I used to make some heavy money pushing mixtapes. Mixtapes were once a pure artform, I too was a DJ that pushed mixtapes to promote myself and new music. Then a man named 50 cent came along and changed how mixtapes were viewed. These were now mini albums. He didn’t even need a DJ with the style of mixtapes he was putting out on the street. He utilized bootleggers in the Jamaica Queens, NY streets to push his music. He would pay each bootlegger $50 to sell his CDs on the streets. His mixtapes changed the game, and made a lot of money.

Now this is where things got blurred. A lot of the MCs putting out mini-albums, disguised as mixtapes, utilized the bootlegger to spread their music. That’s where I found a niche. I support the artist to the utmost, and if it is clearly stated that they don’t want people “bootlegging” their mixtapes, I would never ever touch those mixtapes. But for those artists that welcomed it, I was all over it, 50 Cent included.

Bootlegging or manufacturing mixtapes at home is a little tricky to the public eye. Some people might dispise what you are doing, but some do not know the culture. You always want to keep yourself disguised in the forefront. So I decided to push mixtapes online - Ebay to be exact.

I studied the game that was being played on Ebay. Most Ebay sellers were pushing “self manufactured” or “bootlegged” copies of the mixtapes, with home printed covers, and no cd labels. What made it legal was putting “For Promotional Use Only” on the ebay listing, or “The Music is free, you are bidding on the cover”. I believe this does the trick in terms of legality.

The reason why you can make so much money on mixtapes on Ebay is that you can’t find this music anywhere else. This is your favorite artist - Nas, Busta Rhymes, Eminem, Jay-Z, etc, recording songs that never made it to their albums. You can’t find them in Best Buy. That’s where the big fans bid big. Fans love finding behind the scenes type of music. I sold a Kanye West mixtapes (a mixtape that dropped before his second album), for around $50 a cd. Mind you, I sold around 50 of those in one week. Do the math.

You need to be up on your game and music. You need to make sure you are only pushing mixtapes of artists that advocate you to distribute their music for the sole fact that they want the exposure. You need to make sure the DJs who put out these mixtapes feel the same way. In this Hip Hop game, everyone needs to eat so make sure you aren’t stealing off people’s plates. If the artist gives the go ahead (ala 50 cent), make sure to push them hard, make the money, and both you and 50 Cent will be happy.

Some things you need to be the Ebay Mixtape Hustler of the Year

1) Your Music Source
Find a website or forum that has all the latest mixtapes. I recommend: DatPiff. You may want to sign up as a member to get quicker downloads and less waiting. If you have the patience, you definitely can download mixtapes for free.

2) Your Media
You are going to want to purchase CD-Rs online - only shiney silver discs without labels. Blank CD-Rs are the way to go. Buy bulk and it will be much cheaper. YesBuy.net Is a good source.

3) Your Machinery
Plain old CD Burner. If your computer doesn’t have one, you just might be the strangest kid on your block.

Once your Ebay sales pick up, you’re going to want to invest in a cd duplicator tower. Get at least a 5 Target CD Duplicator Tower. Once you get used to Ebay, and you get the timing down, you could be selling up to 5 CDs of the same title in one day. Why not have all 5 CDs done alraedy and ready to be packaged to be sent out to the customer? Ready to purchase one? YesBuy.net Is a good source.

You might want to invest in a laser printer too if you decided to print out the cd inserts.

4) Mixtapes Covers
So you need mixtape covers to print or to add to your Ebay Listing? Check it: www.mixtapeusa.com .

5) Packaging Material
Time to cop some packaging material. CD Bubble Envelopes are the way to go. Ebay customers are big on good packaging. Remember, as a hustler, you need to have a good looking product, this will give you a better reputation.

CD Slim Cases. Always place your CDs on these. Slim cases are a standard for mixtapes.

6) Packaging Material
Time to cop some packaging material. Bubble Envelopes are the way to go. Ebay customers are big on good packaging. Remember, as a hustler, you need to have a good looking product, this will give you a better reputation.

Remember, this isn’t bootlegging if the artist adovacates you to do it. Ebay may think otherwise, but it’s up to you to work loopholes in your listing. Many people still do it to this day. Check on Ebay and type in “mixtape”, and you will see a ton of mixtapes listed, and guess what? People are still bidding. Bidding big.

I gave up the hustle because some of the hustlers on Ebay player hate. Some hustlers on there snitch and tell Ebay about their competition, leaving them as the only Ebay Mixtape suppliers. I never wanted to get into dirt with any of these e-thugs, nor did I want to play that game. I hung it up after they blocked my account, but to this day, I am surprised with the amount of money I made - legally - yes, legally.

My best month was $3,500 profit. Pure profit. It took about 80 cents to manufacture the mixtape. All the other shipping supplies, slim cases, cd bubble mailer, postage cost around $1.25. I would charge $3.00 for shipping, so that shipping covered the product, the listing fees, and the shipping fees - so no matter how low the bid was for a mixtape - I still was making a profit off the shipping cost.

Once again, this is a good hustle for beginners, but I wouldn’t rely on it for the sole fact that there is a big gray area for what people think is legal or not legal. This is a totally legal hustle if you know your scene, know your artists, and know the place where you’re selling it.

There’s legal loopholes in everything, can you find them?