An Indie Musician's Diary Vol 2

Paying the Bills W/O Selling Out

We all have to pay the bills. As a Christian indie musician I have a dilemma: I am not supposed to sell my music and make money. I am supposed to give my music and books away. That's what I hear from people anyway. They think that I shouldn't sell the Gospel and I agree.

But, I still have to pay my bills like any other musician/producer.

So, how to I both give away the Gospel for free and still pay my bills? I upload to major streaming platforms like Spotify and Pandora and offer giveaways on my home page to get subscribers. When I submit my work to streaming platforms people can access the songs for free. Spotify free makes it possible for people to choose to stream music for free, but they will have to watch some adds. I will get paid less than if they had a premium subscription but I will still get paid.  

For me the most important thing is to share my music not to make money. But the past three years of investment have been expensive (especially if you count in what I would have made if I had a "real job). This can't go on for ever - I need to invest in acoustic treatment, hire session musicians, buy microphones, replace worn out equipment, pay for distribution and licensing etc. So, I guess I will forever have to find ways to get the bills paid and get the Gospel out for free without selling out. 

I have tried Patreon but it isn't working all that well. I have two unbelievably great supporters there who constantly provide me with $13 a month (not enough to pay the bills but still encouraging). I guess I am not good at it or my video sucks. In any case it needs to be terminated or revitalised. The idea with Patreon is that maybe someone would back me up with my vision of creating inspirational music. Two jumped at the opportunity and then nothing. 

Until I have a product out there I can't expect any invitations to play, sing or talk where I might get a bonus/get paid. Without an album and videos that go well, I won't get any return on them either. So, the most important thing is to create great content. And that is what I intend to do. 

So, let the worry wait. Get the music done. Give away what you can and let the listeners decide what they want to do - support you, ignore you, buy or just stream for free. Do this cause you love people. Not because you wan to make money. That is the bottom line. No content, np product no income. That is another part of the bottom line. 

If your stuff is good, people will want it. And all of the sudden you'll pay for at least some of those bills.....

Check out how far my music has come here: 

www.featherheadmedia.com SUBSCRIBE! :-)

Support appreciated:

If you'd like to help me with writing inspirational books, or in creating music that changes your mind for the better, why not check out my Patreon page or buy some of my merch:

https://www.patreon.com/elisabethkitzing

https://teespring.com/shop/don-t-stop-singing?tsmac=recently_viewed&tsmic=recently_viewed#pid=266&cid=6174&sid=front