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The duties of a musician include writing lyrics, rehearsing, performing, and recording new music every day. They may appear on TV shows and radio programs. Also, they keep themselves updated on industry trends, build strong relationships with other artists and their fans, and maintain a strong social media presence by posting regularly, creating relevant content, and interacting with their fans. Musicians collaborate with other artists and professionals in the entertainment industry. They may be trained in a particular musical genre and musical instrument.

To excel as a musician, you need to be relentless in your pursuit of mastery and creativity. You must strive to expand your circles. Although not necessary, having a degree in music can be advantageous. Also, you must possess communication, time management, and interpersonal skills. Having industry experience is a plus. Musicians make an average annual salary of $45,576. It ranges between $27,000 and $78,000.

What Does a Musician Do

Musicians and singers play instruments or sing for live audiences and in recording studios. They perform in a variety of styles, such as classical, jazz, opera, hip-hop, and rock.

Learn more about what a Musician does

How To Become a Musician

There are no postsecondary education requirements for musicians or singers interested in performing popular music. However, many performers of classical music and opera have at least a bachelor’s degree.

Learn More About How To Become a Musician

Career Path For a Musician

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a musician can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as music instructor, progress to a title such as instructor and then eventually end up with the title marketing manager.

Musician

Average Salary for a Musician

Musicians in America make an average salary of $57,257 per year or $28 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $127,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $25,000 per year.
Average Musician Salary
$57,257 Yearly
$27.53 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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Roles and Types of Musician

There are several types of musician, including:

Pianist

Role:

Pianists are musicians that entertain audiences with piano music. They may perform for live audiences in theatre productions, supermarkets, and hotels or work in a studio. Some may take up full-time teaching positions at schools and universities or provide private tutoring. They may be required to work with artists, songwriters, musicians, actors, and other professionals. Also, they understand project requirements and make themselves available for rehearsals, recitals, concerts, private tutoring sessions, or marketing events. Additionally, they oversee the maintenance of the piano and make arrangements for tuning and repairs.

Pianists are required to have a degree in music, musical theory, composition, or a required discipline. Some employers prefer a master's degree. They must possess time management and creativity skills. They can either get work on a contract basis or freelance. Also, they may work as musicians for TV, film, orchestras, or theater productions. Pianists' salary ranges from $33,497 to $64,381, with the average annual salary being $41,280.
  • Average Salary: $53,479
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Accompanist

Role:

An Accompanist is a professional musician who provides musical accompaniment to dancers, singers, and other artists during performances or rehearsals. He/she plays a musical instrument (piano, guitar, or harp) while the other artist sings or dances. An accompanist can be hired to work in a school, theater, church, community choir, or even to work privately for a musician.

The role of an accompanist is greatly demanding because one needs to be attentive to the tiniest of details. You must be able to match the lead artist's style and be quick to react to their mistakes.

Essential skills to enable you to become a successful accompanist include interpersonal skills, sensitivity to performance elements (tempo, phrasing, tone, etc.), networking, and a broad musical range.

The work schedule of an accompanist is a very flexible one. Depending on the area of work, the schedule may be different every week. The late hours may be as a result of rehearsals and performances taking place at night or during the weekends.
  • Average Salary: $52,645
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Musician Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active musician jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where musicians earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Musician Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California22$79,675
2New York6$87,177
3Maryland5$58,941
4Arizona4$58,375
5Utah3$47,971
6Connecticut2$77,569
7Virginia2$60,254
8Texas2$52,468
9Georgia2$51,646
10Missouri2$39,845
11Colorado2$37,817
12West Virginia1$60,532
13Illinois1$68,311
14Tennessee1$51,614
15North Carolina1$52,712
16Minnesota1$53,249
17Oregon1$49,100
18Florida1$49,008
19Washington1$47,382
20Alaska0$83,629
21New Jersey0$84,559
22New Hampshire0$74,530
23Vermont0$72,335
24Pennsylvania0$65,713
25Michigan0$65,128
26Ohio0$61,105
27Iowa0$62,575
28Maine0$61,454
29Kansas0$58,984
30Massachusetts0$60,823
31New Mexico0$57,959
32Wisconsin0$55,515
33Louisiana0$54,226
34Kentucky0$53,396
35Rhode Island0$54,912
36Indiana0$52,566
37South Carolina0$52,466
38North Dakota0$52,294
39Delaware0$53,729
40Arkansas0$50,409
41Hawaii0$55,195
42Mississippi0$50,156
43South Dakota0$48,810
44Nevada0$48,277
45Alabama0$47,787
46Oklahoma0$46,869
47Montana0$47,241
48Idaho0$45,681
49Wyoming0$43,514
50Nebraska0$38,834

Musician Education

Musician Majors

39.1 %

Musician Degrees

Bachelors

60.9 %

High School Diploma

13.1 %

Associate

12.6 %

Top Colleges for Musicians

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. Princeton University

Princeton, NJ • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,340

Enrollment

5,301

7. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

8. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-State Tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

9. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

10. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

Top Skills For a Musician

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 19.7% of musicians listed live performances on their resume, but soft skills such as discipline and musical talent are important as well.

  • Live Performances, 19.7%
  • Keyboard, 10.6%
  • Music Theory, 6.4%
  • Synthesizers, 6.0%
  • DJ, 4.2%
  • Other Skills, 53.1%

Choose From 10+ Customizable Musician Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Musician templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Musician resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Musician diversity

Musician Gender Distribution

Male
Male
80%
Female
Female
20%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among musicians, 19.6% of them are women, while 80.4% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among musicians is White, which makes up 65.4% of all musicians.

  • The most common foreign language among musicians is Spanish at 49.5%.

Online Courses For Musician That You May Like

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Best States For a Musician

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a musician. The best states for people in this position are New York, New Jersey, Alaska, and California. Musicians make the most in New York with an average salary of $87,177. Whereas in New Jersey and Alaska, they would average $84,559 and $83,629, respectively. While musicians would only make an average of $79,675 in California, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. New York

Total Musician Jobs: 6
Highest 10% Earn:
$172,000
Location Quotient:
2.15

2. Connecticut

Total Musician Jobs: 2
Highest 10% Earn:
$158,000
Location Quotient:
2.78

3. California

Total Musician Jobs: 22
Highest 10% Earn:
$162,000
Location Quotient:
3.47
Full List Of Best States For Musicians

How Do Musicians Rate Their Jobs?

5/5

Based On 2 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Musician Reviews

5.0
Apr 2022
Pros

I have fun and I like to sing and playing guitar and see people and travel around the world

Cons

nothing at all love it


5.0
Apr 2021
Pros

The thing I like the most is that I am able to express the real me through music, especially when I sing than in any other way....I am myself when I am working as a musician

Cons

I don't like when I can't give the best of me,when am singing or writting a song.


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Top Musician Employers

Most Common Employers For Musician

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Independent Contractor$89,810$43.184
2BB King's Orlando$69,703$33.515
3Holland America Line$61,150$29.4012
4Piano$57,710$27.756
5Carnival Cruise Line$57,603$27.6918
6USAF Police Alumni Association$57,492$27.646
7St. James Church$56,700$27.265
8*n/a*$56,673$27.2519
9Royal Caribbean International$56,600$27.218
10United States Marine Corps$56,385$27.1117

Musician Videos

Becoming a Musician FAQs

How To Start A Music Career

You start a music career by creating a long-term plan and defining your success. The path to a successful music career is different for everyone. Some go viral on TikTok, and others spend years (maybe even decades) going on tours and playing local gigs. Before you get started, you need to define what you want your career to look like.

What Are The Best Gifts For A Musician?

The best gifts for a musician are instruments, music software, and other technical items. When buying a present for a musician, it is important to know what they already own and if any of their music-producing items need to be upgraded.

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