Listening to music is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Music can rev you up when you’re out of energy — and calm you down when you have too much of it. It can comfort you when you’re sad and accompany your happiest moments. But what if you could get paid to listen to music?
Believe it or not, there are many ways you can earn extra cash by simply listening to music. It’s one of the easiest and most fun ways to make money online.
In this guide, we’ll uncover some of the best opportunities anyone can try to get paid to listen to music. So, pull up your favorite Spotify playlist, and let’s dig in.
15 Best Ways to Get Paid to Listen to Music
Here are the top ways to make money listening to music:
- 🏆 Slicethepie
- Current Rewards
- HitPredictor
- Playlist Push
- RadioEarn
- Research.fm
- Cash4Minutes
- Earnably
- Take Online Surveys
- Work in a Record Store
- Start a Music Podcast
- Work as a Bartender
- Drive for Uber or Lyft
- Work from Home
- DJ Weddings and Events
Apps That Pay You to Listen to Music
One of the easiest ways to get paid to listen to music is by downloading an app or logging into a website that promotes artists and record labels. These services may perform market research by getting your opinion on a song. Or they may pay you to check out a new singer or band.
And don’t stress if you didn’t graduate from Julliard. These companies require zero knowledge of musical theory to get started. All you need is an internet connection and a love of music.
1. Slicethepie
If you love sharing your opinions on music, Slicethepie may be one of the best ways to make some extra cash. Slicethepie is one of the largest paid review sites online.
All you have to do is sit back, listen to music, and then write reviews about it. You can earn cash for every review that you submit.
How much you’ll get paid depends on the quality of your review and the category of music. But the average payout per review is 0.10 cents. Once you’ve earned $10, you can request a transfer to your PayPal account.
A cool part about Slicethepie is that you can review more than just the music itself. For example, you can also give feedback about record labels or an artist’s wardrobe. It’s a fun way to participate in the creative process while racking up a few dollars in the process.
2. Current Rewards
The Current Rewards music app lets you earn up to $600 in cash or gift cards per year just for listening to music. You’ll listen to the curated radio stations of your choice — from country to hip hop — and earn points along the way. Of course, the more you listen, the more you’ll earn.
And unlike listening with a streaming service like Spotify or Pandora, you’ll pay zero fees for enjoying curated music on Current.
You can even “record” songs from the station to listen to offline. That’s extra fun for us “older Millennials” who remember taping songs off the radio back in the day!
Besides jamming out to tunes, Current Rewards lets you earn points by completing tasks such as reaching a certain level in an in-app game or answering a survey. You can also earn up to fifteen points for watching video ads.
Once you’ve racked up points, you can redeem them for gift cards from retailers like Amazon, iTunes, and Starbucks. Or you can request a cash transfer to your PayPal account.
Current Rewards are a great way to earn passive income. You may not make a full-time living from it, but $600 per year could cover tickets, camping, and food at your favorite music festival.
3. HitPredictor
Have you ever dreamed of working in the music industry and getting access to music before it hits the public? Now you can make this dream a reality with HitPredictor, a peer review site that collects public opinions on new music.
When you sign up, you’ll get to choose what type of music you like to listen to. Then you’ll listen to music and rate it.
Like many of the music sites on this list, HitPredictor rewards you with points. You’ll get three points for every song you rate, you can then use your points to enter into raffles for Amazon gift cards.
4. Playlist Push
Spotify users rejoice — there’s a way to monetize your favorite playlist. Playlist Push pays seasoned playlist curators for reviewing music.
To qualify as a curator, you need a public playlist on either Spotify, YouTube Music, or Apple Music. Your playlists can’t focus on a specific decade (such as “Totally ’80s”). You must also have a minimum of 1,000 followers per playlist. Playlists with fewer than 3,000 followers must have at least thirty active listeners. All other playlists require a minimum of 1 percent active listeners on the streaming platform.
If you meet the criteria, you can earn from $1.25 to $15 for each song that you review. If you like, you can add songs to your playlist, but there’s no requirement to do so. You’ll receive your payments via Transferwise.
5. RadioEarn
RadioEarn is another site that lets you earn passive income for listening to music. Once you sign up for a free account, you can start listening to online radio stations and earning points. You can also use RadioEarn’s API (application programming interface) to embed a radio station on your own website.
You’ll earn points for every fifteen minutes that you listen to music. You can receive payouts every month in the form of Amazon gift cards, Bitcoin, or bank transfers.
6. Research.fm
Research.fm is a long-standing market research provider for radio stations. After signing up, you’ll fill out an email survey about your demographics and listening habits. Research.fm will email you every time you qualify to review a music sample. As a reward, you’ll get Amazon gift cards.
7. Cash4Minutes
Cash4Minutes is an outlier on this list because it monetizes your unused phone minutes in exchange for listening to internet radio.
To earn money, you have to call one of the provided numbers to listen to the radio broadcast. You’ll earn a small amount for each minute you tune in. When it’s time to cash out, you can collect via Paypal, Bitcoin, bank transfer, or Amazon gift card.
8. Earnably
Earnably is a site on which users complete different tasks for points. These tasks range from answering survey questions to watching music videos and listening to radio stations. Earnably also lets you earn extra points with special tasks such as tuning in to a specific program.
The more music you stream, the more points you can collect. You can redeem your points for Amazon gift cards, Bitcoin, or PayPal transfers. However, you need to earn at least 225 points to begin redeeming. That’s equal to $2.
Alternative Ways to Make Money Listening to Music
Besides the companies on this list, there are many alternative ways to get paid to listen to music. In fact, there are jobs where grooving to tunes is an appealing perk. Here are some of our favorites.
9. Take Online Surveys
Occasionally, you can earn extra cash listening to music on survey sites like Nielsen and InboxDollars.
With Nielsen, you first have to down the app on your iOS or Android device and allow it to track all of your online activity, including the websites you visit and the music you listen to. It collects this data for market research purposes. You then may be asked to participate in a focus group where you can share your feedback.
For InboxDollars, you sign up for a free account and answer screening questions to find out which surveys you qualify for.
Learn More:
10. Work in a Record Store
If you really, really love music, consider getting a job in a local record store. You’ll be around music lovers all day, and you’ll most likely be encouraged to play and listen to music to enhance the customer experience.
This is a dream job for music lovers who can’t get enough to listen to and enjoy working in a customer-facing retail environment. Just watch out — you might be tempted to spend your whole paycheck on vinyl!
11. Start a Music Podcast
Another way to make money listening to music is to start your own music podcast. Invite your friends who are musicians or independent artists to participate and play music for your audience members. Offer a mix of exclusive interviews and original content. You can make money by getting advertisers to sponsor your program.
12. Work as a Bartender
Bars and music go hand-in-hand. Most bartenders get to play their own playlists for customers. Of course, you may have to play the music that your patrons want to hear. And if you want to earn extra tips, it pays to cater to your audience.
13. Drive for Uber and Lyft
As an Uber or Lyft driver, you have three options. You can either drive around in silence, pick the music as you go, or let your passengers DJ en route to their destinations. The third option can be a great conversation starter that helps break the ice and leads to bigger tips. You may even discover some really great music that you never knew about.
Learn More:
14. Work from Home
Get a job or home-based business, and you can play music while you work. After all, there’s no boss or manager to tell you to stop.
For example, you can work as a social media associate, virtual assistant, or blogger. Working from home takes discipline and hard work, but you can make money and have the freedom to listen to any music that your heart desires.
15. DJ Weddings and Events
No wedding, corporate event, or holiday party would be complete without an overenthusiastic DJ telling people to “get jiggy with it.” You could be that DJ.
DJing may seem easy, but it’s hard work. The good news is people are usually willing to pay big money to make sure their guests dance and have a good time. If you want to go this route, it might be a good idea to start with smaller gigs and work your way up.
FAQs
Can you make a lot of money listening to music?
Listening to music is a lot of fun, but there are a few ways to do it and make a lot of money. If you want to earn the big bucks, you’ll need to be an executive at a major recording studio or record label.
But that’s not to say you can’t earn a few dollars listening to tunes from the comfort of your home. The trick is to find ways to make money while listening to music while also generating revenue from other side hustles (e.g., driving for rideshare services, walking dogs, or painting houses).
Do I need a PayPal account to get paid to listen to music?
Having a PayPal account will make it easier to get paid by many music sites and other online side hustles. But while some music sites pay via PayPal, others offer gift cards or direct bank deposits.
Remember that there are many scams online. It’s important to be on the lookout for sketchy websites that either want to rip you off or steal your identity. Overall, PayPal is a safe way to transact money online.
Does Spotify pay you to listen to music?
Spotify itself doesn’t pay users to listen to music. However, users with popular playlists can use a site such as Playlist Push to earn money for reviewing new music.
Should You Get Paid to Listen to Music?
Let’s face it: Listening to your favorite music over and over again can get boring. There’s a world of music online, with an endless number of new artists and new songs to explore. So why not get paid to review music and discover them?
Or, if you prefer to listen to your own selection, you can still find jobs that let you play music. And if you work remotely, you’re free to crank up the volume, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your job.
Whichever direction you choose, music fans should keep an eye out for money-making opportunities. Who knows — you might earn more than just extra money and find yourself with an exciting full-time career.
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