Shopify for Musicians
In an era where music and technology intersect more than ever, platforms like Shopify have become essential tools for musicians looking to break through the limitations of traditional streaming services like Spotify and, more importantly, the boundaries of creativity and profitability. As a lecturer in Artificial Intelligence at a School of Music, I see the immense potential of integrating innovative technologies in the music industry and how technology is a necessity for musicians in today's reality.
The First Step in Your Digital Journey
The first step in your digital journey is to sign up for a free trial on Shopify. Three months is an excellent period to test the platform and understand how it can serve your unique needs as musicians and creators.
EPK (Electronic Press Kit)
Shopify enables musicians and creators to use ready-made design templates that can easily reflect your musical style and image. Combined with content writing capabilities for your website based on a resume, using ChatGPT, this can be done quite effortlessly.
Digital Music Sales
In an age where everything is digital, selling digital music is a must. With a free app on Shopify, you can sell music. You can sell a complete music album, a single track, a library of music in a particular style or theme, and even just a tune or background music. You can upload music files in any format you desire.
Selling Digital Song Bundles
Similarly, selling digital song bundles is essential in the digital age. Using the same free app on Shopify, you can sell a collection of songs in a PDF format. You can create the PDF for free using Canva and sell it directly on your Shopify site.
Selling Recorded Performances
Shopify enables you to offer paid courses or even a monthly subscription model through various apps. This format is also excellent for musicians and creators who can sell recorded performances or even a paid singing evening on Shopify. I personally upload courses (I wish I had musical talent...) using the Tevello app, which is super easy and convenient.
Musical Merchandise
Merchandising is another way to enrich the experience of your fans and create an additional source of income. Shopify offers creative solutions for selling products like shirts, hats, and posters, integrating with print-on-demand services. This means you don't hold inventory! You can design any merchandise you want with Canva from thousands of options, and Shopify's supplier will print and ship it directly to the customer's home on your behalf.
Selling Tickets for Live Performances
As a musician, the ability to sell tickets for live performances is an important part of the experience. Shopify provides a free app for ticket sales with a personal barcode for each user - it's easy and doesn't require a third party.
Automated Communication with Fans and Mailing Lists
One of the things I love is Shopify's ability to provide so many capabilities for free, allowing every musician and creator to do so much - all on one platform! Shopify allows you to automatically send up to 10,000 emails per month for free, without the need for a multi-messenger system.
Selling Shopify Products on Spotify
The integration of Shopify and Spotify is a perfect example of how technology can support artists. Shopify enables musicians to display and sell products and merchandise directly from their Spotify profile. Simply amazing.
Offering Cashback to Your Customers in Exchange for Their Creativity
Full disclosure, I developed a free app on Shopify with a partner that enables you to reward customers who purchase from you and upload a video of them singing and/or playing your music with cashback! Cool, right? We've upgraded the ability for customers to support you.
