(Without Chasing More Streams)
Most posts teach you how to earn more.
We teach you how to collect what’s already yours.
That’s the difference.
Quick Answer / TL:DR – How to Make Money from Music Online | Fix Royalty Leaks and Get Paid
To make money from music online, you need to activate the royalties your songs already generate. Register your work, fix your metadata, and track income across every platform. It’s not about new streams. It’s about collecting what you already earned.
Your royalties could already be waiting.
Before we dive in, here’s your quick guide to the rest of the Melody Rights series. Each post covers a different stage of earning from your music and keeping control of your rights.
- How Do Musicians Make Money: A clear breakdown of every royalty type and income stream.
- How to Make Money as an Independent Artist: Founder Bobby Cole explains why most artists miss money that’s already theirs.
- How to Sell Music Online and Make Money: Step-by-step ways to turn your catalogue into income.
- Websites to Upload Music for Free: Learn which sites grow your audience and which ones can quietly cost you ownership.
- How to Sell Your Music for Artists: Learn how to license your tracks for ads, games, and creators.
- Independent Music Distribution Companies: The story of Mike Lewis and how Melody Rights helped him find clarity.
- How Much Does It Cost to Record an Album: Spencer Segelov’s honest look at what recording really costs.
This post ties it all together and shows how to make money from the music you already have online.
The Truth About Making Money from Music Online
Why Most Independent Artists Struggle to Get Paid
You finish the record, upload the songs, and wait for the money to arrive.
Streams climb, but the payout is small. Sometimes painfully small.
That’s the moment most artists realise that having music online doesn’t mean it’s earning properly.
What Real Artists Like Spencer Segelov Have Spent to Get Heard
Cardiff musician Spencer Segelov has recorded nine albums over twenty years. Studio time, mixing, mastering, artwork, and promotion easily cost between £3,000 and £5,000 each time.
“You can spend £3,000 on an album and still feel invisible.” – Spencer Segelov
His words sum up what so many independent artists feel. The creative work is real. The investment is real. The income isn’t.
Where the Money Really Goes – Understanding Music Royalties
Every time your song plays, multiple types of royalties are generated. But those royalties don’t always reach you.
Sometimes a song isn’t registered with the right societies.
Sometimes metadata is missing.
Sometimes no one’s tracking the usage at all.
Black Box Royalties- The Black Box Problem Explained
The result is what the industry calls black box royalties – money that belongs to artists but sits unclaimed. In 2024, CISAC reported that over $400 million in royalties were waiting for the right songwriters to claim them.
Common Royalty Leaks That Cost Artists Thousands
Here’s where the most common leaks occur:
| Platform | Royalty Type | What You Must Register |
| Spotify / Apple Music | Mechanical and Performance | Register ISRCs and songs with your PRO and MLC |
| YouTube | Content ID and Performance | Connect your tracks to Content ID |
| Bandcamp / Direct Sales | Mechanical and Sales | Attach ISRCs and confirm ownership splits |
| TikTok / Reels / Shorts | Micro Sync and Performance | Register your recordings and allow social use |
| Live Shows / Radio | Performance | Submit your setlists to your PRO after every gig |
For a deep dive into all the royalties explained read this post here: 4 Types of Music Royalties Explained
When you understand these moving parts, the system stops feeling mysterious. It starts to pay you.
How to Register and Track Each Royalty Type
Most guides tell you to find more ways to earn. The truth is simpler.
Fix what’s already broken.
Step-by-Step: Fixing the Admin That Stops Your Royalties
Every one of these steps adds up. Skip one, and you leave money behind.
Case Study – How Mike Lewis Turned Admin Into Income
From Confusion to Clarity: What Changed With Melody Rights
Mike had music on every platform, but each one came with a different login, dashboard, and report. The admin became overwhelming.
“I was spending more time managing emails than making music. Melody Rights gave me that time back.” – Mike Lewis
When Mike joined Melody Rights, he didn’t change his art. He changed how his royalties were tracked. Once his songs were properly registered and matched across platforms, he started seeing income he didn’t even know existed.
That’s what rights activation looks like in real life.
Checklist – Turn Online Plays Into Real Payouts
Your 5-Minute Royalty Check for Independent Artists
Use this list as your first royalty check-up.
- Register every song with your PRO, MLC, and PPL.
- Enable YouTube Content ID for all tracks.
- Check every ISRC and ownership split for accuracy.
- Submit live setlists after each show.
- Review your royalties through Melody Rights each quarter.
It’s simple work, but it’s where the money is hiding.
Ready to See What You’re Owed?
See what royalties you might be missing with Melody Rights. We’ll show you if your songs are registered everywhere they should be and where your money might already be waiting.
Protect the Investment You’ve Already Made in Your Music
Spencer Segelov’s albums are proof of passion. Years of creativity, long nights in the studio, and the constant cost of making something real.
Without proper registration, that investment doesn’t have protection.
If you’ve already spent thousands to make your record, you’ve earned the right to see a return. Protecting your rights is how you make that happen.
Your catalogue is not just art. It’s an asset.
How to Grow Once Your Royalties Are Flowing
When your royalties start flowing, that’s the time to grow.
You can build direct-to-fan sales, offer memberships, or license your songs for sync placements. Each of these adds a new layer of income once the foundation is stable.
Get the backend right first. Then scale the front end.
Founder’s Insight: Bobby Cole on Finding the Money You’ve Already Earned
Before starting Melody Rights, Bobby Cole was in the same position as most independent artists. He was releasing songs, chasing placements, and waiting for streaming payouts that never seemed to match the effort.
His first royalty payment was just £22. It wasn’t much, but it proved something important. The money was real, and it was already there. It just needed to be claimed.
“Artists upload their songs and think they’re covered,” Bobby says. “But if you’re not registered with your collection societies, that money never finds you. It’s sitting in a black box somewhere, waiting for the right name to match.”
Bobby built Melody Rights to close that gap. Not to help artists make more music, but to make sure they get paid for the music they’ve already made.
“The system isn’t broken. It’s just disconnected. Once your songs are registered properly, the income starts to appear, quarter after quarter, year after year.”
His story proves that collecting what’s yours is often the biggest step toward earning more. Most artists don’t need a new plan. They just need to connect the dots that already exist.
The Takeaway – Make Sure Every Stream Pays You Back
Your music is already out there, working for you. Every stream, spin, or sync generates money somewhere.
The only question is whether that money finds its way back to you.
You don’t need to hustle harder or release more songs. You need a system that protects your rights and collects your income.
That’s what Melody Rights was built for. It helps artists see where their royalties come from, close the gaps, and finally get paid what they’re owed.
Start by checking your catalogue. Find what’s missing.
Let Melody Rights make sure your music finally pays you back.
Your royalties could already be waiting
If you’ve released music online, there’s a good chance your songs are already earning something. The question is whether that money is reaching you.
Run a free royalty check with Melody Rights to find out where your registrations might be missing and what income you could already be owed.
FAQs – Making Money from Music Online and Collecting Royalties
How can independent artists collect royalties online?
Register your songs with your PRO, mechanical rights society, and PPL. Use YouTube Content ID and a rights-tracking tool like Melody Rights to monitor earnings.
Can you really make money from streaming?
Yes, but only if your rights are registered correctly. Every stream produces multiple royalties, and missing data means missing income.
How long does it take to receive royalties?
Most collection societies pay quarterly, but some take up to six months. The cleaner your data, the faster you get paid.
