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The differences between musicians and 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 producer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a producer has an average salary of $72,202, which is higher than the $57,257 average annual salary of a musician.
The top three skills for a musician include live performances, keyboard and music theory. The most important skills for a producer are work ethic, video production, and client relationships.
| Musician | Producer | |
| Yearly salary | $57,257 | $72,202 |
| Hourly rate | $27.53 | $34.71 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 103 | 10,610 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 45 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A musician specializes in performing or producing music through different mediums. Most of their responsibilities will revolve around practicing to develop their skills and enhance their performance, receiving training from experts to monitor progress and identify weaknesses to improve. There are also instances when a musician must interact and engage with the public, appear in shows, and participate in various competitions. Furthermore, a musician needs to maintain a healthy relationship with fans while continuously improving skills and releasing good music.
A producer is an individual who is responsible for providing infrastructure, resources, and logistics in making a movie, television show, or stage production. Producers hire production staff such as director, crew, and sometimes actors to coordinate their activities throughout the production process. They support the creative team by conducting meetings to discuss the production's progress and ensure adherence to deadlines. Producers also travel often either to film on location for a movie or to tour with a theatre production.
Musicians and producers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Musician | Producer | |
| Average salary | $57,257 | $72,202 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $127,000 | Between $43,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Sanford Health | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Media | - |
There are a few differences between a musician and a producer in terms of educational background:
| Musician | Producer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Music | Communication |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between musicians' and producers' demographics:
| Musician | Producer | |
| Average age | 45 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.4% Female, 19.6% | Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 7.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.3% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 14% |