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Music producer vs artist

The differences between music producers and artists 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 $56,752 average annual salary of a music producer.

The top three skills for a music producer include R, audio engineering and music production. The most important skills for an artist are maya, adobe photoshop, and customer service.

Music producer vs artist overview

Music ProducerArtist
Yearly salary$56,752$68,690
Hourly rate$27.28$33.02
Growth rate8%6%
Number of jobs13,9503,870
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4040
Years of experience12-

Music producer vs artist salary

Music producers and artists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Music ProducerArtist
Average salary$56,752$68,690
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $81,000Between $42,000 And $110,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYSan Rafael, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkCalifornia
Best paying companyAmazonMeta
Best paying industryStart-upTechnology

Differences between music producer and artist education

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

Music ProducerArtist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorMusicFine Arts
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyHarvard University

Music producer vs artist demographics

Here are the differences between music producers' and artists' demographics:

Music ProducerArtist
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 91.1% Female, 8.9%Male, 45.2% Female, 54.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black 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%
LGBT Percentage14%11%

Differences between music producer and artist duties and responsibilities

Music producer example responsibilities.

  • Manage custom-built media duplication arrays, printers and packaging systems (VHS, CD, DVD).
  • Manage the QA process including test/debug cycles and platform compliance/compatibility testing.
  • Produce award winning Samsung short as part of a highly successful integrate campaign.
  • Post audio for multimedia productions including mixing, ADR, Foley and scoring.
  • Design and produce high-level PowerPoint presentations for large-scale corporate events and key stand-alone projects.
  • Operate production board for high school basketball and baseball games without managerial supervision.

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

Music producer vs artist skills

Common music producer skills
  • R, 18%
  • Audio Engineering, 14%
  • Music Production, 9%
  • Pro Tools, 8%
  • Mac, 5%
  • Music Videos, 4%
Common artist skills
  • Maya, 13%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Graphic Design, 7%
  • Photography, 7%
  • VFX, 6%

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