the other hand – through YouTube one can view videos posted by people who post about their favorite bands, artists, stars, and other celebrities. The video will also show the number of times that particular artist has been viewed. If a rapper has a strong fan base, then that artist may have a large following on the site and will likely see a significant increase in album sales upon the availability of his or her music for sale on the site. As one would expect, the revenue generated from these songs and albums translate into a healthy paycheck for the artists, but there are many other avenues that can be tapped for income as well. Concert promoters typically earn a small percentage of the ticket price for each sold concert. Other revenue streams include sponsorship deals with on-demand streaming rap music videos and songs that are sold through MySpace and iTunes.
On the Internet – you can also find a great way to get paid to write articles for online content. This is a great way to monetize your writing abilities since you are able to put your creative touch onto the articles and let the world know what you think of the information provided. As with becoming a band member, getting paid to write articles allows one to make a name for themselves within the article writing community and build up their resume for later on as well. In addition to this, becoming an authority in an industry helps to drive traffic to an individual’s website where they can get paid to advertise on that person’s site. Many individuals work at home and prefer to control the direction of their own career rather than hire others to do it for them.
In summary – the answer to the question, “How rappers make money,” is pretty simple. Most rappers make money through album sales, merchandising, live performance revenue, and consulting opportunities. While a label may not be the most profitable endeavor for an independent rapper, some independent rappers prefer to have full creative control over their careers and revenue streams. This allows them to stay completely on top of their game and grow independently with less supervision from a label.
As long as the independent rapper provides quality music, has a strong following, and makes reliable album sales, they will most likely continue to succeed for years to come.