Hey Reader,

I was talking to a producer yesterday who told me, “I feel like I’m doing everything… and still barely making anything.”

And honestly? I get it.

Most producers think monetization is about making more music or posting more content… when in reality, the biggest leaks are happening quietly in the background.

Like… the stuff nobody talks about.

The stuff that doesn’t look sexy on Instagram.

The stuff that could be earning you money today, not “one day.”

So let me give you a few of my best underrated monetization tips you’re probably skipping:

1. Collect all your royalties. Seriously, all of them!!!

And no, I don’t just mean the ones you’ve heard of.

I’m talking about the backend royalties that quietly pile up while you’re living your life.

There are more than just “streaming platform” royalties.

There are:

→ Performance Royalties (from live shows, radio, syncs)

→ Mechanical Royalties (from streams & downloads)

→ Sync Licensing (TV, film, video games, YouTube, ads…)

I know I’m against the “royalties” route when it comes to having a strong monetization plan, but I’d be a total idiot if I didn’t look into how much that might be.

Passive income is still good income eh? 😉

So to find out, I used the free royalty estimator tool from the new BeatStars Publishing platform and look at what I found…

These are just 3 of my songs!!! …I have 20+ more released!!!

When I realized this, I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time 🙈

If you’re not sure about how to collect all the royalties you are due yet, BeatStars Publishing literally does the collecting for you.

All your songs in one place → paid globally → no more money missed!!

P.S. They have a special Black Friday promotion going on where you can get up to 45% off subscription plans until December 1st so… don’t wait!

2. Use your YouTube Community posts

This one sounds too simple to matter… until it starts working.

If you have a YouTube Channel, you have to start leveraging your Community Tab.

It should be a non-negotiable for you now.

I’ve made so many sales by just posting on Community.

Not just “sales” posts but honest updates, behind-the-scenes, mini rants, questions, previews…

People forget YouTube is the only platform where your audience can binge your content and see your Community posts in the same ecosystem.

Show up there.

Be human.

Share what you’re working on.

Drop your sample packs, beat link or contact form when it fits naturally and watch the sales come in!!!

You don’t need 100k subs for this to work, I’ve seen producers with 3k subs make consistent sales.

You just have to show up where people are.

In this case, the YouTube Feed.

Click here to see an example.

3. Build credibility

People pay based on trust.

Duh.

And trust comes from proof.

Proof that can come in different ways:

Testimonials, before and after transformation results but also - streams and monthly listeners.

More streams = more impressive = more trust = more sales

You don’t need to “go viral.” You just need to look like someone who’s moving forward, who is where your client or student wants to be.

Now I hate having to promote my own music, and you are probably feeling the same.

It takes sooooo much effort and time.

That’s why I love SongTools. With their Playlister.club campaigns, you get in front of real playlist curators waiting to discover your song to place it on their playlists.

It helps your track get real listeners, real discovery, real data - the stuff the Spotify algorithm actually responds to.

Credibility is a monetization strategy.

Here are the results of a campaign I ran on SongTools: 16 Spotify Playlists placement by just clicking one little button!!!

Let people see you winning and they’ll be begging to work with you!

P.S.S. By the way, they agreed to give me a special discount code: ‘PLV60PLAYLISTERCLUB’, for you to get 60% off your first Playlister.Club campaign. Meaning that instead of paying $70 for a 1-week campaign, you only pay $28 The code expires on May 31, 2026, so make sure to use it before then.

They also have a Black Friday campaign going on, called the Playlisting Pass so check it out too if you want to boost your Spotify credibility!

4. Sell in the DMs (yes, really)

This one changed my entire business vision.

People think selling happens on a website… or on a call.

Nope. Selling happens in conversations.

When you take the time to actually talk to your audience, aka reply, ask questions, build rapport, they feel safe buying from you.

I’ve sold digital products, services, coaching, everything…

Not from “funnels.”

But from DMs on Instagram.

Be social.

Be curious.

See if you can genuinely help.

Treat people like people, not transactions.

That alone will increase your income faster than any followers spike.

Also, you don’t even need much followers for this technique to work, just enough proof on your profile that you know what you are doing and can deliver a great product or service.

Here is a screenshot of a recent sale I made through the DMs:

He paid less than 10 minutes later!

It works.

You just need to get over the fact that the majority will say no.

5. Validate before you build anything

Okay now let me spare you the pain I’ve seen so many music creators go through:

→ A producer who spent a full year building a music theory course nobody wanted.

→ A singer who created a performance coaching program for 6 months and got… two students.

→ A sound designer who built a massive website before confirming anyone even cared about the sounds he was going to offer.

Here’s the truth:

You do not need to create a product.

You need to validate a problem.

Talk to your audience.

Ask what they actually want.

Do market research.

Find a problem that a specific group of people are having and would happily pay for.

Test interest before you spend time building something that won’t sell.

Validation saves you time.

Saves you stress.

Your ego.

And multiplies your income.

Trust me… there is nothing worst than spending 6 months obsessing over every single little detail and making something badass if you end up with no sales.

Here are some snippets of conversations I’ve been having lately:

To Recap…

If you take anything from this email, let it be this:

Money comes from intention, not brute force or hard work.

1. Start collecting all your royalties.
2. Start showing up where your audience already is.
3. Start boosting your credibility.
4. Start talking with potential leads - every. single. day.
5. Start validating before creating.

If you want support, just reply to this email and I’ll see how I can help 🙂

These are the tools and strategies that helped me scale faster and I want you to experience that freedom too.

Talk soon 💜

Aurelie (PLV Music)

​