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Artist vs composer

The differences between artists and composers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an artist has an average salary of $68,690, which is higher than the $53,019 average annual salary of a composer.

The top three skills for an artist include maya, adobe photoshop and customer service. The most important skills for a composer are video games, adobe photoshop, and adobe premiere.

Artist vs composer overview

ArtistComposer
Yearly salary$68,690$53,019
Hourly rate$33.02$25.49
Growth rate6%5%
Number of jobs3,87029
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4044
Years of experience-2

Artist vs composer salary

Artists and composers have different pay scales, as shown below.

ArtistComposer
Average salary$68,690$53,019
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $110,000Between $25,000 And $108,000
Highest paying CitySan Rafael, CA-
Highest paying stateCalifornia-
Best paying companyMeta-
Best paying industryTechnology-

Differences between artist and composer education

There are a few differences between an artist and a composer in terms of educational background:

ArtistComposer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorFine ArtsMusic
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityStanford University

Artist vs composer demographics

Here are the differences between artists' and composers' demographics:

ArtistComposer
Average age4044
Gender ratioMale, 45.2% Female, 54.8%Male, 79.8% Female, 20.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 5.3% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%30%

Differences between artist and composer duties and responsibilities

Artist example responsibilities.

  • Manage studio workload and advise print direction to in-house and freelance cad artists.
  • Manage online product catalog using Dreamweaver.
  • Assist customers with product selection and process POS transactions.
  • Provide comparative analysis on traditional vs. Mac vs. PC production.
  • Animate in-game characters, user interface assets and particle effects.
  • Own & operate a specialize faux painting, mural and art business.
  • Show more

Composer example responsibilities.

  • Supervise, manage and book DJ's.
  • Produce: NYC, Houston, TX, tour TX.
  • Work with multiple DAW software.
  • Record and master young talent demo CDs.
  • Build and maintain a high-performance PC studio workstation.
  • Experience in ADR recording, mixing and editing.
  • Show more

Artist vs composer skills

Common artist skills
  • Maya, 13%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Graphic Design, 7%
  • Photography, 7%
  • VFX, 6%
Common composer skills
  • Video Games, 12%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 11%
  • Adobe Premiere, 10%
  • Sound Design, 9%
  • Avid Media Composer, 6%
  • Pro Tools, 5%

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