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The differences between professional musicians and studio musicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a professional musician and a studio musician. Additionally, a professional musician has an average salary of $55,483, which is higher than the $54,111 average annual salary of a studio musician.
The top three skills for a professional musician include live performances, music venues and music theory. The most important skills for a studio musician are keyboard, audio production, and EP.
| Professional Musician | Studio Musician | |
| Yearly salary | $55,483 | $54,111 |
| Hourly rate | $26.67 | $26.01 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 43,354 | 950 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Professional musicians and studio musicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Musician | Studio Musician | |
| Average salary | $55,483 | $54,111 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $121,000 | Between $25,000 And $115,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a professional musician and a studio musician in terms of educational background:
| Professional Musician | Studio Musician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Music | Music |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between professional musicians' and studio musicians' demographics:
| Professional Musician | Studio Musician | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.2% Female, 17.8% | Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 5.5% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 5.5% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |