Hello there Sea Changers. Welcome back to my series of program lists to assist those of you looking to fund your sea change with affiliate marketing. Today we are going to plug in in the amp to look at my 11 music affiliate programs to tune this year. Music is an extremely popular pastime and forms part of the daily lives of just about everyone on the planet whether it be playing it, listening to it or making a living from it. There are just so many sub niche possibilities that for those looking to establish an affiliate marketing business in this area, there really is something for everyone. And whilst it falls nicely within the lucrative hobby niche where we know people will spend money, there is also as discussed the professional use element as well. So with a little work, this could be one that can be turned into quite a nice little sea change funding online business.

Before we begin however, I am conscious that there are a number of different areas or sub niches within this subject hence the quantity of affiliate programs to choose from may be just as large. So how have I picked my best 11? Well… I really just wanted to give you a good cross section of what is out there so I did some searching around and checked a few out and chose them by looking at:

• What they offer
• Commission rates
• Payment terms
• Cookie duration
• Application processes
• Affiliate/Marketing materials provided

Before we start however, let’s have a look at what I mean by the term ‘music’ and how it can be incorporated within an affiliate marketing website…

What do we mean by music?

It probably goes without saying here but the term ‘music‘ is widely used to cover all aspects of a market where we can discuss both the making of, and listening to, the final product. And considering that there are 100000s of searches undertaken online per month for the term ‘music’, I think that unfortunately I will only just be scratching the surface here.

So for the purposes of this post I am going to try and cover a good cross section of everything that can be sold online to do with music affiliate program options covering:

• Music
• Instruments
• Gig/band requirements
• Music paraphernalia
• Sheet music
• Production materials
• Training/tuition

And of course anything else you can think of when it comes to making money with music online… So, if you are looking to set up an online business in this space, let’s check them out below.

What can affiliate marketers promote?

There are essentially no real barriers to what affiliate marketers can promote when it comes to music. There are however some things to be aware of as you run your eye over music related affiliate program possibilities that may suit your site. These are:

1. Know your audience, some are looking for specifics and want the best whilst others are hoping to just get their equipment on a budget. Choose your affiliate sites accordingly.
2. Hard core musicians and/or professionals will not take risks if they don’t trust you or your affiliate site. Make sure the programs you choose are reputable and have good recourse options if the purchaser is not happy.
3. Those purchasing as a new hobby, or for family members etc. will need to know exactly what they need and that the products you are promoting will fit in with their requirements. Make sure your programs can provide the products to back up the information that you are covering.

That said, stats show that people will spend money on music equipment online if it can make their lives easier so as long as you are meeting their needs and solving problems, then you are on the right track. And to give you a boost, let’s have a look at 11 programs that I have found below:

1. Musician’s Friend

Let’s start with an all in one site in Musician’s Friend. Musician’s Friend is a massive music site providing access to just about every tune making product available including:

• Private Reserve Guitars
• Guitars
• Bass Guitars
• Ukuleles, Mandolins & Banjos
• Amplifiers & Effects
• Drums & Percussion
• Band & Orchestral Instruments
• Accessories
• Keyboards & MIDI
• Live Sound
• Recording
• Lighting & Stage Effects
• DJ Gear
• Microphones & Wireless
• Software & Downloads
• Books, Sheet Music & Media
• Apparel & Collectibles

The list above probably doesn’t do this site justice as this is a great site for affiliates as it allows you to cover all aspects of music in the one spot. Certainly enough here to build an affiliate site around within any music related niche.

2. zZounds.com

zZounds.com is another massive music related site offering a great range of rock band type products – in fact, products to cover almost everything required to assist a musician in getting their band ‘gig ready’. Again, there is so much there that we could not even begin to cover everything here but their main categories include:

• Guitar
• Bass
• Keyboard
• Recording
• Computer Audio
• Live Sound Accessories
• Drums
• DJ Supplies
• Accessories

As with the site above, they also offer all of the well-known brands allowing affiliates to promote everything to do with electronic and band related music in one place. There is enough here to build an affiliate marketing site around with a great blog containing product reviews, tutorials and video demonstrations as well.

3. Sam Ash

Sam Ash (known as “The World’s Favorite Music Store”), is another all encompassing music site that deals with everything to do with musical instruments and their use with over 40,000 products available. Their main catalogue is similar to the first two sites listed here however they also incorporate orchestral and recording studio options as well. With 40,000 products there is too much to list here however again, their main categories include:

• Guitars and Bass Guitars
• Accessories
• Headphones
• Lighting
• Keyboards
• Microphones
• Recording and DJ equipment
• Drums/Percussion
• Brass Instruments
• Woodwind Instruments

There is also a nice range of musical related books, DVDs and home electronics/hifi equipment as well.

Again as with the others above they stock all of the best know brands and this site could definitely be utilised to build a generalist business around or as a great addition to the professional, band, DJ or audio/visual niches as well.

4. The Music Stand

Now we take a look into the weird and wonderful side of music with The Music Stand. I hope I am not doing the site an injustice with this explanation but it looks to me that someone once said “we need a site that lists all of the coolest music related stuff we can find”. There is really so much on this site – all music themed – including:

• Apparel
• T-shirts
• Accessories
• Musicians’ equipment
• Instruments
• Posters
• Decorative home and garden accessories
• Jewelry
• Instructional materials

There is probably not enough on this site to base an entire affiliate marketing site around however there are good options for both the new and professional user as well as those dealing with marketplace type sites. I see this one more as a great addition to any musical, gift, man cave or even home decor type site instead

5. Virtual Sheet Music

As the name suggests, Virtual Sheet Music offers a huge range of instantly printable or downloadable high quality sheet music for a number of instruments including:

• Piano
• Guitar
• Voice
• Violin
• Flute
• Saxophone
• Cello
• Trumpet
• Trombone
• And a lot more…

Sheets are available for all levels from beginner to advanced and in a number of genres for individuals and ensembles alike. There is also a range of audio files with exclusive transcriptions and arrangements as well.

This site is probably not one that you would build an entire affiliate marketing business around however it would be a great companion/add on to just about any music related niche possible – and maybe even for those dealing with school or social ‘neighbourhood’ bands as well. Oh, and there is a membership option on the page that pays recurring commissions.

6. Mikes Mix & Master

Mikes Mix & Master is a Leader in Online Mixing and Mastering. Providing professional services to musicians of all types around the world. AS the name suggests, it offers a number of standard and premium mixing and mastering services with inclusions such as:

• Hybrid (Analog + Digital) Mixing
• Industry Standard Mastering
• HQ mp3 & WAV Mixdown
• 48 Stem limit
• Revisions
• Auto & Manual Pitch Correction
• Analog Bus Compression & Summing
• Instrumental Mixdown
• Acapella Mixdown
• Social Media Promotion

This is potentially a site that you could build an entire affiliate marketing business around if you are working within music the production and mixing niches. It would also be a great companion/add on to just about any music related niche working with recording artists, producers, and musicians of all types as well.

They also services at different tiers providing different ways to make commissions each month as well.

7. Apple iTunes

Many of us in this day and age consume our music via streaming services such as Apple iTunes. So if you are in the music niche and looking at music of any genre whether it be pop or up and comers, then this would be a great affiliate addition to your site. I probably don’t have to do anymore to sell this one other than to mention its name however they do offer access to over 60 million songs.

And for those working within the streaming or downloadable side of things the affiliate program also includes sales within:

• Apple Books
• Apple News+
• Apple TV+
• Apple Services Premier Program

In short, add this one to any music, download, streaming, smartphone or technology niches that can be influenced by Apple in any way.

8. Prime Loops

Here we head into the world of music production with Prime Loops. Prime Loops specialises in “providing strictly unique collections of audio samples & more for music producers”. Their product range includes options such as:

• Audio loops & samples
• Presets for synths such as Massive, Sylenth1, Serum.
• MIDI files
• DAW Templates
• Project Kits for Maschine
• and so much more

There is so much more to offer depending on the artist and/or genre required as well.

This would make a great addition to any music site aimed at professionals and hobbyists alike as well as a baseline for those looking to assist producers and bands looking to monetise their passion into a nice little business.

9. Modern Producers

Modern Producers is another site aimed at music producers with a huge range of products including:

• Construction Kits
• Drum Kits
• Bass Loops
• Brass Loops
• Drum Loops
• Guitar Loops
• Percussion Loops
• Piano Loops
• String Loops
• Synth Loops
• Direct Wave
• Fl Studio Files
• Gross Beat
• Omnisphere 2
• Ni Kontakt
• Ni Massive
• Reveal Sound Spire
• Sylenth1
• Tone2 Electra X
• Tone2 Gladiator
• U-He Hive
• Xfer Serum
• Sound Fx
• Vocal Kits
• Vst Instruments
• Vst Plugins
• Vst Expansions

These are available by format, instruments, labels and to sound like various well-known artists. They also have Beat Tags and some great online courses as well.

If you are in the music production niche you may be able to base an affiliate program on this one however there are obvious add on opportunities for all manner of music use levels and needs. There is also a great blog section and some free kits too.

10. Pianoforall

Pianoforall takes us into the educational side of music with an online piano playing course offering a series of “‘bite sized’ lessons that have been meticulously planned so that step-by-step you learn a thorough set of piano playing skills in a very short space of time”. General contents include:

• 10 clearly laid out eBooks – 600 pages in total
• 200 videos – over 10 hours in total
• 500 audio lessons

This is a great site for those working directly within the training and tuition element of the music niche – or of course anything to do with pianos, general education or children’s holiday activities as well.

11. Singorama

Singorama is another music based educational site this time aimed at singing. The site offers a number of singing based lessons such as:

• Online singing lessons
• Vocal lessons
• Vocal coaching
• Singing exercises
• Singing tips

There is also a great section for aspiring songwriters as well.

As with the site above, this one site would work best as an add on to any music related site aimed at training or education – especially aimed at singing. There are also some free courses and a great blog allowing for some great post ideas and/or bonus information for your readers.

Amazon Associates

Alternatively, should you wish to set up your site up with a range from a few different brands or companies on the same site then you can do so via Amazon. Amazon provides access to a good range of music related products and has a fairly good affiliate program as well. So if you wish, join the Amazon Associates program, locate the best products relevant to your site within Amazon itself and you can post links on your own site as per below:

Amazon’s commission rates are not too bad and some prefer this avenue due to the sheer amount of traffic and trustworthiness that comes with a company site of this size.

How to find your own affiliate programs

As stated earlier, by outlining the sites above I have really just tried to give you a good cross section of the types of programs that are out there by listing the really good ones in each ‘category’. That does not mean that you cannot find affiliate programs that better suit what it is that you are trying to do within this space especially as I could never even begin to cover every music related requirement or sub niche in the one post. Luckily for us, there is a simple way to find these programs online.

All you need to do is enter “affiliate: niche type” into your search engine (substituting ‘niche type‘ for whatever product it is that you are choosing to sell).

There are music related affiliate programs for everything else that we have listed at the top of this page as well – you will just need to have a look around until you find one or two that suit your site. Once you have completed your searches, you can look through and find programs that:

• Relate to your niche/problems that you are solving.
• Have quality products – your brand can be severely damaged if you promote poor quality products.
• Have solid payment and customer service arrangement.
• Pay decent commissions.
• Have good testimonials covering commission payouts and quality of product.

In most cases, you will need to apply for the program before you are allowed to promote their products – don’t take this step lightly or you will be rejected. Affiliate programs will generally want to know:

• Your website name.
• Traffic levels.
• Why you want to join – (so I can make money by selling your drum kits is unfortunately not generally a good enough answer).
• How you plan to promote their products.

Conclusion

So… There are 11 of the best music affiliate programs to tune this year. I hope it has been helpful for you as you commence your own music based affiliate marketing business and as usual, please do not hesitate to comment below if you have any questions, need some advice or have any experiences to share. Oh, and especially comment if you have any experience with these, or any other programs as well.

Until next time

Have fun

Paul

Note: If you make a purchase from this page, there is a very good chance that I make a commission from it – these commissions do not increase your sale price.

Do you want further assistance with any of the above or need help to build your own music based website?

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