Sometimes it can help motivate you when you see that others have gone before you and how they’ve done it. So here are how some hit Songwriters made their way to success. We’ll also learn just how much they’ve made in the past from their roles as Songwriters.

Dan Wilson started his music career in a psychedelic band in the ‘80s. It wasn’t until 2012 that his song “Someone Like You,” sung by Adele, came out and made $882,700 in songwriting royalties, Wilson presumably getting half of that.

Along the way, he has been in bands, has released some solo music, and has done some producing, working with the likes of the Dixie Chicks, Pink, and Chris Stapleton. (He’s even a well-respected Painter and Illustrator).

His story is one of persistence and a passion for music.

Will.i.am started out with the band that brought him fame, The Black Eyed Peas. The band started when he was in 8th grade, and four years later they signed a record deal.

He and the Peas wrote “Boom Boom Pow,” which, at the time it came out, was everywhere. It was a smash-hit pop song. It ended up making the band $859,950, Will.i.am presumably getting a 25% of that since there are four members in the band.

His path to stardom was one of getting together with like-minded, talented musicians, playing and making music together, and getting discovered.

Mark Foster is the lead vocalist and Songwriter of the band Foster The People, whose big song (and first-ever released song) is “Pumped Up Kicks.” That song made $406,861 — and he doesn’t have to split royalties because he wrote the song on his own.

But before all of his success, he waited tables, painted houses, wrote jingles and was a Bartender. He said Bartenders in Los Angeles (where he was living) could make six figures. So he recommends any budding Songwriters start bartending until they can afford to do music full-time.

Foster’s journey to success is one of hard work, determination, and a well-honed craft.

To help you become a successful Songwriter, let’s turn to some people who have done very well for themselves in that field. Below you’ll read both songwriting tips and advice on how to succeed as a Songwriter in the music industry.

You may not know who Ester Dean is, but you’ve definitely heard her music. She has written songs for Rihanna, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Usher, and many other big stars. She spoke with Cosmopolitan about her songwriting tips, and here’s a summary of them:

1. You don’t need a typical music education. Dean writes her songs by coming up with lyrics and melodies to Producers’ music-only tracks. No music theory required.

2. If you write a hit song, you’re not getting paid for a year. It takes time for the song to get recorded, released, and then played by fans, so the mechanical royalties take a while to come rolling in.

3. Don’t write what you hear on the radio. Write what you want to hear on the radio. This will help your song stand out.

4. You might get one out of 1,000 songs picked to be recorded. And that’s normal. This industry involves a lot of rejection.

5. Inspiration for a song can come from anywhere. So listen well.

6. Get yourself a mobile recording studio so you can record anywhere.

7. It’s better that your recording be powerful than perfect.

8. Work hard.

Ryan Tedder is the frontman for OneRepublic and the Songwriter of a bunch of famous, catchy songs, like “Halo” by Beyonce, “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis, “Rumour Has It” by Adele, and many others. He shared some of his songwriting secrets with the BBC:

1. Don’t release a song until it’s completely ready.

2. Record every single idea you have for a song.

3. The first take is usually the best. That’s where the most real emotion lies.

4. Melodies are more important than lyrics. Because that’s what people remember years later.

5. People have to believe what you’re singing.

Here’s another guy you’ve probably never heard of, but he has written songs recorded by people like Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. He’s also one of the most respected Songwriting Teachers out there. And he’s got plenty of good songwriting tips:

1. Song structure is uber important.

2. Make your melodies memorable.

3. Write lyrics that intentionally impact the listener.

4. To succeed, you must know the business side of being a Songwriter.

Alright, now to answer the main question: how can you make money as a Songwriter?

To answer that, here are the most common ways Songwriters make money and ways you can make some income.

Even if you never write Beyonce’s next hit song, you can still make songwriting royalties.

Here are the main types of royalties a songwriter can earn:

• Mechanical Royalties: These are earned from the reproduction of songs, such as when a song is sold on CDs, vinyl, or through digital downloads.
• Performance Royalties: These are generated when a song is performed publicfly, whether live or via broadcast (radio, TV, streaming services).
• Sync Licensing Fees: If a song is used in a film, TV show, or advertisement, the songwriter earns a fee for that usage.
• Digital Performance Royalties: These come from streaming platforms and cover the performance of songs in digital formats.

If you enjoy entertaining folks with your music, playing live shows has a few layers of money-making potential.

First, there’s the fee the venue pays you (a flat fee or an amount based on how many tickets you’ve sold). If you play at a coffee shop or brewery — two common spots for Singer-Songwriters — you’ll probably get a flat fee for playing X number of hours.

If you play a show at a theatre or a stand-alone music venue, you’ll need to pre-sell a certain amount of tickets. Then you’d get a portion of the profits (usually most of it) and the venue gets the rest.

Second, you can earn tips. This is going to be your main source of income if you’re playing at a coffee shop, brewery, or farmers market. It’s a concrete way to tell if the audience is enjoying your set.

And third, you can earn performance royalties. Any time you play your songs live in a public place, you are owed Songwriter royalties from a Performance Rights Organization (PRO) like BMI or ASCAP. Typically, you report your setlists to the PRO you’re registered with and you’ll be paid. As of this writing, BMI usually pays me $1-2 per original song each time I play it live, but that dollar amount can vary from quarter to quarter.

Sync licensing is an ever-growing market in the music world. This is when you allow a company or filmmaker to use one of your songs in their commercial, TV show or any kind of video in exchange for them paying you a fee. That fee can be hefty if you work with a successful company with a big budget.

You can also try to get a lot of smaller deals that range anywhere from $50 to a couple hundred dollars per license.

You can start by listening to the music you hear in commercials and shows and trying to make music that sounds similar.

Then you can start pitching your music to music licensing libraries and companies, like:

• Musicbed
• Pond5
• Artlist

You can also pitch your music directly to Music Supervisors, the people in charge of choosing the music for a TV show, movie, or commercial. If you’re interested in getting your music heard by these Supervisors, check out some of our advice on the subject of music licensing.

This is the way most Singer-Songwriters imagine finding success. It’s definitely the most romantic way to go about it. If you put out your own albums, you can then earn streaming royalties, which are paid by Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms.

You’re also owed mechanical royalties, which are collected only by a Publisher, admin publishing company, or royalty collections company.

Here’s a shortlist of companies that can collect your mechanical royalties:

• CD Baby (offer distribution and admin publishing deal)
• Tunecore Publishing (offer distribution and admin publishing deal)
• SongTrust
• Kobalt Music
• Sentric Music Publishing

Releasing original music can also help you build a fanbase — a collection of people who support your music and want you to succeed. And that’s good news for you in the long-run.

A publishing deal is like a record deal, but for writing songs instead of releasing records. A music publishing company signs you to their roster and you’re expected to write songs for their artists to record and release, usually in the genres of pop and country. So you become the one behind the curtain.

Usually, they’ll offer you an advance on your future songwriting royalties, so there will definitely be pressure to write songs that make money. Nowadays, if you’re not in Nashville or Los Angeles, it’s a long-shot getting into this market, especially because many Producers like to work with their preferred circle of Songwriters.

The absolute best thing you can do right now is to follow the tips from the Songwriters I mentioned earlier. And then write. Write like a madman. Do it every day, or else you won’t get better.

Next, you can pick one of the aforementioned money-making methods and focus 100% on it. See which one(s) you like that also pays well.

Start playing shows to figure out if you enjoy performing and if it’s financially worth your time. Record and release your music, and then pitch those songs to music licensing companies. Do a lot of songwriting and start reaching out to publishing companies or people you know who have publishing deals.

As any well-known Songwriter will tell you, work hard.

So yes, it’s possible to make a living as a Songwriter. It just takes laser focus, hard work, and a little bit of luck.