The Best Music Affiliate Programs Right Now
Ever since its rise to prominence, affiliate marketing has continued to explore and overrun many niches and industries, including the vast and ever-evolving music industry. What’s so cool about music is that it’s a part of everyone’s life, musicians and non-musicians alike, and so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are countless music affiliate programs that cater to everyone. The question is this: which of these affiliate programs are the most lucrative?
Let’s find out...
Guitar Center
Despite what the name may imply, Guitar Center is a digital store for all musical instruments and music-related gear, from guitars and amps to cymbals and keyboards to microphones and effect pedals. Guitar Center has a total of over 40,000 music-related products. The list is updated on a weekly basis. It’s important to note that some of Guitar Center’s products can only be purchased through their website and not their stores, which is beneficial to you, as an affiliate marketer.
Guitar Center affiliates receive 6% off of every sale they make. There’s no limit to how much you can make with the Guitar Center affiliate program. Guitar Center utilizes Commission Junction in order to track the sales of their affiliates and process their payments. The cookie duration is only 2 weeks, however, which is the only downside to using Guitar Center’s program. The program is ideal for affiliates that are into promoting diverse products and don’t like having an earning limit.
Join: Guitar Center Affiliate Program
Commission: 6%
Cookie Duration: 14 Days
MasterClass
You might have noticed MasterClass’s advertising campaigns only recently while watching some videos on YouTube, but the platform has been around since 2012. The platform revolves around students learning a desired skill from the very best in the industry, and by best, we’re referring to celebrity-status instructors. Whether you’re interested in writing, photography, filmmaking, music production, or any other skill, MasterClass offers classes and tutorials of the highest quality.
The MasterClass program gives affiliates an astounding 25% commission off of every confirmed sale and it features a cookie duration of 30 days. Further, the program puts a huge emphasis on volume referrals and gives a monthly performance-based bonus that can reach up to $300 for a $12,000 target. Some of the most noteworthy instructors in the music category include Christina Aguillera, Carlos Santana, Usher, and Timbaland. Definitely an excellent market for affiliates.
Commission: 25%
Cookie Duration: 30 Days
Pianoforall
With an unequaled commission of 60% and a cookie duration of 90 days, Pianoforall’s program is easily one of the most lucrative music affiliate programs today, if not the most lucrative. What is Pianoforall, though? It’s an all-inclusive piano program that’s composed of 500 audio lessons, 200 video lessons, and 10 ebooks with a total of 600 pages. The program is available for pretty much every device out there, from PC and Mac to Android and iOS smartphones or tablets.
Pianoforall has been active since 2006, and so it has a very long track record of being the most trusted source of piano courses, with a host of verifiable testimonials that ensure high quality. If you become a Pianoforall affiliate, you’ll receive around $21 per download for the digital version and around $27 for the Pianoforall Download & DVD ROM (both after Clickbank fees). This is a superb platform to promote if you champion high commissions and super-long cookie duration.
Commission: 60%
Cookie Duration: 90 Days
Musician’s Friend
Alongside Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend is one of the largest retailers of music-related gear in the world. The company has been around for over 30 years, boasting over 40,000 products. You can buy anything that’s music-related from Musician’s Friend, from guitars and drums to DJ gear and keyboards, to percussion and all sorts of lighting, recording, and mixing gear, just to name a few. As the name implies, Musician’s Friend is dedicated to being every musician’s companion.
This company offers a 6% commission off of every sale you make, as an affiliate. And similar to Guitar Center, the company has a cookie duration of just 14 days, which, as you can tell by now, isn’t a whole lot compared to other competitors. Once accepted as an affiliate, Musician’s Friend will provide you with a host customizable and interactive material that you can use for your own website, including links and banners. Musician’s Friend also flaunts outstanding link tracking.
Commission: 4%
Cookie Duration: 14 Days
Thalia
If you’re looking to promote a manufacturer of high-quality, handmade guitar accessories, you’re looking to promote Thalia. The company’s primary focus is on capos and picks, but they still sell other guitar-related accessories. The thing that truly sets Thalia’s products apart from the rest of the competition is how aesthetically appealing their products are. The company is also a partner of many charitable organizations that are helping to save the bees and promote reforestation.
As far as Thalia’s affiliate program, the company offers 15-20% on each sale you make, with the possibility for a rate increase upon achieving certain targets. Also, they feature a cookie duration of 90 days, right up there with Pianoforall. There are plenty of reasons why you ought to support Thalia, from their striking, high-quality guitar accessories to their praiseworthy initiatives towards saving the world, not to mention their high commissions and remarkable cookie duration.
Commission: 15-20%
Cookie Duration: 90 Days
Fiddlershop
Similar to Guitar Center and Musician’s Friend, Fiddlershop is an established company that sells high-quality stringed instruments, along with related accessories. What exactly makes their units high-quality, you might ask? Well, Fiddlershop puts every single instrument they have to the test before actually allowing it to be showcased in their shop. The company caters to the needs of all musicians, so whether you’re a beginner or a professional, Fiddlershop has got you covered.
The awesome thing about Fiddlershop is that they hand out a suitable case for every instrument they sell, so you don’t have to purchase one separately, along with other accessories like toners and cleaning tools. The Fiddlershop affiliate program presents a 5% commission and a duration of 7 days for their cookies. The commission might seem low, but when you consider the price of some of their professional-grade instruments, you realize that it’s a pretty neat percentage.
Commission: 5%
Cookie Duration: 7 Days
Audimute
Looking to affiliate yourself with a family-owned soundproofing business? Audimute is your best bet. Whatever you’d like to soundproof, Audimute has a high-quality solution. They even feature portable sound barriers that you can make use of in any room. In addition, they offer an analysis service for those who don’t have much experience with soundproofing and don’t know what they need, exactly. Audimute provides exceptional customer service and wallet-friendly prices.
As an Audimute affiliate, you earn a 5% baseline commission on every sale you make. Not only that, but the company also gives out bonuses for high-performing affiliates. If a 5% commission seems little to you, then you should know that the average Audimute order costs over $200. It’s also worth noting that the company prides itself on its high conversion rate, thanks to their great customer service and cost-effective pricing, so you’re guaranteed to make quite a few sales.
Commission: 5%
Cookie Duration: 60 Days
JamPlay
When it comes to guitar and bass lessons, JamPlay is amongst the very best in the industry. It’s a platform that grants you the chance to learn how to play from some of the best guitarists in the world. The platform offers over 5,800 guitar lessons that cover all musical genres and skill levels you can think of. Further, the platform constantly updates its lessons and produces new content for their students. It has superb ratings on both TrustPilot Reviews and Better Business Bureau.
Unlike most music affiliate programs, JamPlay helps its affiliate make money online by providing $40 on every confirmed sale, even if the sale you made is under $40. Out of all the platforms on this list, JamPlay has the most forgiving cookie duration, which spans 120 days. Further, it’s the only platform on this list to utilize a First-to-Send policy, where the first affiliate gets the credit as a reward for introducing people to a new program or such. Surely a platform worth considering.
Commission: $40/Sale
Cookie Duration: 120 Days
Sam Ash
If you’re involved in music in some way shape or form, you’ve definitely heard of Sam Ash. This is the most prominent family-owned business dedicated to selling musical instruments. This is a company that flaunts a very long track record of excellence in the music industry, as it has been around since 1924, making it the longest-running company out of all the ones reviewed today. It offers over 50,000 products, enabling you, as an affiliate, to market a wide range of offerings.
Sam Ash’s affiliate program offers 7-10% on every confirmed sale. They use LinkShare to keep tabs on the performance and payments of their affiliate marketers. Sam Ash flaunts live support chat on their website, where customers can ask questions and receive answers right away. This helps increase the chances of conversion. The only drawback is that they don’t accept affiliates based in Connecticut, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Rhode Island due to local tax laws.
Commission: 7-10%
Cookie Duration: 30 Days
zZounds
zZounds is another significant retailer of musical instruments and equipment known for offering the lowest prices in the industry. As a matter of fact, zZounds has a lowest-price guarantee that ensures a difference refund if you see the product you’ve purchased listed at a lower price on a different online store. The difference refund is legible within 45 days of the purchase, though. It also offers multiple payment plans as well as a 45-day return policy. We can’t ask for more!
The company’s affiliate program actually started back in 1999, and it offers a 6% commission on every sale you make. Moreover, affiliates get monthly net sales bonuses whenever their monthly sales goals are fulfilled. zZounds boasts a wide range of marketing materials that you can make use of, and they have a pretty long cookie duration of 45 days. Their lower prices and customer satisfaction guarantees help ensure a high conversion rate that you don’t want to miss on.
Commission: 6%
Cookie Duration: 45 Days
Ditto
If you’re an independent musician that’s looking to sell music while retaining 100% of your rights and royalties, Ditto is an excellent platform to check out. It’s fundamentally a distribution service (an unlimited one) that enables independent artists to release their music on all prominent music platforms. As a musician that’s making use of Ditto as your distribution service, you can request your payments to be processed directly to your account. But what is an affiliate’s job, exactly?
Well, as a Ditto affiliate, your job is to refer clients to the platform. For every musician you send to Ditto, you receive £20 for every order they place (approximately $26). The platform can track cookies for up to 2 weeks. It has a very high conversion rate, so it’s highly likely that the people you send their way are going to help you earn a commission. Please note that sales should be made through your website, email, or blog for you to be eligible for the £20 commission.
Commission: £20/Sale
Cookie Duration: 14 Days
Final Thoughts
There are other noteworthy music affiliate programs that you ought to check out, such as Virtual Sheet Music, Singorama, Rocket Piano, Reverb, Loopmasters, Singing Machine, and more, but we can safely say that the above-reviewed programs are the absolute top of the heap. It’s highly recommended that you pick a program that’s favored by your target audience and that fits within your niche, first and foremost. It’s not just about opting for the highest commission available.
If you are looking for more ideas to monetize your blog, read my How To Make Money Online Blogpost.
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