The Top 5 Highest Paying Music Career Jobs (2023)

FAQs

Which 5 jobs has highest salary? ›

Jobs with the highest salaries in India are medical professionals, data scientists, machine learning experts, blockchain developers, full-stack software developers, investment bankers and product managers.

Recording engineers and video/sound engineers are two of the highest-paid careers in the music industry.

The average Musician salary is $45,133 as of December 27, 2022, but the salary range typically falls between $34,915 and $53,909. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession.

Music is a great area where one can hear both name and fame if they are talented and the will of doing hard work. The initial years in this field might be challenging, but with experience, good exposure, and platform, one can reach massive heights in this field.

Easy, good, paying jobs include pet care, dog walking, home sitting, technical writing, patient care, delivery driving, massage therapy, and political science jobs. Most of these jobs only need the skill set and perhaps a post-secondary qualification.

During the course of a music-performing career, one encounters a variety of jobs that vary in their musical orientation and degree of difficulty. The expectation of performing at a high level on any gig is often enough to cause stress in any musician's life.

A common misperception about life as a musician, or even working in the music industry, is that no one ever makes any money. Or not enough to live on, anyway. Not so. Well, there definitely are a LOT of people out there who aren't making enough money from music, but that's not for lack of opportunity.

What are high paying jobs for artists? ›

The median hourly wage for musicians and singers was $30.49 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $11.47, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $88.77.

Although it can be hard to get a high-level job in music production at a semi-famous studio, the barriers to entry into music production have quickly receded over the last few decades. Almost anyone can get a laptop and a digital audio workstation like Pro Tools and start producing music in their home.

Musician Salary

Musicians make $57,257 per year on average, or $27.53 per hour, in the United States. Musicians on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $25,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $127,000.

In short, there is no age that is too early or too late to start a career in music. If you love music and want to start doing it professionally, don't let anything stop you!

1 job on the list: Registered nurse.

What is highest paid job in USA? ›

According to data that FinanceBuzz compiled from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), some low-stress jobs that typically yield a six-figure salary include mathematician, software developer, political scientist, physicist, chemical engineer, astronomer, and ...

As long as you maintain another source of income, music can be your side hustle or your “passion job.” The primary income source can help you fund it while it steadily grows into something more substantial.

Musicians who focus on performance earn money from advances, merchandise, royalties, licensing fees and playing live music. If the artist works with a record label, they pay a share of their money to others involved, such as managers, agents, promoters, PR teams and sound engineers.

Is there a lot of money in the music industry? ›

The music industry is worth $25.9 billion.

In 2021, the U.S.'s recorded music industry earned $15 billion in revenue, which was an increase of 22.9% from its 2020 earnings of $12.2 billion. The U.S. also has 82.1 million of the world's 523 million paid subscribers to music streaming services.

You are never too old to learn how to play a musical instrument, sing, or learn new skills. Many community centers offer free music and music therapy classes, and even video games like Rock Band or Wii Music can help you enjoy music-making at any age.

The study says that changes in how musicians have made money digitally has “been rapid” due to the influence of streaming services. The most significant finding is that only musicians with one million or more monthly streams—roughly 1,723 or 0.4%—can rely solely on this income.

Michael Jackson is the first musician to earn over $100 million in a year (1989), and has become the top-earning male soloist a record seven times. Dr. Dre currently holds the record for the highest annual earnings for a musician ever, collecting $620 million in 2014.

If you are serious about entering the music industry, you should consider investing in upskilling with a professional course or degree in music. This is by far the fastest way to find the guidance you need to develop solid musicianship, connect with the industry, and build a professional network to sustain your career.

A common misperception about life as a musician, or even working in the music industry, is that no one ever makes any money. Or not enough to live on, anyway. Not so. Well, there definitely are a LOT of people out there who aren't making enough money from music, but that's not for lack of opportunity.

How can I make a lot of money with music? ›

Average salaries of musicians by state

The average salary of a musician in the United States is $44,624 per year . Based on where you live, your salary as a musician may be higher than the national average. Here are some cities where you may earn more as a musician: New York, New York: $54,381 per year.

Music is a good major for students who would like to get into music education and performance after graduation. The salaries of music majors range anywhere from $10,028 to $241,414 per year. However, majoring in music is not really a prerequisite for those who would like to become performers.

The music industry is very competitive and one of the more difficult industries to break into, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. Whether you are a Music Producer, Engineer, or Artist, you still may have what it takes to break into the music industry if you work hard and take the necessary steps.

While it may not always seem obvious, working in the music industry can be as stressful as most other industries. Unreliable people, things not sounding how you want, and slower progression then you had planned; all of these and more can really add up.

The primary way musicians make money online is from mechanical and streaming royalties. That's a fancy way of saying revenue from online sales through platforms like iTunes as well as streaming income from Spotify and other services.

The revenue streams that make the most sense for most musicians today are: Streaming royalties. Sync licensing (for now) Performing (in-person or live-stream)

Live performances are, far and away, the most common top income stream for musicians in 2022. In second place are streaming royalties, and in third place is teaching lessons. Like I said at the top of the article, I think there's a pretty clear path toward earning income as a musician: You play more shows.

The music industry has always made more money for record labels than it has artists. And now that streaming is the main way that many of us consume music, there's even less money left for musicians. Streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify make money from subscription fees and advertising.

The bulk of revenue made by musicians comes from touring, selling merchandise, side hustles & partnerships, as well as licensing their music for things like television, movies, or video games. Sure, the number of listens or streams makes a difference.

Are musicians in high demand? ›

Employment of musicians and singers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2021 to 2031, about as fast as the average for all occupations. About 20,800 openings for musicians and singers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.