Video summary

(Waterfall Strategy) How To Instantly Monetize AI Music | Suno & Distrokid Tutorial

Main summary

Key takeaways

Technology

Core concept: “Waterfall strategy” for AI music monetization

  • The strategy is to release a large volume of AI-generated music catalog so that early songs get initial streams and, over time, the “streams per listener” metric rises.
  • Each new album/song benefits from the platform learning more about the artist, increasing recommendations and playlisting across services.
  • Platforms are grouped by funnel type:
    • Facebook / TikTok: top-of-funnel reach; pays very little per view (TikTok described as fractions of a penny).
    • Spotify / iTunes / Apple / YouTube Music / Amazon: pay per stream.

Spotify detail mentioned

  • Spotify unlocks payout after 1,000 streams, but the first 999 streams are held in escrow until monetization unlocks.

Release math / compounding effect (how it’s supposed to grow)

  • The presenter starts with an example baseline assumption (low early streams, e.g., 2–4 streams per listener) and models compounding.
  • As you publish album after album:
    • Listeners increasingly click through to other tracks (“trickle down”).
    • More albums mean more album art/thumbnails and more suggestions for the algorithm.

Target cadence

  • Aim for ~2 albums per week max per DistroKid account (not per artist).
  • Also recommended: publish at least once per week (even if it’s just one song).
  • Expected outcome (by month 2–3):
    • Higher stream counts and follower effects, with volume as the main driver.

Risk management / account setup on DistroKid

  • Recommendation: use separate DistroKid accounts for multiple artist personas.
  • Reason: if an account gets hit (e.g., copyright claim, fake claim), it may limit further publishing.
    • Royalties may still be paid, but you could lose the ability to release more music.

“Waterfall effect” via content + linking to streaming profiles

  • The strategy isn’t only uploading audio—it also includes publishing videos around releases to push traffic back into the catalog.
  • Posting a video after (or before) releasing the song is described as adding more “water” to the waterfall.

Linking trick for creators without phone verification

  • Use YouTube Music links in the video description.
  • These links are said to be “live” under uploaded videos even if you can’t add other external links.
  • The same idea is used to build streams across multiple platforms through descriptions.

YouTube / YouTube Music discovery via playlists

  • The presenter claims each platform can generate artist/track playlists internally.
  • On YouTube, the creator can also build playlists to increase discovery and cross-listener behavior.

SEO section: how the tutorial ties into search engine optimization

Keyword research (vidIQ + niche targeting)

  • SEO is positioned as a tool to:
    • Find lower competition keywords within a genre (“niche down”).
    • Increase streams per listener by attracting the right audience.
  • Workflow described:
    • Start with a broad genre, then narrow to smaller sub-niches using keyword tools.
    • Use related keywords and look at what’s trending/performing.

“Musical SEO” tool (creator’s own free tool)

  • A promoted free cross-platform research tool that:
    • Pulls suggested keywords from Google/YouTube,
    • Shows top Spotify tracks and top YouTube results, including views/engagement.
  • Claims data is pulled via Spotify / iTunes / YouTube API keys (not scraped “randomly”).
  • Pro plan adds keyword metrics like cost-per-click; free tier provides limited searches.

Practical tutorial: making and exporting an AI music track (Suno-style flow)

Audio creation workflow (guitar → voice → generate song)

  1. Record guitar separately (using a phone as a sampler)

    • Upload the recording into the music tool.
    • The system identifies the instrument and generates a prompt based on the guitar input.
    • Option to remix the riff using generated prompts.

  2. Record/generate voice separately

    • Create voice and verify it by singing.
    • Use voice as inspiration for lyrics and vocal delivery.

  3. Generate a song using combined prompts

    • Example style prompt: “outlaw blues song” with moonshine/swamp imagery.

  4. Edit outputs

    • Replace/clean lyrics,
    • Put the chorus up front for a “snappier” structure,
    • Generate/adjust intro length (example mentioned: shorter intros).

Example outputs reviewed

  • Two listens are performed:
    • One with guitar riff as inspiration,
    • One with voice as inspiration (and guitar prompt carried over).
  • Presenter comments include:
    • Lyric specificity,
    • Perceived originality vs. repetition risk (e.g., common phrases like “dust on my boots”).

Export and album art creation

  • Track export:

    • Downloaded as a WAV file.

  • Album cover creation:

    • Prompt a model (via ChatGPT) to generate an album cover prompt (e.g., 3000×3000 MP image for an outlaw country/blues theme).
    • Edit in Canva using filters (vintage/antique/nostalgic), “magic edits,” remove “parental advisory,” then export.

Monetization tutorial: uploading to DistroKid

Upload setup steps

  • Upload flow includes:
    • Album cover upload,
    • Song title and metadata,
    • Selecting genres (e.g., blues primary, country secondary),
    • Uploading WAV audio,
    • Adding a keyword/description field as “advertising” (described as SEO rather than paid ads).

AI metadata fields (as described)

  • The presenter sets:

    • Artist name (example persona: “AI Gorilla”),
    • Performer/producer fields (they mention “producer” and “performer” mapping royalties to the artist),
    • Claims the options cover whether vocals are AI-generated or human-led (example wording: “AI select yes,” “part of the audio/part of vocals”).

  • Emphasis:

    • Avoid using paid promo services to force streams/playlisting.
    • Avoid copying others’ titles.

“Instant monetization on every platform”

  • After upload, they claim tracks are instantly monetized across major platforms via DistroKid.
  • “Big payers” listed:
    • Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple/iTunes, Amazon
  • Smaller top-of-funnel services mentioned earlier for reach:
    • Facebook / Instagram.

Main speakers / sources

Primary speaker

  • Jesse Day (I Gorilla) — creator of the tutorial and speaker throughout.

Referenced/used tools and services

  • DistroKid (distribution/monetization)
  • Suno (AI music generation; guitar/voice prompts and remix/covers)
  • vidIQ (keyword research for YouTube SEO)
  • ChatGPT (album cover prompt creation)
  • Canva (album cover editing)
  • Musical SEO (presenter’s promoted free tool)

Platforms referenced for payouts/discovery

  • Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple/iTunes, Amazon, TikTok, Facebook

Original video