This article is for aspiring singers or vocalists looking to make money selling vocal sample packs or acapellas.
Technology and the Internet have made it easier for independent artists and vocalists to succeed. A laptop and microphone are all you need to make a radio-ready track!
There are also dozens of websites for freelancing, finding gigs, and selling your work.
Where to buy and sell vocal acappellas and toplines
One of the best ways for vocalists to make money is to sell toplines and acappellas of their work.
Custom and exclusive vocals appeal to producers because they make their songs unique.
Getting vocals from Splice is excellent for building out a track idea. But when you’re trying to release something that you own entirely, these vocal samples aren’t going to cut it.
Singers can build recurring revenue by selling non-exclusive vocals to multiple projects. This way, you can build a steady income.
These sites make it easy to sign up as a creator or contributor and start uploading vocals. Vocals are sold as both non-exclusive and exclusive on these sites.
Non-exclusive vocal toplines are generally cheaper and can be used by multiple producers simultaneously. Exclusive vocals are only sold once and can make your song unique.
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Option 1: Voclio
Voclio offers exclusive and non-exclusive licenses for vocal tracks to producers.
Nonexclusive vocals can be used by many producers and cost about $40-50 each. Exclusive vocals are sold only once and command about $500-800.
Voclio has been showing up more and more in my conversations with producers. From a producer’s standpoint, this site is appealing because every vocal license is clearly outlined upfront. It creates an open dialog between vocalists and other creators.
Option 2: Vokaal
Vokaal specializes in selling royalty-free vocals to producers. Non-exclusive vocals and exclusive vocals live side by side.
Non-exclusive vocals sell for about $40, while exclusives are $300-600.
They’re always actively looking for new vocalists, and you can apply on their website.
Vokaal focuses on featuring the vocalist and artist upfront. Find out who sings the song and their bio, and build a relationship. You can release the songs featuring the vocalist or as your creation without credit.
Option 3: Vocalfy
Vocalfy is another site focused on selling royalty-free vocals to producers and artists. They primarily focus on non-exclusive vocal sales. But there are some exclusive vocals on the site as well.
The vocals here are typically cheaper than other platforms. Non-exclusive vocals sell for about $35. Exclusive vocals are about $200.
Option 4. Vocalkitchen
Vocalkitchen aims to help DJs find their voice by giving them access to a library of new songs and vocal samples.
Their vocalists, vocal producers, and songwriters are chosen by hand. Each song is also manually approved for the catalog to ensure quality.
Their focus on quality has earned them an excellent reputation.
Option 5. AAP Official
AAP Official has an enormous non-exclusive vocal library. They’re a great place to get started with your vocal production and singing career.
They sell licenses to producers who get full access to the AAP library. They can download as many vocals as they want as part of that license.
Licensing payouts to vocalists depend on how many downloads the vocals get.
All the vocals are royalty free and copyright free.
How to Sell Vocal Sample Packs
Most music producers need vocals or vocal samples while sitting at their DAW. Vocal phrases, hooks, and shouts to ooohs and ahhhs can all inspire the next great hit.
Creating a vocal sample pack allows you to share your unique singing style with other producers.
- Pick a Style/Genre: Pick a particular style or theme for your sample pack. This could be anything from classic soul vocals to electronic voice effects that have never been tried before. By focusing on a specific theme, you can appeal to a specific audience and make your sample pack more interesting to buyers.
- Record in high quality: Use a good microphone and other recording gear when recording your vocal samples. This will ensure that your samples sound clear without background noise. Producers should be able to use your samples straight away. It's also a good idea to record a variety of vocal styles, such as sustained notes, shouted phrases, and spoken words.
- Clean up the samples: After you record your vocal samples, you'll need to edit and process them so that producers can use them and find them interesting. This could mean changing the pitch, lengthening or shortening the time, or adding effects like reverb or delay. Hard Autotune effects can also add some variation.
- Create a Demo Track. A demo track is a short song or piece of music that shows off your vocal samples and gives potential buyers an idea of what to expect from your sample pack. This can be a good way to market your business and help you stand out from other people who make sample packs. Check out my own royalty free vocals and demos to hear what’s effective.
- Sell Your Samples: Pick a place where you can sell your sample pack. Check out sites like Splice, Beatport, and Loopmasters where sample packs can be sold. Pick a platform that pays creators fairly or gives you a good % split.
- Promote your Sample Pack. Sharing on social media, make a website, or promote your samples on YouTube by building a channel of royalty free vocals and samples. There are also producer download sites that may feature your vocal sample pack.
Writing a Creative Vocal Topline
Trying to come up with a catchy and creative vocal melody but don’t know where to start? Here’s my advice!
- What emotion does the instrumental give you? Create a mental image or feeling based on the music to generate lyrical ideas.
- What words are related to that feeling? Brainstorm lyrical ideas from to come up with a title for the song that is interesting and relatable.
- What’s a story that would involve that feeling? Create a relatable story around the title to evoke a sense of feeling that connects with people and builds their interest in the song.
- Create highs and lows in the story: Structure the song based on the backing track by identifying the highs, lows, and quiet moments to determine the different sections, such as the verse, chorus, and bridge.
- Record a scratch vocal and brainstorm a melody: Write a melody that fits into the structure of the song, using words from brainstorming sessions to guide the melody.
- See if the words sound like anything: Fill in the blanks between rhyming words with actual lyrics while keeping the same message throughout the section.
- Go section by section: Repeat the process with the remaining sections, including the verse, pre, and bridge if you already have a good chorus and verse.
Final Thoughts
Vocalists can share their creativity by selling vocal toplines and sample packs.
You can sell vocal samples to producers around the world by focusing on a specific theme or vocal style. Record high-quality samples and then reach out to distributors listed above or start your own site!
Keep experimenting with making more sounds. Finding your unique sound and place in the market can take time.
Focus on developing your skills and lean into industry trends. If EDM vocal shouts are popular right now, try making a pack just for them!
Best of luck in your vocalist journey!