HOW TO MAKE MONEY AS AN AMV EDITOR
The first question you might be wondering reading this article is can you actually make money with AMVs?
The short answer at this point in time is yes.
AMVs have come a long way since their existence and they are still popular to this day on platforms like Youtube, Instagram and TikTok.
The other question you may be wondering is, is it legal? Well yes but actually no.
If you’re someone who prefer to stay on the safe side when it come to making money with AMVs then perhaps the following methods will not be for you.
However, if you understand how the world works and that time is money then make sure to read our guide below as it will proved useful for your journey to make money with AMVs.
To begin, the following methods will depends on how “good” your AMVs are for the specific niche that you will be going.
Please keep in mind that AMVs that are simply made for “views” such as putting a fight scene with music with the title “AMV” are generally not considered good and are purely made to feed the Youtube algorithm.
A good AMV will usually have a core focus on aspects like flow, pacing, storytelling, vfx, among other things.
If you recently started making AMVs (1-3 years) then it might be harder for you to make money depending on how fast you can learn and how dedicated you are to your craft.
However, all the skills used to make an AMV will help you in the near future as you create more videos. Video editors are always on demand.
The easiest way to get started is to simply start making AMVs and figuring out what style your prefer to go with. While this is not a guide on how to make an AMV, figuring these things out early in your journey will help you down the line.
From there, you can start building an audience and fanbase where you will have other editors and people promote your AMVs if it was good enough to have their attention.
CREATE A PAYHIP STORE
The first method to make money as an AMV Editor is to create a Payhip store.
Payhip is a platform where you can create a digital store to sell digital products such are project files and presets.
You can start for free without any cost to setup your own store.
However, keep in mind that you will have better success with this method with an already established fanbase/community.
If you are just starting out as an AMV Editor or have a bit of experience, we recommend giving free content to the public so that you can create a mailing list which you can use later to sell content once you’re ready.
Common assets that are usually sold by AMV Editors:
- Project files
- Presets (After effects or MAGIX Vegas)
- Overlays
- Flow Packs (we do not recommend that you sell anime clips as it could get you in trouble with copyrights and have your store taken down)
- SFX packs
Payhip is user friendly and most of your favorite AMV Editors are already using it so what are you waiting for?
Please also keep in mind that while Payhip is free to use, they have a 5% fee per transaction, you can learn more about this on their website.
JOIN AN AMV MUSIC BRAND CHANNEL
An AMV music brand channel is a channel dedicated to promoting music artists content by making AMVs.
Popular channels in this niche are TRASHGANG and IDLEGLANCE.
These channels will pay you to make AMVs for them as have artists submitting music content to them for promotion all the time.
You will have to keep in mind that this will be similar to having a job where you will be given a song to edit and will have to complete the AMV within a given deadline.
Some other similar channels may also give you the option the choose a song within the open commissions that they offer while being on their editing team.
If you want to join channels like TRASHGANG and IDLEGLANCE, the best way would be to follow them on their socials and stay up to date when they are doing a recruitment.
However, keep in mind that not everyone who applies is guaranteed a spot which is why its important for you to work on honing your skills and get noticed.
I know a few editors who were recruited to join TRASHGANG because of their previous work on a trial and then got accepted afterwards.
With that said, you may also have better luck joining similar smaller channels that does the same thing in order to gain experience.
However, always remember your worth and be cautious of scammer who will use your time and not pay you for the AMV which is common within the community.
The key to succeeding is to be ready when an opportunity present itself.
SELL YOUR SERVICES AS AN AMV EDITOR
Another good way to build yourself a career and to make money is to advertise your services an AMV Editor.
You can go on a website like Fiverr or simply on twitter/instagram and promote that you will take on clients and make AMVs for them.
When you’re just starting, you’re going to want to price your clients in a realistic approach, especially if you do not have any previous in working with clients.
You should usually price your services per minute of seconds of video or by the project itself. It really goes cases by cases. You should however stick to between $10 to $50 when you’re just getting started depending on the project.
If you’re having a hard time finding clients on Twitter/Instagram then Fiverr might a better alternative for you. The key is to promote yourself and make connections while also creating a portfolio of AMVs which you can present to others so they know what they are purchasing.
This method will give you more freedom in terms of which project you want to take on and pricing your clients accordingly based on your skills and effort.
You also have to remember that if you are using copyrighted music in your AMVs then you won’t be able to monetize your videos.
This gives you the opportunity to works with small artists who will allow you to use their song to make an AMV and promote them if you have a big following on your socials.
MAKE TUTORIAL VIDEOS
As you get better and bigger, people will often ask you how you do certain things in your AMVs and this is an opportunity for you to spread your own knowledge and market it later on your Payhip store.
Making tutorial videos is a great way to earn passive income once you meet the requirements on youtube to monetize your videos. It’s no secret that there are plenty of tutorials these days on how to make AMVs and specific VFX.
If you’re planning to go this route, make sure to stand out from other and provide knowledge that may not already be out there. Don’t be afraid to be different and be yourself.
More than just tutorials, you could also offer to teach other people how to make AMVs by providing private coaching session and for example selling a crash course on how to make an AMV.
JOIN AN AMV EVENT
While most AMV Contests or Cons don’t offer money as an incentive, there has been a rise of AMV events where money prizes are involved.
This is another way for you to earn some money on the side by simply joining AMV contest such as AMV Tournaments or IC (Iron Chief) with a prize pool.
The best way for find those is to search on youtube or to join communities on discord so that you can stay up to date with what is going on in the community.
Instagram is also a good way to find out what is going on in the community by following your favorite editors and looking at their stories.
CONCLUSION
We are confident that these methods are the most successful when it comes to how to make money with AMVs.
There is nothing stopping you from starting today. While progress may be slow, keep in mind that it takes time and slow progress is still progress.
Focus on the quality of your AMVs rather than the quantity and you will get to where you need to be eventually depending on how committed you are as an AMV Editor.