Self-publish your songs. This means you are responsible for distribution of your material, but you also keep all the profit by eliminating the middle man.
Sell your song to a recording artist, record company or music publisher. Payment will come in royalties, but sometimes you can receive an advance against royalties.
Sign up with one of the three performing rights organizations: ASCAP, BMI or SESAC. These groups track all performances, calculate royalties owed and distribute royalties to the publisher.
Write jingles. Companies advertising products on the radio or on TV often need original songs. Even though jingles are typically short, companies pay a lot of money for them. Begin marketing yourself as someone who writes jingles and visit local companies to offer your services.
Produce for a band or artist and write the songs yourself. As the publisher, all royalties will be paid directly to you; in turn, you pay the artists.
Enter a songwriting contest. Many offer cash prizes and the opportunity to be noticed in the music industry. Contests include the International Songwriting Competition, The Great American Song Contest and the Billboard Songwriting Contest.
Post songs online with an A&R (artist and repertoire) service, such as Taxi or Song Catalog. Taxi provides information for people in the music industry who are looking for writers. Song Catalog allows writers to pay and post their songs online for others to search and consider using.