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Musician vs music producer

The differences between musicians and music producers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a musician, becoming a music producer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a musician has an average salary of $57,257, which is higher than the $56,752 average annual salary of a music producer.

The top three skills for a musician include live performances, keyboard and music theory. The most important skills for a music producer are R, audio engineering, and music production.

Musician vs music producer overview

MusicianMusic Producer
Yearly salary$57,257$56,752
Hourly rate$27.53$27.28
Growth rate4%8%
Number of jobs10313,950
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age4540
Years of experience412

Musician vs music producer salary

Musicians and music producers have different pay scales, as shown below.

MusicianMusic Producer
Average salary$57,257$56,752
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $127,000Between $39,000 And $81,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYNew York, NY
Highest paying stateNew YorkNew York
Best paying companySanford HealthAmazon
Best paying industryMediaStart-up

Differences between musician and music producer education

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

MusicianMusic Producer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common majorMusicMusic
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Musician vs music producer demographics

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

MusicianMusic Producer
Average age4540
Gender ratioMale, 80.4% Female, 19.6%Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 5.4% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black 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%
LGBT Percentage9%14%

Differences between musician and music producer duties and responsibilities

Musician example responsibilities.

  • Accomplish placement in first group clarinet section.
  • Play trombone, trumpet, baritone saxophone, keyboard, rhythm guitar, and provide backup vocals.
  • Jazz, fusion, blues band.
  • Design and maintain Facebook, MySpace and Purevolume websites.
  • Record multiple EP's and work on a full-length album.
  • Act as a vacation bible school instructor in the summer months.
  • Show more

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.

Musician vs music producer skills

Common musician skills
  • Live Performances, 20%
  • Keyboard, 11%
  • Music Theory, 6%
  • Synthesizers, 6%
  • DJ, 4%
  • Saxophone, 4%
Common music producer skills
  • R, 18%
  • Audio Engineering, 14%
  • Music Production, 9%
  • Pro Tools, 8%
  • Mac, 5%
  • Music Videos, 4%

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