How to Get Paid To Listen To Music in 2024

Not only does music bring us entertainment and relieve stress, but it can also be a source of income, too! Here are the legit ways to get paid to listen to music.

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Today, let’s talk about a more relaxing way to make money: listening to music. Yes, you heard me right. You can get paid to listen to music.

In this gig, you listen to music, share your thoughts about songs and artists, and make an impact in the music industry in your own small way.

There are sites that pay you to listen to music. For example, Finance Buzz launched a program where newly broken-up singles get paid to listen to heartbreak songs. They then categorize these songs into playlists according to the five stages of heartbreak. This side hustle pays $1,000!

And oh, just last year, Hotels.com launched a challenge for guests to listen to music (all of them are Christmas carols) for a full 24 hours during their hotel stay. This challenge paid a $500 room service credit on top of a $1,000 hotel stipend. Now that’s some easy money!

Apart from these occasional music-related gigs and challenges, some apps and websites pay you to listen to music, which means extra cash rolling into your account.

Pros and Cons of This Side Hustle

First, let’s set our expectations straight first. While listening to music may sound like the dream job for some people, here are some of the reasons why this may not be for you:

• Some websites offer invitation-only opportunities to review or listen to songs.
• There aren’t a lot of places or sites that offer this kind of opportunity.
• This side hustle doesn’t really pay well. You get paid cents to a few dollars per song or track. It can never replace a full-time income. So if you are simply looking for ways to make extra money, there are other better options for you out there.

I recommend checking out the following posts for flexible jobs that pay well!

On the upside, it’s a quick way to make money. If you are a music lover, this gig will introduce you to new artists or new songs before they are released in the market. Also, you can do this from anywhere.

Apps and Websites That Pay You To Listen To Music

1. Music Xray

One of the top websites that pay you to listen to music is Music Xray. This platform pays people to listen to music before it hits the market.

So how do you exactly listen to music and get paid by Music Xray?

Music fans sign up on the platform through a program called Fan Match. You will receive alerts on the upcoming songs and artists, and you get first dibs on their music before they formally launch. But the best part is you make money by listening to music.

According to most sources, each song you listen to earns you $0.10. When you’ve reached $20, you can transfer your earnings into your PayPal account.

You’ll indicate your music preferences when you sign up so that you’ll be matched to music that you love to listen to.

2. Slice The Pie

Slice The Pie pays you to review music. It aims to help artists, record labels, and other music-related sectors come to the best decisions by gathering feedback from music fans.

Reviewing music on Slice The Pie is easy. You just have to sign up, choose the music you want to listen to, and hit play. After this, you’ll write your honest thoughts on what you liked and didn’t like about this music, and then rate it from one to ten.

You need to listen to songs for at least 90 seconds before you can review them. You get paid depending on the consistency and quality of your work (typically from $0.02 to $0.20 per song, with an average of $0.10). You can also earn extra cash by referring other people to the platform.

You can cash out your earnings to your PayPal account once you’ve reached $10.

3. Earnably

Earnably is a get-paid-to site (GPT) that pays you to do simple things online, such as answering surveys, playing online games, and watching music videos. You can even earn money while listening to online radio. Getting paid to listen to music is that easy with Earnably!

You’ll earn points as you complete these small tasks. Plus, you can invite others to Earnably, and you’ll make money from those referrals.

You only need to accumulate at least $2 to withdraw your earnings to your PayPal account. Alternatively, you can convert them into gift cards or bitcoin.

4. Research.FM

One of the best ways to make money online is by joining Research. FM. This is a market research company that primarily studies radio stations. It has an app that you can download from Google Play and Apple Store.

Making money listening to music through this platform is super easy. 

1. Join their focus groups and online surveys.
2. Wait for emails about opportunities to review music for money.
3. Get paid with gift cards or PayPal money.

The only downside with this platform is that it is invitation-only. You need an existing member to invite you into the program before you can start making money listening to music through Research.fm.

5. RadioEarn

If you enjoy listening to the internet radio, then signing up for RadioEarn can be a brilliant way to get paid to listen to music.

Making money through this platform is pretty easy. All you need to do is tune in to online radio stations and listen to songs. In between those songs, the station will play some ads, and you just have to breeze through them to keep your time running.

You will earn points for every 15 minutes of listening time, and you can convert these points into money (Amazon gift cards, bitcoin, or direct bank transfer). As you can see, you get paid to listen to music in the most straightforward way.

6. Radio Loyalty

This is a new get-paid-to platform that pays you to listen to music, specifically on online radio stations. Radio Loyalty is affiliated with thousands of radio stations, so it’s guaranteed that you’ll hear the kind of music you like.

But how do you get paid by listening to music on this platform?

First, you create a free account where you can instantly earn points just by signing up. Next, you listen to music. You earn ten points for every ten minutes of listening to music. You must not leave your radio station (to prove that you’re still listening to music) and must enter a captcha every three minutes.

To bump up your earnings, you can also complete other tasks, such as answering online surveys and watching videos. Your earnings are redeemable as VISA gift cards.

7. Current

Current is one of the best music apps that pay users to listen to music.

According to this app, you have the potential to earn around $600 per year just by listening to music for twenty to thirty hours per week.

Current pays you for listening to your favorite songs. There are literally thousands of radio stations you can choose and play music from, so it’s a brilliant platform for all the music fans out there.

You’ll earn more points as you listen to music more frequently. You can then convert those points to gift cards to your favorite places, or purchase physical products, donate to charity, or have them transferred to you as PayPal money.

Apart from listening to music, there are more ways to earn money on Current, such as by watching ads, winning raffles, and completing small tasks.

8. Nielsen Market Research

Using the Nielsen app is also one of the best ways to get paid to listen to music. Nielsen is a market research company that tracks consumers’ digital behavior, such as which streaming platforms you prefer, and the types of music users listen to.

Gathering this data helps companies in the music industry fine-tune their strategies so they can give you the best products and services. While you, on the other hand, make money just by using your phone as you normally would.

You can download the Nielsen App from Google Play and the Apple store, and you’ll receive up to $50 per year which you can redeem through your PayPal account. I’d say that’s quite an easy, straightforward way to earn money just by listening to music.

9. Unique Rewards

Unique Rewards is similar to other get-paid-to sites in that you can also make money listening to music.

There are numerous ways to make money with Unique Rewards, such as by answering surveys, reading emails, playing games, and watching videos online. But if you’re a music lover, you can also get paid to listen to music, as well.

So how does Unique Rewards pay you to listen to music?

Easy, you just need to listen to radio. Unique Rewards has a segment called Radio Offers where you can pick a radio station and listen to music. You need to enter a captcha code every half hour to prove that you’re still tuned in. You’ll earn $0.03 for each code you submit.

This might seem like a low offer, but if combined with other ways to get paid on Unique Rewards, you could earn money online quickly. You can get paid via check or PayPal when you’ve reached $20.

10. Renaissance

You can also easily earn extra cash when you listen to your favorite music in an app called Renaissance.

If you love discovering new music and getting paid to listen, then you should consider using a music app called Renaissance. This app is accessible through the App Store and Google Play.

So, Renaissance works by linking with your Spotify account and tracking your streaming activities. This app pays users to listen to music. You earn stars for listening and then exchange those stars for exclusive rewards.

You can also use Renaissance to support your favorite artists by streaming their music and helping them climb to the top of the leaderboard.

11. WeLocalize

Did you know that you can also get paid to listen to music by transcribing songs? Yes, a company called WeLocalize will pay you to do that.

Your job at WeLocalize would be to transcribe song lyrics, requiring you to listen to music most of the time. If you love music and you’re a fast typist, you could very well qualify for this position.

The advantage of working as a transcriber is that it could be more of a side-gig that pays steadily, unlike other apps that pay users to listen and only earn points. So, you get paid to listen to music and then transcribe its lyrics. Each transcribed song pays around $4.

12. Playlist Push

On Playlist Push, you’ll get paid to curate playlists. So, if you love putting songs together and would like to share your playlists with your fellow fans, this is a good fit for you.

Using Playlist Push to earn money online is quite easy. But first, you need to grow your social media following because that can make or break your potential to become a Playlist Push curator.

So, indie artists would send you their songs in hopes that get included in your playlist. If you think this new music suits your tastes and your followers would enjoy hearing it too, then you include that song in your playlist. Just by doing that, you get paid between $1-$6 for each track. Now that’s a truly awesome way to get paid to listen to music.

13. Genius

Want a real job and make money listening to music? Then you can transcribe lyrics for Genius.

As a transcriber or lyrics associate at Genius, your job entails listening to music online, both new and existing songs. You’ll listen to the lyrics, and then type them, ensuring that they are complete and accurate.

You’ll be expected to be able to type quickly and accurately, as well as work on a flexible schedule, particularly during release nights.

Extra side hustle: Blog about Music

Let’s not forget one last way to get paid to listen to music: blogging.

You all know that I love blogging. It’s a proven way to make money online.

But if you want to get paid by listening to music in a different way, why not blog about it?

After all, blogging gives you a lot of control, particularly in terms of content creation and your work schedule. You’re basically your own boss here.

So how do you make money as a music blogger? Let me count the ways.

First, you can promote songs or music-related services, and get paid as an affiliate.

If your blog is successful, you can connect with artists and collaborate with them. You can feature their songs/albums on your blog for a fee.

You can also write sponsored posts for an artist or music company.

And let’s not forget to place ads on your website to gain extra cash.

As you can see, blogging about music is an excellent way to generate passive income.

If you are interested in blogging, check out my detailed blogging guide!

The Best Ways to Make Money Online

Conclusion

If you spend a great deal of time listening to music online or watching music videos, then you should monetize this passion of yours.

There are numerous opportunities to earn money from music. You can join companies that perform market research and provide feedback on songs or artists. You can transcribe lyrics or blog about music. Some get-paid-to sites also include listening to the radio as one of the ways to earn points.

Surely, there must be something that you, as a music lover, could do to make some extra cash. Which of these opportunities do you think works best for you? Let’s connect in the comments.