As mentioned before, the classical music industry is not very lucrative. Unless you have one of the world’s most popular composers as your name, it’s extremely difficult to make a living from this niche. That said, this doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to make money besides giving private lessons or running a small cafe and recital hall. Let’s explore some of them and see if they might be right for you. As mentioned before, the classical music industry is not very lucrative. Unless you have one of the world’s most popular composers as your name, it’s extremely difficult to make a living from this niche. That said, this doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to make money besides giving private lessons or running a small cafe and recital hall. Let’s explore some of them and see if they might be right for you.
Teach Online Courses
Perhaps the easiest way to make money in classical music is through online courses. This is a fantastic option for those who don’t have the time or space to teach privately. Online courses offer students a wide variety of locations and times, as well as a degree of anonymity that may be appealing to some people. You can set your own price point and decide if it’s worth offering payment plans or payment in installments, like many other online businesses. If you are interested in teaching online courses, there are certain rules you must follow:
- you need to be accredited by either the appropriate governing body or union;
- you must pass an examination from one of these bodies;
- your course must cover all the specified topics and materials;
- you must host at least two live lectures per week;
- your course needs to follow a specific curriculum;
- your course should be offered for six months maximum before being taken offline;
- your course should allow students to take their tests and quizzes at any time during their enrollment.
Write Guides & Books
If you have a talent for writing, there are many ways to make money by writing guides and books. There are plenty of blogs and websites that are looking for articles and content related to classical music. You can also write a book based on your experiences in the industry. If you want to make writing your career, this is certainly one way to do it.
Play In Concerts
Classical music is a niche with a very small audience. This means that when you play in concerts, you’re reaching hundreds of people, not thousands. You can make some serious cash playing in a concert. You might not be able to reach the levels of other musicians who are getting paid by agents and labels, but you can still make a solid living from playing classical music live.
Run A Recording Studio
Running a recording studio is not easy, but it can be lucrative. You will need to be able to produce recordings and soundtracks that other people want to listen to in order for this to work. Because the classical music industry is so small, you will probably have some degree of clout with other artists and producers in this field.
Finding the right location for your studio, and investing money in it before you begin, are also essential factors that need to be taken into consideration. Whether or not you decide to take on this career path is up to you; however, if you do decide that recording studios are something you’d like to pursue, then it might be worth looking into becoming an audio engineer first so that you can gain more experience in the field.
Choose A Side Job And Make It Your Career
There are many ways to make money as part of your classical music career, but the most common is to work as a pianist in a restaurant or bar. If you’re not interested in this, there are plenty of other alternatives that might suit your skillset better.
For example, you could offer piano lessons in your home for people who want to learn but can’t afford it, or you could even start your own business by making an album and distributing it yourself. It’s important that whatever you decide to do be something that you enjoy or at least have a passion for so that it becomes your only source of income.
Wrapping Up
If you want to make it big as a classical musician, a few ways may work. However, the most popular ones are private lessons and giving concerts. These two options can be difficult to maintain income-wise, but they’re also excellent ways to develop your skills.
