Earn Money While Listening to Music (Up to $12/Song)

Last Updated on August 9, 2024 by Katie

Who doesn’t like listening to music? It’s stress-relieving, calming and just plain fun. But, did you know, you can actually earn money while listening to music?

I didn’t know this until a few weeks ago! However, it is a legit and one of the easiest ways to make money online. Multiple platforms pay you to kick back, turn on your favorite tunes and get paid.

Sound too good to be true? Well, in this instance it isn’t.

This article is going to show you 15 sites to get paid for your honest opinions on music.

Table of Contents show

15 Ways to Earn Money While Listening to Music

Musicxray
CurrentApp
SliceThePie
PlaylistPush
WeLocalize
HitPredictor
Earnably
RadioEarn
Cash4Minutes
FusionCash
Music Review YouTube Channel
Music Podcast
Transcribe Music Lyrics
Music-Related Surveys
Give Feedback to Radio Stations

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Can You Really Get Paid to Listen to Music?

Yes, you can earn money as a music reviewer. The earning potential will vary, but why not make money for doing something you already do anyway?

Some huge platforms like Spotify and many smaller ones you may not have heard about yet, need people to listen to music and give their expert opinions.

It’s a fun and simple way to make extra cash and you get to discover new musical artists.

And, you could be influencing a new era of music!

How to Get Paid to Listen to Music: 15 Legit Ways

Take a look at the best sites that pay you to listen to music in your spare time.

All these platforms are legit and want your opinion on the latest tunes for market research, to help new musicians and bands get better at what they do.

1. Musicxray

On this platform, you’ll find a ton of music from new composers and music artists. They have a section called ‘’Fan Match’’ where you can:

Sign up for free
Have music delivered to your inbox
Get paid to listen

The Musicray team says it tries to tailor the music they send to your taste (which you’ll be asked about on sign-up). But, if you really don’t like a tune, you can skip the track after 30 seconds and still get paid!

After listening to a tune you’ll be asked to write a short review. This helps emerging artists produce better music later on.

Pay is around $0.05 per song. Create your account and upload five of your favourite songs so they get an idea of your music taste.

2. CurrentApp

If you want to earn money by listening to music, the CurrentApp is worth checking out.

Once downloaded, the app allows you to search and play music from 100,000+ radio stations.

Every time you listen to music, you are paid points which can be spent on your favourite brands. Increase your earnings by inviting friends to use the CurrentApp.

Play music while you’re running, commuting, eating, working and lounging on the sofa. You can even record music from the radio stations and listen to it offline while you’re going about your day.

According to CurrentApp, some users earn up to $600 a year just by listening to music.

3. SliceThePie

Getting paid to listen to music is easy with SliceThePie.

It’s an established platform, having been around since 2007 and it has over 2 million reviewers currently signed up!

To get your slice of the pie, click the ‘’sign up now’’ tab, fill out your details, start listening to music and leave reviews for cash. You can even get paid for your feedback on clothing and more to help big brands make decisions.

You must listen to at least 90 seconds of each track to qualify for payment. Try to give detail in your review and show up on the platform regularly. The more activity you show; the more reviews you’ll get sent to participate in.

Pay is $0.02 per song review and earnings can be withdrawn twice weekly via PayPal.

4. PlayListPush

This platform allows people to earn money by listening to and reviewing songs.

Much of the music offered is from up-and-coming Indie artists who want feedback and help to promote their tunes.

To qualify as a PlayListPush curator, you need to own a playlist with real followers on Apple Music, Spotify or YouTube Music.

Pay is up to $12 per review and if you like a song, you are encouraged to add it to one of your playlists for exposure.

After you’ve been on the platform for a while, artists can pitch their songs directly to you. This site is a win for both sides. You get paid to listen to new music and the artist gets feedback and exposure from getting their tunes.

You can request a payout anytime and get paid directly to your bank account.

5. WeLocalize

WeLocalize is another great place to earn money while listening to music.

However, it works a little differently, requiring you to listen and write out the lyrics, instead of just writing a review.

It’s basically a transcription job where the focus is on music. The company has over 1,000 registered transcribers who have transcribed over 15,000 songs, with 60,000 in need of transcription.

So you can see, there’s an opportunity here to make a decent amount of side hustle cash.

Go to the platform and sign up for a free account. Once accepted, you’ll get sent tracks each day that need transcribing.

Pay is around $4 per song and you need to be a US citizen to work on this platform.

6. HitPredictor

HitPredictor allows you to influence new music before it’s released and get paid for it.

Your opinions influence record labels, record producers, artists and radio stations on what gets released to the public.

On the platform, create your own free account. Listen to new songs and tracks that get released to the website and leave your review.

For every 30 minutes you spend on the platform, listening and reviewing music, you get paid $5. Earnings are redeemed via Amazon Gift Cards.

7. Earnably

Earnably is a well-established platform offering many ways to make money online such as listening to music videos, taking surveys and completing small tasks.

You receive points for each task you complete, which can be redeemed for instant cash rewards or free gift cards. You can even earn money by listening to online radio and by inviting your friends to the platform.

For every friend who signs up through your link, you get 10% of their earnings moving forward for a lifetime!

Once you earn $2 or more, money can be withdrawn via PayPal or Bitcoin.

8. RadioEarn

Maybe you listen to live radio already? If you do, why not create a free account on RadioEarn and start making money for your time.

Simply register by filling out your details, start listening to live radio stations and earn points for every 15 minutes. The points are converted to US dollars the following month and can be redeemed via bank transfer, Bitcoin or Amazon Gift Cards.

This service is available worldwide and if you have a website, you can add the RadioEarn API to it which allows your users to listen and top up your earnings.

9. Cash4Minutes

If you want to earn money while listening to music, Cash4Minutes is a popular platform worth trying out.

You will need a landline number or mobile plan that gives you free minutes to get started.

Once your free account is created, you can make money by listening to live radio stations. It works by recognising when you are connected and listening to a live broadcast.

You can even add multiple numbers to build up your rewards more quickly. Just hit the ‘’sign up’’ tab, fill in your details and follow the instructions to attach your phone to the service.

Pay is reportedly $0.08 for every minute you’re listening to a live radio channel. Their website states they’ve paid out over 11 million since 2014!

10. FusionCash

Fusion Cash offers paid micro opportunities such as filling out surveys and watching music videos. You do need to be a resident of the United States to take part though.

You can earn $5 just for signing up to the platform and once inside, you’ll find current opportunities available right in the dashboard.

After you pass the $25 earning threshold, you can withdraw your money on the 20^th of each month.

To bump up your earnings, refer friends to the platform to receive commissions.

11. Music Review YouTube Channel

If you enjoy creating video content and are decent at editing, you could create a music review channel.

And, once you’ve built up an audience, you can make money on YouTube by putting ads on your videos, promoting affiliate products and by securing brand sponsorships.

The amount you earn will depend on the popularity of your videos and how many views you get, so it pays to spend time making your videos interesting.

Take a look at these music review YouTube channels for inspiration:

12. Music Podcast

With over 100 million people listening to podcasts in the US alone, you can see that there’s an opportunity here to make side hustle cash.

It won’t take long to learn how to create and publish your own podcast and you can even get started for free by using a site like Podbean that gives you all the tools you need to get started.

Music fans love listening to music podcasts that give music reviews, interviews with independent artists or explore the next best music track that’ll take the industry by storm.

A few popular music podcasts to check out for inspiration include:

13. Transcribe or Translate Music Lyrics

Another fun way for music enthusiasts to make money is to find work transcribing or translating song lyrics.

Music videos use transcriptionists to add subtitles to videos so those who are hard of hearing or listening with the volume down can still follow what’s going on.

Read about how to get paid to write subtitles.

Also, music video creators want to reach a global audience so often hire freelance translators to transcribe their music lyrics into multiple languages.

Learn more in our guide on how to become a general transcriptionist.

14. Music-Related Surveys

Many survey sites pay instantly, and will occasionally offer music-related surveys.

There are also legit apps that will pay you to share your data and browsing history, including the websites you visit, purchases you make and the music you listen to.

This information is used for marketing research for big brands, so they can improve what products and services they offer.

15. Give Feedback to Radio Stations

When listening to your favorite music via online radio stations do you often wish you could give your opinion?

Well, internet radio DJs are always looking for the next big hits and will sometimes offer compensation to their fan base in exchange for their views on new artists, before their song gets released on a global scale.

RadioEarn is the most popular site to earn while listening to radio, but don’t be afraid to reach out to other radio stations and ask if they need music reviewers!

How Else to Make Money Listening to Music?

The websites mentioned above are simple ways to earn money while listening to music.

If you have a little more time, there are more ways to monetize your love of music.

Take a look at the following ideas:

Join Focus Groups

Many online platforms put together focus group studies for big brands.

This also includes music research, helping to gain information for artists, producers and managers.

Focus groups pay extremely well, anywhere from $50 up to $300 for an hour of your time. The discussions can be held online or in person and are led by a moderator.

You may be asked questions like:

What did you like and dislike about the song/album?
What is it you like about this genre of music?
How did the song make you feel and would you recommend to a friend?

Related read:

How to Make Money With Focus Groups (Up to $300/Hour)

Start a Music Blog

Building a music blog that makes money takes time and effort.

But, it can be the most lucrative way to make money listening to music.

Firstly, you need to narrow down your genre. Do you want to write about entertainment, world music, pop music, dance music or something else? Have a think what you want your blog to be known for.

Having a niche helps to define your target audience and makes it easier to market your content.

Once you get a decent flow of traffic, you can monetize the platform.

This is when you should reach out to artists, event and festival organisers and anyone else in the music world who might want to pay for promotion space on your site.

Further ways to monetize a music blog would be becoming an affiliate for music products, courses and shows plus putting ads on the site.

Work in a Record Store

If you love music, why not get a job in a local record store?

You’ll be able to listen to music all day long, help customers buy music and earn money while listening to music!

This is the perfect job for music lovers who want to work with their passion all day long. Just be careful you don’t spend all your hard-earned cash on new records!

Drive for DoorDash

As a DoorDash driver, you’ll be delivering food to hungry customers all over your local area.

And, the best part is, you can blast out the tunes as loud as you want, as you go!

If you have a car, you can deliver for DoorDash full-time or part-time and work the hours that suit you.

Dashers can even earn in different cities from their own, by logging into the DoorDash app and accepting orders.

Learn more: How to Make Money with DoorDash ($500+/Week in Your Spare Time)

Become a Freelance Writer

Working from home as a freelance writer means you can play music all day long!

After all, nobody is sitting next to you like in the office to tell you to turn it down!

Check out this guide on how to become a freelance writer with no experience. Once you know how to set up your writing business, you can build a writing portfolio and start applying for writing jobs for new writers.

I love playing music while writing. It helps me concentrate and get into a flow. Freelance writing is one of the best ways to earn money by listening to music.

Further reading:

Get a Remote Job

Just like freelancing, a remote job gives you the freedom to earn money while listening to music.

Because you’re working from home, you can set up your home office exactly in a way that suits you.

There are multiple different types of remote jobs including transcription, proofreading, data entry, typing, filling out forms, customer service, virtual assistance and many more.

Further reading:

DJ at Events and Local Bars

Finally, one of the most fun ways to earn money listening to music is by DJing at local events and bars.

If you have your own decks, get your set ready and apply for work getting local event participants dancing.

It helps to get your music out there to show what you can do.

So, set up an account on SoundCloud, Google Music and YouTube and upload your tunes for eager music buffs and local talent scouts to find.

Earn Money While Listening to Music FAQs

Can I earn money by listening to music on Spotify?

Spotify doesn’t pay its users to listen to music. But artists can start a creator account and upload their music to the site. You’ll earn for every stream over 30 seconds.

As a Spotify user, if you have a popular playlist you can make money with it on Playlist Push by applying to be a curator.

Does Listening to music make you a lot of money?

Listening to music is an enjoyable side hustle, but it won’t make many people a lot of money.

However, it’s an easy way to make a few dollars extra each day just by doing what you’d already be doing – playing music.

To make real money, think about joining music focus groups, DJing at large events or starting a music podcast where you can earn from advertising and promotions.

Do I need a PayPal account to get paid for listening to music?

Many of the music sites mentioned in this article pay through Paypal so it’s a good idea to set up an account if you don’t have one.

But, if you don’t want to, apply to work on the sites that pay through bank deposits or gift cards.

Final Thoughts on How to Earn Money While Listening to Music

Now you know many ways to earn money while listening to music.

If you love music, this is a great way to get paid for your passion.

To bump up your earnings, sign up for multiple platforms and learn about different money-making side hustles.

There is no end to the ways you can make passive income online and you can earn remotely with the right professional skills.

Further money-making ideas: