Making a good living as a musician is a challenge: The rise of streaming means CD sales don’t pay the bills, and touring the country to get the word out costs real money.
There are ways for fans to help a favorite band or artist keep doing what they’re doing – ways that put your money where your heart is. Tech expert Omar Gallaga, who wrote about keeping the music alive for Wired, says buying merch and even streaming your favorite songs can help.
Highlights from this segment:
– Merchandise sales, including T-shirts and posters, are a bigger component of artists’ income than they once were. Buy your merch directly from the artist to maximize the amount of money they’ll make.
– Talk up your favorite band online: Share posts, and like and comment. More social media exposure will help get new people interested in the performers you love.
– Though most of us don’t buy CDs these days – and playing a song on Spotify or Apple Music only nets the artist a few pennies – streaming music you like helps a little, and could give the song a boost on a service’s charts.
