Artists have always had a unique relationship with money. On one hand, the lack of it can be what holds them back from realizing their full creative potential. If art doesn’t pay the rent, a part-time job becomes a necessity. Before you know it, the part-time job becomes a full-time job, leaving little to no time for art. Sound familiar?

On the other hand lies the internal struggle of capitalizing on your creativity. For most artists, money isn’t the driving force behind creation ― it’s expression. But you know you have to eat, so you accept the “art as commerce” reality and just pray you don’t end up like KISS. Artists know they need money, but have a hard time accepting it, for fear that it will become the force that drives them.

In spite of this struggle, there are thousands of artists out there making a living from their music without compromise. How? Simple: diversification of revenue streams, or put more simply, making cash in lots of different ways.

That’s the central theme behind the latest study conducted by the Future of Music Coalition, simply titled “Artist Revenue Streams.”[…]