🎵 Musicians Selling Wedding Songs Direct
I am seeing a trend of music artists selling wedding-themed songs directly. Where are we headed in the music industry?
I think we can agree that most wedding playlists are tracks from musicians’ recorded music. (Think Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love“ and Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect”)
I will also include songwriters' talents as they are utilized to help create many popular songs.
That being said, I want to share some insights on a trend I am seeing in the music industry.
Music Streaming
It is probably no surprise that the majority of revenue today comes from streaming for many artists - as physical products have dwindled. (Source: RIAA and Chris Dalla Riva)
There is very little “owning” your music today. Yes, you can still buy individual songs on Amazon Music. Yes, you can create your own custom playlists and folders on the platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. The lucky ones to own their music are vinyl collectors and vintage media lovers.
Music is mostly being streamed on “rented” platforms.
Making Money Making Music
Of course, musicians are “forced” to put their music onto platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music just to get exposure. However, that exposure still relies on their individual marketing efforts. Why? Because most songs on Spotify never find a listener.
45.6 million tracks had 0 streams in 2023
Spotify recently activated a new policy to not pay any artist who has less than 1,000 streams. The average royalty per stream is about $0.003. Let’s say a song gets 1,000,000 streams annually. That would result in $3,000 PER YEAR for that song. Certainly not enough to live on.
Over 7 trillion songs were streamed in 2023. - 33.7% higher than 2022.
In 2023, 436,000 tracks were streamed more than a million times.
As of April 2024, over 610 songs on Spotify have more than one billion streams.
Yes, artists can and do release multiple songs. But, it is extremely difficult to create popular songs as an independent artist.
Selling Music Direct
This is why I want to speak on a new trend I am seeing in the wedding industry. Some independent musicians choose to sell songs directly and not offer them through streaming services.
Certainly, some independent musicians might choose to offer their wedding songs on streaming platforms alongside direct sales. This allows for wider discovery while still catering to couples who want to purchase the song for exclusive use. But then there is little incentive to purchase the complete song from the artist.
Artists selling songs directly are produced and sold through their own platforms such as their websites.
The biggest factor from an artist’s viewpoint in a decision to sell directly should be that songs are specifically written and produced for wedding moments. They are very niche songs and create a demand all by themselves.
One such artists is Toni Becker.
Toni released Dance With Me, Baby as a mother-and-son dance song from the mother’s perspective. The song has touched many. The song’s preview video has more than 220k views on YouTube. Here is the preview:
Toni recently released a second wedding song titled I’m Here - for a Bride whose father has passed away. Here is the sample.
Benefits for Couples
Couples can own and play a song at their wedding that matches their story and feelings which adds a personal touch.
Purchase and Use
This is the time to support artists like these. Even though the songs can be purchased for $25 each, the songs help tell your story. The songs have a one-time use copyright which means they can only be played at one wedding. If a DJ plays a song at an additional wedding, another purchase/license must be made. However, DJs should be able to pass the fee on to their clients or incorporate it as part of their service if desired by the wedding couple. Couples can most certainly purchase the song themselves too.
Challenges of Selling Music Directly
While selling directly offers more revenue per song, it can be challenging for independent musicians to reach their target audience (wedding couples) without relying on streaming platforms for initial discovery.
To promote their music, artists must consider promotional tactics to reach couples planning their weddings such as being interviewed on wedding planning podcasts, social media blitzes, press releases, collaborations with wedding planners and DJs, and advertising on wedding websites.
Musician Interviews
Toni Becker talks about “Dance With Me, Baby”, the music industry, and selling her songs directly on the Wedding Songs Podcast.
But what about from the musician and songwriter's point of view? Watch singer-songwriters Johnny + Heidi on the Wedding Songs Podcast as we chat about releasing music and the music industry.
Songwriters get an even smaller piece of the streaming royalties pie. Plus labels, publishing companies, etc also get a piece of royalies.
Listen to Johnny and Heidi’s music here. My favorite wedding tracks are “Time With You”, “Never Not Loving You”, and “I Don’t Know Any Better”.
The Future
I predict royalties will continue to lessen from major streaming services for artists and prices will go up. I think the music system is broken. More and more artists will sell music through their own platforms.
New music platforms will be created to strengthen the relationship between artists and fans. One such company is a new music streaming app for unsigned artists called Insidr Music. It is set to launch this year and has a direct-to-fan subscription model.
Spotify has not reported an annual net profit in all the years it has been public (2018). Thus,
They intend to raise prices on its plans by about $1 to $2 a month in five markets.
In the United States later this year, the company is also going to introduce a new basic tier that will offer music and podcasts, but not audiobooks, for the current individual premium plan.
Do you have any thoughts on musicians selling their own music directly or on this article? Please reply to this email or share in the comments.
Disclosure: I may earn a referral commission from purchases made from song links. However, I intend to help promote musicians who create beautiful wedding songs.
Cheers,
Matthew Campbell (Founder, My Wedding Songs)