Decide on your market. Do you want to sell sheet music for your original songs or popular sheet music from other composers? Most likely, selling popular sheet music online will be more profitable, except in cases of where original music gets significant public exposure. For those who have a market of fans ready to buy their sheet music, notation software such as Finale Music or Notation will help speed up the publishing process. For sellers reaching for a wider audience, one of the secrets of Sheet Music Plus' success is volume. The company offers over a half-billion titles and has its own searchable database of published sheet music. Another consideration is selling digital downloads, hard copy products or both.
Create a website. You can do this with a template or web editor or by hand coding. You can also outsource the creation of your site. Choose a domain name that conveys songwriting, songwriters, sheet music, arrangements, musical notation, chords or lyrics. Choose a reliable, low-cost web host with 24-hour support such as Go Daddy or GreenGeeks. Selling original digital downloads and other e-commerce solutions can be accomplished through ClickBank, Payloadz or Digital Content Center. Whether the site sells digital or physical sheet music products, the site will likely gain better search engine ranking if every product has its own unique web page.
Network with the music industry. A direct seller of popular sheet music needs to establish relationships with record labels, publishers, managers and independent artists to negotiate and establish contracts. Billboard magazine publishes music industry directories with contact information, which are helpful resources. A reseller or affiliate, however, needs to concentrate mostly on building web traffic, which comes from online promotion and visitor loyalty.
Set up an affiliate program with Sheet Music Plus to earn cash. Go to their website and click "affiliate program" at the bottom of the home page. Once you have signed up for the program you can choose certain sheet music to sell or just link to the entire store. The program allows you to customize your site based on your objectives. You then earn 8% to 12% commission on purchases that came from a link on your site.
Generate income from this program by promoting your site online and writing reviews or articles on product descriptions that help customers make purchase decisions. Contact libraries and universities to let them know your store is a resource for music fans and offer to exchange links. Find as many musical entities to swap links with as possible. Websites can be promoted at minimal cost with social networking, newsletters, e-mail blasts and Google ad programs. Promote the website to as many music vendors and fans as possible, which can trigger publication articles.