Make music with no money.

A free field guide for the musician with a song and no budget. Walk in, ask anything, take what you need.

How do I record a song for $0?Ask
What’s a split sheet? Do I need a label? My mix sounds like mud How do I get on Spotify?
Free · No account · Your progress stays on your device  ·  Everything this site has ↓
A songwriter on the edge of a bed with a guitar, laptop and phone tripod in morning light

Start Here

How to record, release, and grow with $0. A condenser microphone in daylight, a hand on the shock mount

Ask the AI

Any music-business question, answered. The book open on a desk in daylight

The Book

12 free chapters, plus the workbook and split sheet. A radio and papers on a desk in daylight

This Week's News

For musicians without a budget. A wall of music tools in daylight

The Gear Shop

Picked and labeled at every price. Open nowA stage door standing open at night

Open Doors

Grants, contests, playlists and residencies you can enter now. A stylus lowering onto a record under a lamp

Album of the Week

One record made with no money.

New doors every Tuesday.

Grants, contests, playlists and residencies you can actually enter — found and checked every week, then sent to you. Free, like everything else here.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Your email stays yours.

EVERYTHING ON THIS SITE
The whole site on one page, like a table of contents. Every line is a door.
CHAPTER 0 — THE ROAD
Start HereSix stations from a song in your head to money in your pocket. It remembers where you are.
CHAPTER 1 — LEARN
The GuidesTwo dozen straight articles — recording, releasing, getting paid. The Video LibraryHand-picked tutorials, sorted by shelf. They play right here. The WorkbookThe business system, fillable and free.
CHAPTER 2 — DO
Free ToolsChart builder, split sheet, release checklist — the working paperwork, on your device. Ask the AIA straight answer about the business, any hour.
CHAPTER 3 — GET PAID
You Might Already Be Owed MoneyThe free half-hour unclaimed-royalties check. Royalties & RightsWho owes you money and how to collect it, explained like a human. Release Your MusicDistribution, timelines, and what it actually costs.
CHAPTER 4 — THE LIBRARY
Free Stuff134 free tools, sites, and organizations — sorted and labeled. Gear, HonestlyIf you actually need to buy something. We'd rather you didn't waste your money.
CHAPTER 5 — THE NEWSROOM
This Week's NewsStories that matter if you make music without a budget. Refreshed weekly. Album of the WeekProof the room doesn't matter — the song does.
Looking for one specific thing? Search everything →

NO-MONEY MUSIC

Ask a question about the music business and get a straight answer.

General information, not legal or financial advice — but it is a good place to start.

General information, not legal or financial advice. Tools and rates change — verify current details. Answers are AI-generated.

Open the full-page chat →

This Week’s News

Week of Aug 15, 2026 →
NMM ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Sourced by The Who What · tap the card to step inside →
Steve Lacy's Demo — Steve Lacy (2017)

Made on an iPhone in GarageBand, guitar plugged into the phone, because that was what he had. Released as a demo. It was enough to get him producing for Kendrick Lamar.

Listen on YouTube → Listen on Spotify →

Every suggestion gets read. The great ones make the wall.
The departments

Everything No-Money Music has, sorted.

Chart paperwork and a phone on a sunlit desk Open → NO-MONEY TOOLSA chart builder, a split sheet, a release checklist. The working paperwork — runs on your device. Shelves of records and labelled crates in daylight Open → NO-MONEY STUFF134 tools, sites, and organizations — sorted and labeled. An article open on a laptop beside a coffee cup Open → NO-MONEY GUIDESTwo dozen straight articles on recording, releasing, and getting paid. No fluff, no gatekeeping. Someone in headphones watching a tutorial in daylight Open → THE VIDEO LIBRARYHand-picked YouTube tutorials, sorted by shelf. They play right here — you never leave. A radio and papers on a desk in daylight Open → YOUR MONEYThe free half-hour check for royalties already sitting with your name near them. An interface, a microphone and cables on a bright desk Open → NO-MONEY GEARBudget picks that earn their keep, and which upgrade actually matters first. Some links pay us a cut at no cost to you — details below.
A release checklist being filled in by hand RELEASE YOUR MUSICDistribution, timelines, and what it actually costs. Hands working through the workbook in morning light THE WORKBOOKThe business system, fillable. Free. A guitar and an open notebook on a bed in daylight WRITE BETTER SONGSCraft tools and the bookshelf. The book open on a desk in daylight THE HISTORY OF THE MONEY120 years of how musicians got paid this little — and a calculator. Hands on piano keys in a sunlit room PRACTICE & THEORYTheory, ear training, free lessons.
Looking for something specific? Search everything →

THIS PLACE IS FREE. HERE’S HOW IT STAYS THAT WAY

Some of the gear links on this site are affiliate links. If you buy through one, the store pays this site a small cut. Your price doesn't change. There's also a tip jar.

Buying Gear? Start Here The Tip Jar

I don’t know everything. But if you want some things that line up and you have no money — it’s a start I wish I had had. So use it.