Karaoke Track Creation
Create instrumental karaoke versions of popular songs
Requirements
- Music production software (DAW)
- Understanding of music arrangement and instrumentation
- Audio mixing and mastering skills
- MIDI programming knowledge
- Good ear for matching original recordings
Pros
- Work completely remotely with flexible hours
- Combine technical skills with creative music work
- Growing demand from singers, bands, and content creators
- Multiple income streams (custom work, stock libraries, licensing)
- Can specialize in specific music genres
Cons
- Requires music production knowledge and skills
- Initial learning curve for software and techniques
- Copyright and licensing considerations for commercial use
- Competition from AI vocal removal tools
- Time-intensive to create high-quality professional tracks
TL;DR
What it is: Creating instrumental versions of songs by removing vocals and recreating the music arrangement, or building custom backing tracks from scratch for singers, bands, and performers.
What you'll do:
- Recreate instrumental arrangements of popular songs using DAW software
- Mix and balance instruments to match original recordings
- Program MIDI instruments or use sample libraries
- Master final tracks for commercial quality
- Handle custom requests and revisions from clients
Time to learn: 6-12 months to become proficient if you practice 1-2 hours daily and have basic music knowledge. Experienced musicians may progress faster.
What you need: Computer, digital audio workstation (DAW) software, MIDI controller, audio interface, studio headphones or monitors, understanding of music theory and arrangement.
What This Actually Is
Karaoke track creation involves producing instrumental versions of songs without vocals. You're either recreating existing songs by carefully arranging and mixing instruments to match the original recording, or creating custom backing tracks tailored to specific performer needs.
This work sits at the intersection of music production, arrangement, and audio engineering. You listen to original recordings, identify each instrument and musical element, then recreate those parts using software instruments, MIDI programming, or sample libraries.
The market includes singers who need tracks for performances, bands looking for practice or performance backing music, content creators making videos, and karaoke venues building song libraries. Some producers sell tracks in stock libraries, while others take custom commissions.
Quality matters significantly. Professional karaoke tracks sound nearly identical to the original recording's instrumental arrangement, with proper mixing and mastering. Amateur tracks sound thin, unbalanced, or miss important musical elements.
What You'll Actually Do
Your day-to-day work involves several distinct tasks:
Track Analysis: Listen closely to the original song, identifying each instrument, arrangement pattern, and production element. You'll note the song structure, key, tempo, and specific instrumental parts.
Arrangement Recreation: Program MIDI parts or arrange samples to recreate the instrumental arrangement. This includes drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, strings, horns, and any other instruments in the original.
Sound Selection: Choose virtual instruments or samples that match the original recording's sound. This requires understanding synthesizers, sample libraries, and sound design.
Mixing: Balance all instrumental elements, apply EQ to carve out frequency space for each instrument, add compression for consistency, and create depth with reverb and delay effects.
Mastering: Apply final polish to ensure the track sounds professional and matches commercial loudness standards.
Client Communication: For custom work, discuss requirements, send previews, handle revision requests, and deliver final files in requested formats.
File Management: Organize project files, maintain backup copies, and export tracks in various formats (MP3, WAV, stems) based on client needs.
Skills You Need
Music Theory and Arrangement: Understanding chord progressions, song structure, instrumentation, and how different parts work together. You don't need to be a virtuoso performer, but you should understand how music is constructed.
DAW Proficiency: Comfortable working in digital audio workstation software like FL Studio, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Cubase, or similar tools. This includes MIDI programming, audio editing, and project management.
Mixing Skills: Knowledge of EQ, compression, reverb, delay, panning, and other mixing techniques. You need to balance multiple tracks and create professional-sounding instrumental mixes.
Mastering Basics: Understanding loudness normalization, final EQ, limiting, and preparing tracks for distribution.
MIDI Programming: Ability to program realistic-sounding drums, bass, keyboards, and other instruments using MIDI controllers and piano roll editors.
Sound Design: Familiarity with synthesizers, samplers, and virtual instruments to recreate specific sounds from original recordings.
Critical Listening: A trained ear to identify subtle elements in recordings, recognize instruments, and judge mix quality.
Attention to Detail: The difference between amateur and professional karaoke tracks comes down to small details in arrangement, mixing, and sound selection.
Getting Started
Start by choosing and learning a DAW. Options include FL Studio, Ableton Live, Logic Pro (Mac only), Cubase, or Reaper. Free options like GarageBand or Audacity work for basic learning, but professional work requires more capable software.
Practice recreating simple songs you know well. Start with tracks that have fewer instruments and straightforward arrangements. Pop songs with basic drum, bass, guitar, and keyboard parts make good early projects.
Build your MIDI programming skills by creating drum patterns, bass lines, and chord progressions. Learn to use your DAW's piano roll editor efficiently.
Invest in essential virtual instruments and sample libraries. Many DAWs include basic sounds, but you'll eventually need better quality instruments for professional results. Free resources exist, but commercial libraries generally sound better.
Study mixing fundamentals through online resources. Learn how to use EQ to separate instruments, compression to control dynamics, and effects to add space and dimension.
Create 5-10 practice tracks to develop your workflow and skills before offering services. These become portfolio examples when you start marketing your work.
Join music production communities to ask questions, get feedback, and learn from experienced producers. Forums, Discord servers, and social media groups focused on music production provide valuable learning resources.
Understand copyright basics. Recreating copyrighted songs raises licensing questions, especially for commercial use. Research mechanical licenses and synchronization rights relevant to your market.
Income Reality
Income varies significantly based on whether you do custom work, sell in stock libraries, or both.
Custom Karaoke Track Creation:
Market rates for custom tracks range from $50 to $200+ per song, depending on complexity, turnaround time, and your experience level. Simple pop arrangements might command $50-$100, while complex songs with many instruments or rush delivery can reach $200 or more.
Some producers on platforms like AirGigs list services starting around $100 per track. Building a reputation allows you to charge higher rates.
Stock Library Sales:
Stock music marketplaces like AudioJungle typically price tracks around $20-$35 each. You earn a percentage after the platform takes its cut. Volume matters here-selling 20 tracks at $15 each (after fees) monthly generates $300.
Success in stock libraries depends on building a large catalog and choosing popular songs that people frequently search for.
Hybrid Approach:
Many producers combine custom commissions with stock sales. Custom work provides higher per-track income, while stock libraries generate passive revenue from your back catalog.
Volume and Consistency:
Experienced producers might complete 2-4 tracks per week depending on complexity. At $100 per track with 10 tracks monthly, that's $1,000. Adding stock sales and occasional higher-paying projects can push monthly income to $1,500-$2,500.
New producers typically start slower while building skills and client bases. First months might see $200-$500 as you complete practice projects and early commissions.
Variables That Affect Income:
Your skill level, production speed, marketing effectiveness, genre specialization, client relationships, and pricing strategy all impact earnings. Some genres have higher demand. Building repeat clients increases steady income.
Note: Platforms may charge fees or commissions. We don't track specific rates as they change frequently. Check each platform's current pricing before signing up.
Where to Find Work
Freelance Marketplaces:
AirGigs specifically caters to music services including custom backing tracks. Create a profile, list your services, and respond to client requests.
General freelance platforms like Upwork and Fiverr have categories for music production where clients post karaoke track needs. Competition exists, so strong portfolio examples help you stand out.
Stock Music Libraries:
AudioJungle, Pond5, and similar marketplaces let you upload tracks for sale. You handle production and upload, they handle sales and distribution.
BeatStars and Airbit focus on beats and instrumentals, which includes backing tracks for performers.
Direct Marketing:
Build your own website to showcase portfolio tracks and accept direct commissions. This eliminates platform fees but requires driving your own traffic through social media, content marketing, or advertising.
Reach out to local singers, bands, and vocal coaches who might need custom tracks for students or performances.
Music Communities:
Participate in online forums and social media groups for singers and performers. Share your work and offer services where appropriate and allowed by community rules.
YouTube and Content Platforms:
Some producers build YouTube channels sharing free karaoke tracks to attract custom work inquiries, though monetization and copyright issues require careful navigation.
Common Challenges
Copyright and Licensing Complexity: Creating karaoke versions of copyrighted songs involves legal considerations. Commercial use typically requires mechanical licenses for the composition. Understand your local copyright laws and obtain proper licenses when needed, especially for commercial distribution.
Matching Original Quality: Creating tracks that sound professional and match the original recording's quality takes significant skill and practice. Early attempts often sound thin or unbalanced compared to commercial releases.
Time Investment vs. Income: High-quality tracks take hours to complete. At beginner speeds, you might spend 8-10 hours on a single track. At $50-$100 per track, that's relatively low hourly rates until you get faster.
AI Competition: Modern AI vocal removal tools let anyone create basic karaoke tracks by stripping vocals from existing recordings. This creates competition, though AI-generated tracks often have artifacts and lower quality than properly recreated arrangements.
Software and Equipment Costs: Professional DAWs, virtual instruments, and sample libraries cost money. Initial investment can reach several hundred dollars, though free tools exist for starting out.
Client Revision Requests: Custom clients often request changes after hearing initial versions. Managing revisions while maintaining profitability requires clear communication about what's included in your base price.
Genre Knowledge Gaps: Different music genres use different instruments, production styles, and arrangement conventions. You can't be expert in every genre, so you might turn down projects outside your knowledge areas.
Inconsistent Work Flow: Freelance income fluctuates. Some weeks bring multiple projects, others bring none. Building steady client relationships and passive stock income helps smooth this inconsistency.
Tips That Actually Help
Start with Songs You Know Well: Your first practice projects should be songs you've heard hundreds of times. Familiarity makes it easier to identify instruments and arrangement details.
Build a Template: Create DAW templates with common instrument tracks, mixing chains, and effects already set up. This speeds up your workflow for each new project.
Invest in One Good Multi-Instrument Library: Rather than buying many specialized instruments, get one comprehensive library that covers drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, and orchestral instruments at decent quality.
Reference the Original Constantly: While mixing, frequently A/B compare your track against the original recording. This helps you catch balance issues and missing elements.
Specialize in Specific Genres: Becoming known as the person who does excellent country karaoke tracks or R&B backing tracks helps you market more effectively than being generalist.
Offer Package Deals: Bundle multiple tracks together at a discount for clients needing several songs. This increases project value and client commitment.
Keep Detailed Project Notes: Document the virtual instruments, samples, and settings you used for each track. This helps if clients request revisions weeks later.
Build Relationships with Singers and Bands: Repeat clients provide steadier income than constantly finding new ones. Deliver quality work and good communication to encourage repeat business.
Learn Keyboard/MIDI Controller Skills: Being able to play parts in real-time, even basically, speeds up MIDI programming significantly compared to mouse clicking every note.
Understand Loudness Standards: Learn about LUFS metering and loudness normalization so your tracks match professional volume standards without distortion.
Is This For You?
This side hustle fits people who enjoy both the technical and creative aspects of music production. You should genuinely like working with music software and solving the puzzle of recreating arrangements.
It works well if you already have music background-whether you play instruments, sing, or have studied music theory. Complete beginners face steeper learning curves, though motivated learners can succeed with dedicated practice.
The work suits detail-oriented people who notice subtle differences in sound and enjoy perfectionist work. Creating professional karaoke tracks requires patience to get small details right.
You need self-motivation and discipline for freelance work. Client deadlines exist, but you manage your own schedule and workflow without a boss overseeing you.
Consider this if you want flexible, remote work that combines technical skills with creativity. The work happens entirely on your computer, so you can work from anywhere with decent internet for file transfers.
Don't expect this to replace full-time income immediately. Building the skills, portfolio, and client base takes months. Treat it as supplementary income while you develop expertise.
If you hate technical complexity or find audio software frustrating, this probably isn't the right fit. The work requires comfort with technology and willingness to troubleshoot software issues.
People who enjoy variety and learning different musical styles tend to do well. Each new song presents different arrangement challenges and learning opportunities.
Note on specialization: This field requires specific technical knowledge in music production, audio engineering, and music theory. Success depends heavily on understanding the technical details of DAW software, mixing techniques, and musical arrangement. Consider this only if you have genuine interest and willingness to learn the specifics of music production workflows.