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Music producer salary

Quoted expert
Johnathan Paul

Average music producer salary

$56,752

$27.28 hourly rate

Entry-level music producer salary
$39,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Average Music Producer Salary

As of October 2025, the average salary for a music producer is approximately $56,752 per year, translating to about $27 per hour. Salaries can vary based on geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry in which the producer works.

Where Can a Music Producer Earn More?

Music producers can find higher salaries in states such as California, New York, and Texas, which offer vibrant music scenes and numerous opportunities. Additionally, specialized roles within the industry, such as producers working on film scores or high-profile album projects, often command higher compensation.

Salary Estimates by State

  • California: Highest average salary due to the concentration of major recording studios.
  • New York: A hub for diverse music genres, offering competitive pay.
  • Texas: Growing music industry with a mix of traditional and contemporary opportunities.

For those considering a career in music production, understanding these salary dynamics is crucial for making informed decisions about your career path.

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Where can a Music Producer earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
98k
78k
58k
38k
18k
Columbus, OH$86,137
Boulder, CO$47,806
Compare salary by company
Vs
104k
84k
64k
44k
24k
Amazon$78,241
Lennar$54,308

Music producer salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, SalaryExpert, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a music producer typically falls between $56,752 and $169,527.
zippia
$56,752yearly
glassdoor[1]
$85,270yearly
comparably[2]
$58,028yearly
Salary.com[3]
$64,246yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$169,527yearly
payscale[5]
$57,421yearly
SalaryExpert[6]
$80,063yearly

Average music producer salary by state

The average music producer salary in New York, Connecticut, and Georgia are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average music producer salary states are South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for music producers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New York$85,785$41.24
2Connecticut$80,445$38.68
3District of Columbia$67,791$32.59
4California$68,939$33.14
5West Virginia$65,128$31.31
6Georgia$76,371$36.72
7Vermont$58,320$28.04
8North Carolina$62,231$29.92
9North Dakota$63,118$30.35
10Rhode Island$57,371$27.58
11New Hampshire$74,391$35.76
12New Jersey$64,118$30.83
13Maryland$60,328$29.00
14Pennsylvania$56,629$27.23
15Nevada$54,684$26.29
16Kentucky$58,374$28.06
17Wyoming$49,060$23.59
18Michigan$49,046$23.58
19Delaware$58,957$28.34
20Arkansas$48,431$23.28
21Utah$48,808$23.47
22Florida$51,498$24.76
23Virginia$56,642$27.23
24Oregon$51,396$24.71
25Illinois$53,427$25.69
26Texas$49,460$23.78
27Ohio$48,860$23.49
28Minnesota$52,874$25.42
29Massachusetts$54,303$26.11
30New Mexico$50,833$24.44
31Louisiana$46,526$22.37
32Colorado$47,768$22.97
33Mississippi$46,705$22.45
34Alabama$46,169$22.20
35Washington$48,324$23.23
36Tennessee$44,342$21.32
37Iowa$45,445$21.85
38South Dakota$44,642$21.46
39South Carolina$44,617$21.45
40Maine$43,827$21.07
41Arizona$47,214$22.70
42Hawaii$35,559$17.10
43Oklahoma$45,034$21.65
44Missouri$44,964$21.62
45Nebraska$45,146$21.70
46Kansas$45,981$22.11
47Alaska$46,140$22.18
48Wisconsin$44,177$21.24
49Indiana$45,234$21.75
50Montana$45,421$21.84
51Idaho$43,793$21.05

Highest paying cities for music producers

The highest-paying cities for music producers are New York, NY, Duluth, GA, and Santa Monica, CA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New York, NY$86,137$41.41
2Duluth, GA$76,344$36.70
3Santa Monica, CA$65,935$31.70
4Chicago, IL$53,825$25.88
5Miami, FL$51,057$24.55
6Grand Prairie, TX$50,026$24.05
7East Lansing, MI$48,415$23.28
8Boulder, CO$47,806$22.98

Music producer salary details

A music producer's salary ranges from $39,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $81,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average music producer salary graph
Average music producer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a music producer's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$81,000$6,750$39
75th Percentile$68,000$5,667$33
Average$56,752$4,729$27
25th Percentile$46,000$3,833$22
10th Percentile$39,000$3,250$19

Highest paying music producer jobs

The highest paying types of music producers are executive producer, senior producer, and lead producer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Stage Manager$50,142$4,178$24.11699
Producer Internship$37,315$3,110$17.9456,843
Producer Director$54,924$4,577$26.4113,931
Content Producer$56,255$4,688$27.0516,750
Freelance Producer$62,218$5,185$29.919,703
Editor & Producer$50,200$4,183$24.1314,409

How would you rate the starting salaries for music producers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Johnathan Paul

Adjunct Professor, University of North Texas

Trying to pinpoint a starting salary in the film and television industry is incredibly challenging. There are so many different avenues that a recent graduate can go into, and each one of those job tracks has a benchmark for what number their starting salary begins at. For example, someone joining a film crew as a Production Assistant will typically make less than someone taking an entry level office job at a studio. The video game industry tends to have better starting salaries; however, many of those jobs are temporarily based on a development cycle. Freelance and contract work are just a reality of the media industry, and it's something I try to prepare my students for.

Top companies hiring music producers now:

  1. WES jobs (2)
  2. The Coca-Cola Company jobs (2)
  3. Ogilvy jobs (2)
  4. RCM jobs (5)
  5. Lennar jobs (2)

Which companies pay music producers the most?

Music producer salaries at Amazon and SiriusXM are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average music producer salary at companies like Michigan State University and Crispin Porter + Bogusky are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Amazon$78,241$37.62
2SiriusXM$65,527$31.50
3Michigan State University$62,452$30.02
4Crispin Porter + Bogusky$60,745$29.20
5RCM$60,711$29.19
6The Chicago High School for the Arts$58,135$27.95
7Lennar$54,308$26.11

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$57,000$56,600$56,200$55,800$55,400$55,000
MaleFemale

Music Producer salary by industry

The average music producer salary varies across industries:

  • The average music producer salary in the start-up industry is $65,545, the highest of any industry.
  • The average music producer salary in the finance industry is $60,834.
  • Music producers in the internet industry earn an average salary of $45,742, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for music producers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Start-up$65,545$31.51
2Hospitality$60,834$29.25
3Media$54,968$26.43
4Internet$45,742$21.99

High paying music producer jobs

Music producer salary trends

The average music producer salary has risen by $4,264 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average music producer earned $52,488 annually, but today, they earn $56,752 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for music producers over the last decade.

Compare music producer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average music producer salary over time

Compare music producer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Music producer salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$56,800$27.28+2.6%
2024$55,300$26.58+3.7%
2023$53,200$25.60+0.1%
2022$53,200$25.58+0.9%
2021$52,700$25.34+3.5%

Recently added music producer salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
University of Wisconsin MadisonMusic ProducerMadison, WI12/07/2024$60,000
University of WisconsinMusic ProducerMadison, WI12/06/2024$60,000
Playbill, Inc.Performer Paid MJ The Musical (Broadway/Tour)-NYC ECC Singers .24) Various Producers USNew York, NY11/27/2024$125,377
Black Lives In MusiMusic Programme ProducerNome, TX10/24/2024$65,337
RrfeduMusic ProducerLos Angeles, CA10/24/2024$114,785
Sirius XM Holdings Inc.Music Channel Programming ProducerLos Angeles, CA10/20/2024$55,000
RrfeduMusic ProducerLos Angeles, CA09/26/2024$114,785
Recording ConnectionMusic ProducerLos Angeles, CA09/26/2024$104,350
Recording ConnectionMusic ProducerLos Angeles, CA09/16/2024$104,350
RrfeduMusic ProducerLos Angeles, CA09/12/2024$114,785

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