Photo Credit: Bilderstoeckchen
In 2019, there were more than 1,500 full-time independent musicians working in the US. That’s not including any musicians that work for record labels.
If you’re wondering about working as a musician full-time, one of your biggest questions is probably about how much you can earn.
As you might expect, this will vary depending on the type of work you’re doing, and how much skill and experience you have.
Read on to learn more about the typical salary for musicians.
Ways Musicians Earn Money
There are a number of ways musicians earn money.
You might get paid for live performance work. You might earn money through teaching others, or from doing session work. You can also find salaried positions such as playing in a professional orchestra.
Many musicians make their living from a combination of different roles, such as live performance, session work, composition, and more. How much you can earn will depend on what work you intend to do, and how much of it you do.
How Much Can You Earn?
As with any job, you will earn more as you gain more experience. Salary will also vary from position to position, but we can give you a rough ball-park idea of what you might be able to earn.
Average Salary for Musicians
On average, musicians can expect to earn somewhere in the region of $30,000 to $50,000. It is interesting to note that many musicians earn some of their income from non-musical sources to top up what they earn from music, so your actual earnings may be more.
Let’s take a look at what you can expect to earn through the course of your career.
Entry-Level Musician
When you’re starting out, your paystub won’t be much to write home about. Expect to earn around $10 an hour, giving you a salary of about $20,000.
Junior Musician
As you work your way up, you’ll start to earn a little more. You should expect to earn around $15 an hour as a junior musician. This equates to around $30,0000 per year.
Mid-Level Musician
Once you’re established your earnings can rise significantly. A mid-level musician can earn twice as much as a junior, at around $30 an hour. This equates to around $60,000 per year.
Senior Musician
Musicians tend to earn the most between the ages of 50 and 60. A senior musician can earn around $45 an hour or more. At this pay rate, you can earn around $100,000 per year.
Top-Level Musician
If you make it to the very top of your profession, then you can earn a very good wage. Top-level musicians can make at least $75 an hour and those at the very top significantly more. That equates to yearly earnings of $150,000 or more.
Are You Thinking About a Career in Music?
If you’re thinking about a career in music, we hope that this guide to the typical salary for musicians has been of some use to you. As you can see, how much you can earn can vary from barely making ends meet to a good wage. No matter how much you earn, however, you’ll always be doing a job that you love.
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