Musicians today have significantly more career options than their previous counterparts.
Solo performance, ensemble performance, and public education are some of the most popular career paths in music. While they may be exceptionally rewarding to passionate musicians, many more options are available to people with a music degree.
Believe it or not, you can pursue dozens of exceptional and lucrative careers with a music degree!
Some of these careers require specialized degrees or functional knowledge outside of a degree. For example, if you want to get a job as a grant writer for a music organization, working as an intern at a non-profit arts organization could provide you with the necessary skills for learning how to write grants. Taking a grant-writing class at your university is another good idea.
So, let’s get into it. Here are 60+ careers, listed alphabetically, that are available for musicians with a music degree.
A&R Administrator
An A&R (artists and repertoire) administrator provides high-level personal and administrative support to an A&R representative.
Job Description: An A&R administrator works with an A&R representative for a record label or artist management company. They handle various financial and clerical responsibilities like managing budgets, scheduling recording time, establishing contracts, receiving invoices, and collecting data.
Salary: $36,000 to $68,000
A&R Representative
An A&R representative scouts talent to sign to record labels.
Job Description: An A&R representative identifies new talent for a record label or artist management company. Their job involves paying close attention to social media, music blogs and websites, and online industry news. They may also visit clubs and music venues across the country. Once they sign an artist, they represent the artist’s best interests.
Salary: $30,000 to $100,000
Accompanist
An accompanist performs in collaboration with an ensemble. This role is not entirely different from that of a collaborative pianist.
Job Description: An accompanist partners with students in different music schools, ensemble auditionees, church choirs and congregations, dance classes, concert rehearsals, and other collaborative musical settings.
Salary: An accompanist typically charges by the hour, with an average rate of $21.92/hour. In salary form, that figure translates to roughly $42,738 per year.
Agent
An agent books gigs for an artist, band, or ensemble using relationships with club owners, club promoters, venue managers, and other clients in the music industry.
Job Description: An agent works directly with an artist or management company. Their responsibilities involve scheduling concerts, tours, media appearances, and meet-and-greets with fans. They may also negotiate fees and contracts for each booking.
Salary: An agent typically earns a commission of an artist’s show earnings (around 15%). A full-time agent can make great money in this profession – the top agents in the world make millions each year. There is significant variability in the salary range, with the lowest earners making $12,500 per year and the highest earners taking in $117,000 per year. The national average currently sits at $52,453 per year.
Alexander Technique Instructor
An Alexander Technique instructor shows musicians how to normalize their physical and mental tension levels during performance.
Job Description: An Alexander Technique instructor typically offers clients a series of private lessons. Through verbal and manual instruction, the teacher assists the performer in using different movements to change musical habits and behaviors that thwart balance, posture, alertness, and ease. For example, they might work with a violinist to help correct tension or stiffness in a particular body area during a performance (like the neck or elbow).
Salary: While limited data is available for this profession, Alexander Technique instructors can expect to make between $36 and $54 per hour.
App Development
Music apps are exceedingly popular, and organizations always need consultants, product testers, and developers.
Job Description: App developers utilize a broad range of skills in design, communication, data analysis, business, and product management. They may specialize in creating, testing, or programming apps for computers, cell phones, and other devices.
Salary: App developers can make upwards of $112,000 per year.
Arranging
Arrangers orchestrate a composer’s piano score or develop and reharmonize a composer’s melody.
Job Description: Many professional film composers have arrangers on their staff dedicated to quickly completing a film score. In jazz, people like Gordon Goodwin and Christian McBride make clever arrangements for big bands. Arrangers take elements from previous compositions – like harmony, genre, and tempo – and rework them to create something new. Arrangers work in the music, film, TV, and musical industries.
Salary: Arrangers have a broad salary range – as little as $10,059 to as much as $234,197 per year. The median salary is $42,884.
Artist Manager
Artist managers negotiate business deals on behalf of the artist. They also share input on an artist’s business’s creative and marketing ends.
Job Description: Artist managers work independently or with an artist management company (like Columbia Artists Management). They may play a role in booking gigs, collaborating on album projects, developing a strategy for fan engagement, monitoring sales, etc.
Salary: The median salary for an artist manager is $62,500 per year, with the top 10% earning $112,000 per year.
Arts Administration
An arts administrator performs tasks for an arts organization. Jobs can be as simple as clerical duties or as advanced as grant-writing and events planning.
Job Description: The arts administrator works in an arts organization, such as a museum, theater, musical group, or orchestra. Examples of well-known arts organizations with large arts administration staff include the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Juilliard, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Salary: Salaries for arts administrators average $91,739 per year, and arts administrators are also eligible for bonuses.
Audio Engineer
Audio production engineers manipulate sound and mixing in an audio recording (for someone specializing in acoustic sound, please see Sound/Acoustic Engineer below).
Job Description: Audio engineers may work in a freelance, commercial, or college/university recording setting. They are concerned with sound effects, mixing, equalization, balancing, and other technical aspects of the song.
Salary: The average pay for an audio engineer is $58,096 per year.
Blogger
A blogger is a journalist, writer, or commentator who writes about a specific subject or current event/trend within the music industry. They may also write to sell their websites’ products, memberships, and advertising space.
Job Description: Honestly, you should start your own blog if you want to get paid well. Writing articles for other people does not usually lend itself to a lucrative blogging career unless you get a job at a place like Rolling Stone Magazine. Get a domain and hosting space from either BlueHost or GoDaddy, download a premium theme from Themeforest, and you are good to go.
Salary: Bloggers can make over $100,000 annually if they get it right. On average, bloggers earn $46,982 per year. I know it sounds crazy, but I know bloggers, albeit usually in other spaces, make around a half million a year.
Broadcast Engineer
Broadcast engineers oversee the “air chain,” or the complete path of an A/V signal from its origin to its destination (i.e., a television or radio station). Broadcasting engineers have a background in audio engineering and may also have some knowledge of electrical engineering.
Job Description: Broadcast engineers are employed by a television company, radio station, or as independent contractors. Similar to how audio engineers are responsible for a song’s clarity, strength, and overall quality, so are broadcast engineers concerned with how sound is transmitted through the television and internet.
Salary: The average national salary for a broadcast engineer is $68,504 per year.
Business Management
Business managers oversee the day-to-day operations of a music business, which may be a performing arts venue, nightclub, or music store.
Job Description: Business managers are typically responsible for an organization’s financial resources and expenditures. They create a general budget and examine all expenses to make lucrative choices. They also distribute the payroll to employees and approve all purchases made on behalf of the organization.
Salary: Music business managers earn $32,231 on average per year. That being said, wages can exceed $90,000.
Chamber Musician
A chamber musician performs in a classical chamber ensemble.
Job Description: Traditionally, chamber musicians play recitals with acoustic instrument groups in concert halls. Today, the scene is rapidly changing, with many groups performing amplified in “downtown venues.” Traditional chamber ensembles include the Guarneri String Quartet and the Canadian Brass Ensemble. Less conventional and more innovative groups include the Kronos Quartet and the young entrepreneurial ensemble Groupmuse.
Salary: A chamber musician’s compensation varies based on several factors. If you are part of a reputable organization, you can earn up to $117,811 per year – a chamber musician’s median salary is $98,176.
Church Choir Director
A church choir director is also known as a minister of music. This person conducts the church choir, coordinates rehearsals, plans the choir budget, etc.
Job Description: A church choir director is employed in a church. They are responsible for leading all music-related activities for the church, which involves coordinating rehearsal times, leading the choir, bringing in new members, and delegating responsibilities.
Salary: On average, a church choir director makes $60,709 annually.
Church Organist/Pianist
A church organist/pianist accompanies a congregation or church choir.
Job Description: Church organists/pianists work at sacred religious institutions. They schedule rehearsals, and it is required that they know how to read music.
Salary: Being a church organist is a lucrative career – they can make between $85,691 and $117,140 per year. The average salary is $103,298 per year.
Clinician
Music clinicians are experts invited to direct part or all of a conference about music.
Job Description: Music clinicians are hired to conduct seminars, lectures, clinics, etc. Common clinicians include composers, conductors, performers, educators, and music marketing specialists.
Salary: The salary for a clinician is based on each engagement. Usually, a clinician can charge several thousand dollars per clinic).
Concert Music Composer
Concert music composers write music for acoustic and electro-acoustic mediums, usually in classical or contemporary genres. This role differs from commercial music composers in that the music is written as a stand-alone or incidental stage work (like in opera) and not as a backdrop for films, video games, or commercials.
Job Description: Concert music composers work almost entirely as freelance artists with payments based on royalties and commissions. Some composers make money being “in-residence” with a professional ensemble. Many concert music composers make a living simultaneously in commercial music or as higher education teachers.
Salary: On average, concert music composers make $53,299 per year.
Concert Promoter
Concert promoters are companies or individuals responsible for organizing tours or performances.
Job Description: Concert promoters work for a musical artist or a special event for an organization (like a large charity concert). They secure venues, determine ticket prices, and create a marketing plan for a tour or show. Concert promoters typically reach out to artists via an artist’s manager, but this is not always the case.
Salary: A concert promoter’s pay is contingent upon the success of the show they put together, including how many tickets are sold and what advertising deals can be put into place. The median salary for a concert promoter is $62,940. Some concert promoters make $1,000,000+.
Conductor
A conductor is a director who provides visible gestures as performance instructions to an orchestra.
Job Description: Most conducting jobs are available through music colleges and institutions. They set the tempo for an orchestra or performing group using specific gestures and rhythm.
Salary: A conductor’s compensation varies widely, with some assistant conductors in major orchestras making $70,000/year and some widely known music directors making $600,000+. On average, conductors earn $49,400 per year. Although the most visible place for conductors is in an orchestra, most orchestras do not pay well (although some, like the Los Angeles Philharmonic and San Diego Symphony, obviously do).
Commercial Jingle Composer
Commercial jingle composers write the background music for a commercial. A jingle may last anywhere from 15 seconds (standard) to one minute (long).
Job Description: Commercial jingle composers usually work as freelance artists but are sometimes represented by major agencies like Air & Edelman Associates in New York.
Salary: The middle 60% of commercial jingle writers earn $49,820 annually.
Cruise Ship Performer
Cruise ship performers partner with a band on a cruise ship for extended periods.
Job Description: Cruise ship performers work on a cruise ship. Many musicians will personally audition for the cruise ship staff or go through an agency connecting cruise ships to musicians, like Proship.com.
Salary: On average, cruise ship performers earn $4,000 to $8,000 per month.
Engraving
Engravers take a composer’s handwritten score and engrave it into a professional computer notation program such as Finale or Sibelius.
Job Description: Most engravers work freelance, although there is a need for an expert engraver within top music publishing companies.
Salary: Engravers make between $19,680 to $47,800 yearly.
Ensemble/Music Director
Ensemble/music directors run a musical ensemble, orchestra, etc. They could simultaneously act as the conductor of the choir.
Job Description: Ensemble directors, like Bang On a Can or the International Contemporary Ensemble, start a musical ensemble. Alternatively, they could conduct or direct a music ensemble, like an orchestra.
If you start your own ensemble, expect many years of not making too much money. If you are the music director of a major orchestra, you could be paid into the millions. On average, ensemble directors make $63,340 per year.
Event Planner (Music)
Music event planners coordinate large-scale events involving music like music festivals, music competitions, music ceremonies, and music-related charity events.
Job Description: A music event planner usually works as an independent consultant or with an event planning firm.
Salary: The median salary for a music event planner is $51,560 per year.
Film Composer
Film composers make music as the background for film and television.
Film composers often work with independent or notable film and television studios. They write a film score, which equates to the entire set of music featured in a film. They create demos for feedback and record the full film score. Some illustrious conductors include Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, and John Williams.
Salary Examples: Film composer salaries range from $21,070 to $101,150 per year, with the middle 50% earning between $30,000 and $35,000 annually.
Film Conductor
A film conductor directs the live musicians to produce the motion picture music.
Job Description: Film conductors usually work as contractors with independent or major film studios. They may lead an orchestra that plays music for film-related purposes.
Salary: Film conductors earn an average of $64,470 per year.
Foley Artist
A Foley artist creates the ambient diegetic sounds of a film or television set that were not made through the physical structure and location of the set.
Job Description: Foley artists usually work for television companies. They record sounds like footsteps, laughter, weapons clanging, the wind blowing, sirens blaring, etc.
Salary: Foley artists are guaranteed $2,773.12 per week, per the Motion Picture Editors Guild.
Front of House Engineer
A front-of-house (FOH) engineer runs a live mixer at a venue during a musical or theatrical production. They are also responsible for managing a sound team, if present.
Job Description: FOH engineers work independently or for a live concert venue. They control the music venue’s speakers to determine the sound heard by the audience.
Salary: FOH engineers earn a median salary of $95,900, though the range goes from as low as $16,920 to as high as $150,830 per year.
Fundraiser/Development Assistant
A development assistant procures donations and funds for a music company, almost exclusively for 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations.
Job Description: Development assistants write grant applications and submit them to government entities, wealthy businesses, individuals, arts organizations, and other potential donors. They also help set up events for soliciting donations.
Salary: The average salary for a development assistant is $41,766, with a salary ranging from $33,976 to $52,321 per year.
Higher Education Teaching
Music professors teach at collegiate-level universities, conservatories, or liberal arts colleges.
Job Description: Music professors teach everything from music history and theory to composition and conducting. They may also teach leadership, marketing, and general entrepreneurship classes.
Salaries: On average, music professors earn an average salary of $95,533 per year. Salaries for music professors tend to range from $77,527 to $148,975.
Instrument Craftsman/Builder
Instrument builders take composites of disparate materials to create a musical instrument.
Job Description: Instrument builders often work in a music instrument factory, an independent music store, or as a sole instrument craftsman.
Salary: On average, instrument builders earn between $37,970 and $42,284 per year.
Instrument/Product Demonstrator
Product demonstrators perform instruments to advertise their quality and capability. Rich Formidoni of Korg is a good example.
Job Description: Product demonstrators sell instruments through well-known music manufacturers, such as Korg. They may also show potential clients how to use various devices or speak about the instrument’s function and quality.
Salary: Product demonstration falls under the marketing department of a significant business, which would probably pay between $60,000 – $120,000 per year for a full-time music marketing specialist.
Instrument Sales
Instrument sales representatives sell instruments and associated music equipment, like bows, music software, and amplifiers.
Job Description: Instrument sales reps work at music stores like Guitar Center.
Salary: An instrument sales representative’s salary ranges from $33,000 to $72,000 annually; on average, they can expect to earn $57,570 annually.
Licensing Administrator
Licensing administrators oversee the copyrights to a specific work or collection of works. They are responsible for licensing music and negotiating fees for the usage of the work.
Job Description: Licensing administrators typically work as part of a music publishing company. They set up licenses with third-party organizations and maintain requests for an artist’s tracks. They also spend time researching and reviewing the terms of contracts and other business-related matters.
Salary: Licensing administrators make an average salary of $59,953 per year.
Location Sound Engineer
A location sound engineer is a film or television crew member and is responsible for capturing the sound made on a set, including dialogue.
Job Description: Location sound engineers work with professional equipment on a live television set. They may also be referred to as sound mixers or production mixers.
Salary: Location sound engineers earn between $34,000 and $128,000. Most location sound engineers earn nearly $60,000 per year.
Lyricist/Songwriter
Songwriters write popular tunes and songs for themselves or other artists.
Job Description: Songwriters work independently or within a major music studio.
Salary: A great deal of income for a songwriter can come from licensing music for commercial usages, such as national television commercials, TV promotional trailers, or feature films. The rates can start as low as $2,000 for major licenses and go up to $100,000+. Other income can be generated from selling tickets for concerts, publishing the music, selling MP3s, royalties, etc.
Marketing: Traditional and Digital Marketing
Marketing directors or assistants work with an artist, publicist, college institution, or other musical entity to effectively market their products, concerts, etc. Job requirements include a savvy understanding of traditional and digital marketing methods, such as social media and integrative marketing.
Job Description: Marketing directors/assistants work as contractors or as part of a music group or business. Different marketing opportunities include institutional marketing, concert hall marketing, music products marketing, record label marketing, etc.
Salary: The average salary for a marketing director is $105,672 per year! The average salary is also high at around $90,000.
Mastering Engineer
In a post-production audio recording process, mastering engineers transfer a final mix to its ultimate data storage device. In the process, the engineer enhances the sound of the final mix using advanced software and hardware.
Job Description: In most cases, mastering engineers as freelance artists.
Salaries: On average, mastering engineers can expect to earn $72,500 per year.
Military Band Performer
Military band performers play music in a military band. Most military bands exist in the US, but there are good ones that exist overseas as well.
Job Description: Military band performers may perform at major military events, like parades, dances, and special ceremonies. They play various genres, from jazz and classical to popular and contemporary music.
Salary: Musicians who play for the military enter service at an E6 pay grade, which includes housing stipends and other benefits. There are built-in raises structured, as well. With these elements factored in, military band performers earn an average of $56,000 annually.
Musical Theatre Artist
Musical theatre artists combine songs, dialogue, acting, and dancing to create unique performances within the musical theatre genre.
Job Description: Musical theatre artists work in on-Broadway companies, off-Broadway companies, and companies throughout the country.
Salaries: The Actor’s Equity Union for Broadway productions guarantees a weekly wage of $2,439 per week. It is virtually impossible to get a job as a musical theatre artist without an Actor’s Equity membership, and this organization periodically negotiates salaries.
Music Curation
Music curators oversee a library or museum’s historic music collection and present it to museum-goers. The career is not entirely unrelated to music librarianship.
Job Description: Music curators can work anywhere with a historic collection of music needing a curatorial manager. They may also play a role in deciding which songs to include on sets or playlists and which pieces to represent a marketing-related goal. Libraries and museums are the most likely places, but some music colleges also employ these people.
Salary: Music curators earn an average salary of $55,479, and the overall salary range goes from $39,513 to $72,929.
Music Education Administration
Music education administrators work in the administration department of a public or private music education program, either at the K-12 or college level.
Job Description: Music education administrators work within music programs, high school music programs, and private music lesson schools. They typically provide quality instruction, promote community awareness, and offer professional development opportunities for music educators.
Salary: At most, music education administrators earn $167,084 annually, though the average annual salary is around $122,000.
Music Education Teacher (K-12)
Music teachers work at a public or private elementary, middle, or high school. This job requires state certification and a bachelor’s degree in Music Education.
Job Description: Depending on the grade level, music teachers instruct students in preparing for live performances. More advanced students may require instruction in more challenging techniques and composition.
Salary: Music teacher salaries can vary widely from state to state. On average, they can make $51,830 per year.
Music/Entertainment Attorney
Music attorneys represent artists as well as arts/entertainment organizations. Their position requires a JD (Juris Doctor degree) outside of a Bachelor’s of Music degree.
Job Description: Music attorneys typically work within an entertainment law firm or as independent attorneys.
Salary: A music attorney’s salary varies widely depending on the working situation. Working for an entertainment firm in a major city like Los Angeles or New York can provide a starting salary of over $150,000. On average, music attorneys earn $117,600 per year.
Music Journalist/Critic
Music journalists/critics professionally review music performances, albums, and entertainment industry news.
Job Description: Critics often work for a media company (newspaper, magazine, online journal like Pitchfork) or have a personal blog.
Salary: Music critics can make as low as $10,193 and as high as $271,999 per year.
Music Librarian
Music librarians specialize in cataloging and maintaining music collections. They usually have a Bachelor’s in Music and a master’s degree in either Music Librarianship or Library and Information Science.
Job Description: Music librarians are typically employed by colleges, universities, conservatories, orchestras, or public libraries.
Salary: At most, music librarians can earn $85,735 per year. The average salary for a music librarian is around $63,000.
Music Supervisor
Music supervisors oversee all musical choices for a visual medium, including television, video games, advertisers, and films. This position is not to be confused with a commercial music composer.
Description: Music supervisors work on the staff of a television show or media company. They create credit lists, cue sheets, and meetings with editors and composers. Frequently, they will work as freelance contractors, negotiating rights with licensing agents and songwriters.
Salary: The national salary average for a music supervisor in the United States is $59,125 per year.
Musicologist
Musicologists study the history and culture of various musical genres. They adopt a research-based approach to addressing the scholarly inquiry of music.
Job Description: Musicologists work as lecturers or professors in a university setting or as published authors. Famous musicologists include Richard Taruskin and music critic and author Alex Ross.
Salary: A musicologist’s salary is commensurate with the typical wages of a university professor (see Higher Education Teaching).
Music Therapist
Music therapists use music as a means of alternative therapy. Convincing evidence exists for music therapy as a treatment for depression and coronary heart disease.
Job Description: Music therapists usually work independently through referrals from physicians, psychologists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. Sometimes, they are employed in higher education institutions, nursing homes, correctional facilities, and intervention programs.
Salary: Music therapists earn around $48,000 per year, on average.
Online Music Teacher
Online music teachers instruct live or pre-recorded courses using online video technology.
Job Description: Online music teachers almost always work independently, although some streaming models are emerging.
Salary: Online music teachers can earn as little as $17,500 and as much as $127,500 per year. On average, they can make an annual salary of $54,509.
Opera Musician (Stage)
Opera musicians work in professional companies or as soloists. They perform an operatic repertoire ranging from Mozart to Philip Glass.
Job Description: While many opera musicians elect to work for professional opera companies, many work as freelance vocalists.
Salary: Opera musicians earn $70,000 per year, on average. Exceptional opera musicians may earn upwards of $200,000.
Orchestral Musician
Orchestral musicians perform part-time or full-time as amateur or professional symphony orchestra members.
Job Description: Orchestral musicians are classically trained. They are paid to practice and record music with an orchestra.
Salary: Salaries for orchestral musicians vary depending on where they perform. The salaries generally range from $78,541 to $117,811 per year.
Orchestrator
An orchestrator arranges a reduced score into a much larger score for an orchestra or larger ensemble.
Job Description: Orchestrators work for Broadway composers, on the staff of film composers, or independently. They may write for film, television, orchestra, band, or video game clients. Basically, they take a creative idea and turn it into a technical reality!
Salary: This is a job where the orchestrator is typically paid for the amount of work done. On average, orchestrators earn $62,377 per year.
Piano Tuner
Piano tuners adjust the piano strings so that their musical intervals are correctly aligned, making it sound “in tune.”
Job Description: Piano tuners work independently or seek employment where there is a need for on-site piano tuners, like a concert venue or music school.
Salary: Piano tuners earn a median annual salary of $35,660.
Pit Musician
Pit musicians play in the pit of a musical, opera, or other live events that require live musicians.
Job Description: Pit musicians work as part of musicals, operas, and other live events. They read scores and play their parts to accompany dancing, singing, and acting on stage. They typically complete their training within a reputable conservatory program.
Salary: Broadway pit musicians can earn around $1,885.77 per week if they play at least eight shows per week. If they can perform more than one instrument, they have the potential to earn significantly more money. The first additional instrument, for example, can make them an extra $235.72 per week on top of their base salary.
Publicist (music)
Music publicists create buzz via publicity for a musician, band, music institution, business, etc.
Job Description: Music publicists work independently or with a publicity firm. They place album reviews, share press releases, organize interviews, and maintain contracts and press kits. They may also pitch stories to contacts in the media realm.
Salary: Music publicists earn $47,100 on average. Their wages can range from $35,000 to $64,000.
Publisher Sales Representative (Informally “Song Plugger”)
Publishing sales representatives work as agents for publishing companies trying to sell published compositions to labels and artists for recording and selling.
Job Description: Publishing reps promote various media like albums and singles to potential clients, such as concert venues, music stores, schools, libraries, and small music-focused businesses.
Salary: On average, publishing sales representatives earn between $66,982 and $72,932 per year.
Radio DJ
Radio DJs (disc jockeys) act as the public voice of a radio station and promote a specific image of the radio station to the audience.
Job Description: Radio DJs select the music and arrange playlists for a radio show. Radio DJs may be on air for three to five hours, taking place at all hours of the day and night. The job has expanded to include storytelling segments, music-related current events discussion, and even investigative journalism.
Salary: A salary for a radio DJ varies widely and averages out at $40,000. Radio DJs who cultivate a popular personality can make significantly more money.
Record Producer
Record producers oversee all aspects of producing an artist’s album.
Job Description: Record producers work independently, with an artist, or as part of a record label. They are responsible for the overall sound of a recording.
Salary: On average, record producers can earn $50,986 per year.
Session Musician
Session musicians play on recording projects for different artists, labels, etc.
Job Description: Session musicians often work in a freelancing role on commercial recording projects (insider tip: get to know recording studio operators, they are always looking to add performers to their client book). Some session musicians might accompany an artist on a tour or series of performances. Essentially, they are “musicians for hire” who work on a short-term basis with various clients.
Salary: Exceptional session musicians can rake in more than $100,000 annually, though the average annual salary is around $54,000.
Social Media Strategist
A social media strategist works with a company to promote its content via social media.
Job Description: Social media strategies work as consultants or gain employment through a music company. They build out targeted ad campaigns and create strategies to engage with fans, clients, or customers on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
Salary: Social media strategists earn $53,783 per year, on average.
Solo Musician
A solo musician performs as a complete soloist (like a pianist) or as the central figure with an accompanying musician or ensemble.
Job Description: Solo musicians perform at clubs, weddings, solo recitals, libraries, coffee shops, academic residencies, charities, radio stations, museums, and other venues.
Salary: A solo musician’s median salary is $49,920, though the top 75% make as much as $141,440 per year.
Sound/Acoustic Engineer
Sound/acoustic engineers focus on applying sound and its composite elements – including frequencies and timbres – to a specific technology. This job ranges from creating synthesizers to designing acoustically excellent concert halls.
Job Description: Acoustic engineers work for companies dealing with bioacoustics, audio signal processing, musical acoustics, noise control headphones, ultrasonic sound, etc.
Salary: Acoustic engineering is a highly lucrative position. Acoustic engineers earn an average national salary of $114,567 per year!
Stage Management
Stage managers organize and put together a piece of music, theatre, dance, or multimedia production. Their job involves coordinating stage personnel, production managers, and more.
Job Description: Stage managers work for a theater, dance company, or other arts organization. They offer guidance to all members of an organization, including the performers, directors, set designers, and technical crew members. They supervise backstage activity to make sure performances are seamless in their transitions.
Salary: Stage managers have a wide-ranging salary of $10,332 to $274,150 per year, and their median salary is approximately $50,000.
Tour Director
Tour directors are responsible for coordinating all aspects of an artist’s tour, including managing the road personnel and working with an artist’s publicist.
Job Description: Tour directors work with a band or artist management company. They do everything from arranging travel plans, communicating with venues, managing expenses, identifying restaurants/lodging on tour stops, and setting up interactions with the media.
Salary: Tour managers are paid weekly, and their wages depend on the tour budget and length. Their average salary range extends from $46,000 to $71,000 per year.
Video Game Composer
Video game composers create music for the soundtrack and background of video games.
Job Description: Video game composers work as independent commercial composers writing background music for video games. They can also work as “in-house” composers for specific companies.
Salary: The salary disparity for video game composers is vast – from $10,193 to $268,601 per year.
Website Copywriter
A website copywriter writes intelligent and informed biographies of different artists on a website for a performing arts company, record label, or other music business.
Job Description: Website copywriters work for music companies or as freelance contractors. For example, they may place content on blogs, website pages, or sponsored Facebook ads.
Salary: Website copywriters earn anywhere from $59,000 to $132,000 per year.
Website Designer
Every musician should have a website – musicians are picking up on this trend more and more. This is a space with a great deal of opportunity.
Job Description: Website designers build websites for musicians, usually as independent contractors. Some website designers are employed in high-end design firms.
Salary: On average, website designers earn $57,000 per year.
Summary
There you have it! We’ve given an overview of more than 60 careers you can pursue with a music degree.
Some of these professions require an internship, classes outside of your music major, or in a few cases, a specialized degree beyond your bachelor’s degree.
There is an abundance of information available on our website as well as external resources!
