Making money. It’s one of the biggest struggles for musicians.
Especially if you’re doing music on the side.
Music-related income is the one of the main things standing between you and a career in music.
Well, I have something that might help you.
It’s called The Rule Of 2s.
This idea will simplify your career and help you discover how to make money as a musician.
And thus, it will help you move forward consistently without burning out.
Here’s what I’ll cover:
- What Is The Rule Of 2s?
- How This Method Helps You Make Money As A Musician
- How To Create Your Personalized Rule Of 2s
- Here’s My Rule Of 2s As An Example
- FREE Rule Of 2s Worksheet
What Is The Rule Of 2s?
The Rule Of 2s is a method for simplifying your music endeavors into small, bite-sized tasks so you can start making money.
Here’s how it works…
You split your music career in half — into two big aspects — and ask yourself…
What two things do I want my music career to be marked by?
Then you come up with two income streams for each of those main elements.
Next, you brainstorm two daily tasks you can do to pursue your chosen income streams.
I’ll go into more detail below and share my Rule Of 2s as an example.
But first, how does this method work for you?
How This Method Helps You Make Money As A Musician
There are so many ways to make money as a musician.
There are so many paths you can take to your version of success.
So how do you choose? How can you decide what to do when you have so many options?
That’s where The Rule Of 2s comes in.
It helps you take a big idea (what you want for your career), break it in half, and further split those halves into tasks you can do on any given day.
It’s similar to The One-Thing-A-Day worksheet, which helps you take your picture of success and break it into six goals and 10-12 daily tasks.
But The Rule Of 2s is even simpler than that.
Instead of setting goals, you just focus on how you can make money as a musician.
And instead of 10-12 daily tasks, you come up with eight max (I’ll break it down below).
This is a super useful method for part-time musicians.
Because if you feel like you don’t have enough time, this rule shows you how to manage it better.
How To Create Your Personalized Rule Of 2s
Now let me walk you through how to create your own Rule Of 2s.
Split your music career in half
This is where you find the two big aspects of your music endeavors.
If you had to choose the two main elements of your music career, what would they be?
Recording and performing?
Songwriting and producing?
YouTube-ing and making beats?
For me, it’s making original music and educating other musicians.
What are those two elements for you? What do you want to do with your music?
Decide on two income streams for each half
For each of the two elements of your music career, you need to figure out two income streams.
So if your two main elements are recording and performing, you’d think of:
- Two ways to make money from recording and…
- Two ways to make money from performing
Two income streams for each of the two halves will leave you with four income streams.
But let me clarify something…
Yes, these are income streams you’ll be actively pursuing, but they’re not exclusive.
You may make some money in other ways. If other money-making opportunities arise, you’ll want to leave room for those to happen.
But the income streams you decide on for your Rule Of 2s are the main ones you’ll focus on.
Come up with two daily tasks for each income stream
Now you take those four income streams and figure out what you can do on any given day to pursue those ways of making money.
Think of these as small steps forward.
So, come up with two daily tasks for each of your chosen income streams.
This will give you a total of eight simple things you can do every day.
And by doing those things, you’ll be moving toward making money.
And that will move you toward fulfilling the two big elements of your music career.
It’s a chain reaction.
Here’s My Rule Of 2s As An Example
This method makes the most sense when you can see it in action.
So below is my Rule Of 2s.
I also made a Rule Of 2s worksheet you can grab for FREE below…
TWO BIG ELEMENTS OF MY MUSIC CAREER
- My original music
- Music education
TWO INCOME STREAMS FOR EACH ELEMENT
My original music:
- Sync licensing
- Patronage
Music education:
- Musician With A Day Job products/services
- Writing for other music advice blogs
TWO DAILY TASKS FOR EACH INCOME STREAM
Sync licensing:
- Write and/or record music
- Submit my music to a licensing company and/or music supervisor
Patronage:
- Post an exclusive update for my patrons
- Ask my fans to consider becoming patrons
Musician With A Day Job products/services:
- Create useful content, like blog posts and free resources
- Work on building a course that helps other musicians
Writing for other music advice blogs:
- Write an article assigned to me
- Pitch article ideas to current and potential clients
See how that simplifies things?
Now I have eight clear tasks I can do on any given day.
And by doing those tasks, I know I’m moving toward my desired income streams.
Pretty soon, I’ll see my music income growing. And all I have to do is take it one day at a time.
Start making money as a musician
Download The Rule Of 2s worksheet for FREE below