Sell music directly through Bandcamp (keeps 85–90% of revenue), distribute to streaming platforms via DistroKid or TuneCore, license through music licensing platforms, and sell beats or stems through dedicated beat marketplaces.
Selling music online requires understanding which platforms serve which revenue model — because the revenue split, audience, and use case differ dramatically between them.
Bandcamp is the best direct-to-fan sales platform. You set your own price (or name-your-price minimum), and Bandcamp takes 10–15% of sales (reducing as you hit revenue milestones). You keep 85–90% of every sale. Fans can buy digital downloads, physical merchandise, and streaming-quality audio. Bandcamp also has a discovery community and a dedicated fanbase of people who buy music directly from artists. For independent artists who want to sell music digitally with the best revenue share, Bandcamp is the first choice.
Streaming distribution via DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, or Amuse puts your music on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, and other platforms. Streaming royalties are very low per stream (£0.003–£0.005 per Spotify stream typically), but the platforms provide massive reach. DistroKid costs £19.99/year for unlimited releases and keeps 100% of royalties. TuneCore charges per release but also keeps 100% of royalties. CD Baby charges per release and takes a small percentage. Streaming is primarily for discovery and brand building, not significant direct income unless you have hundreds of thousands of streams.
Sync licensing — having your music placed in TV shows, films, advertisements, video games, and other visual media — is one of the highest-value per-placement revenue streams. A single sync placement in a TV show can earn £500–£5,000+ depending on usage. Platforms including Musicbed, Artlist, Epidemic Sound (work-for-hire), and Music Vine connect composers and artists with media producers seeking licensed music.
Beat selling — producing and selling instrumental tracks to rappers, singers, and other producers — is a significant income stream for beatmakers and producers. BeatStars and Airbit are the dominant beat marketplace platforms, with non-exclusive leases typically £20–£50 per beat and exclusive sales £200–£2,000+.
Virgoul supports musicians in building sustainable music income — whether through teaching, selling courses, offering session services, or promoting their music to a community of musicians and students who genuinely support independent music careers.
Join VirgoulBandcamp is the best platform for direct-to-fan music sales — you keep 85–90% of revenue, set your own prices, and sell to a community of people who actively buy music from independent artists. For distribution to streaming platforms, DistroKid (£19.99/year, unlimited releases, 100% royalties) is the most cost-effective option for independent artists releasing regularly.
Streaming pays approximately £0.003–£0.005 per play on Spotify. To earn £1,000 from Spotify alone, you need approximately 250,000–333,000 streams. Most independent artists earn very little directly from streaming. The primary value of streaming is discovery and radio-equivalent reach, which can drive concert ticket sales, merchandise, and fan growth that generates income through other channels.
Sync licensing is the process of licensing your music for use in visual media — TV shows, films, advertisements, video games, podcasts, and YouTube content. You receive a sync fee (one-time payment for the right to use the music) and may also receive performance royalties when the content is broadcast. A single sync placement can earn £500–£5,000+ depending on the media, the territory, and the prominence of placement. Platforms like Musicbed, Artlist, and Music Vine connect musicians with media producers.
Yes — individual artists cannot upload directly to Spotify, Apple Music, or most major streaming platforms. You need a digital distributor: DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, Amuse (free tier available), or others. The distributor ingests your audio files and metadata, delivers them to all platforms, and collects and passes through your streaming royalties. DistroKid (£19.99/year for unlimited releases) is the most popular choice for independent artists.
Bandcamp is a direct-to-fan music platform where artists set their own prices (including 'name your price'), upload music and artwork, and sell digital downloads, physical merchandise, and streaming-quality audio directly to fans. Bandcamp takes 10% of digital sales and 15% of merchandise sales (reducing as you hit revenue milestones). Artists keep the remaining 85–90%. Bandcamp also has a discovery community — Bandcamp Friday (first Friday of each month) is a day when Bandcamp waives its fee entirely, with 100% going to artists.