The average wage for a music artist in the United States is around $30.39 per hour.
Avg Wage
Music artists earn an average hourly wage of $30.39.
Salaries typically start from $11.11 per hour and go up to $80.70 per hour.
25% above national average Updated in 2019
Music artist earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level music artist earnings begin at:
$80.70 per hour
$167,856 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level music artist earnings begin at:
$50.76 per hour
$105,581 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level music artist earnings begin at:
$30.39 per hour
$63,211 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level music artist earnings begin at:
$17.48 per hour
$36,358 per year
10th percentile
Starting level music artist earnings begin at:
$11.11 per hour
$23,109 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Music artist salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Nevada | $86,174 |
| South Carolina | $77,085 |
| Connecticut | $75,962 |
| Hawaii | $74,277 |
| Illinois | $70,360 |
| New Mexico | $69,430 |
| Massachusetts | $69,014 |
| Pennsylvania | $66,197 |
| Georgia | $65,541 |
| New York | $64,813 |
| District of Columbia | $64,272 |
| California | $63,669 |
| Missouri | $55,931 |
| Minnesota | $55,578 |
| New Jersey | $55,515 |
| Rhode Island | $54,288 |
| Florida | $54,038 |
| Arkansas | $53,539 |
| Colorado | $50,898 |
| Texas | $49,566 |
| Ohio | $48,485 |
| Michigan | $47,320 |
| Alabama | $45,864 |
| Oregon | $45,406 |
| Iowa | $44,678 |
| Louisiana | $40,539 |
| Kansas | $35,422 |
| Montana | $33,280 |
| Nebraska | $30,805 |
| Maryland | $20,280 |
How do music artist salaries compare to similar careers?
Music artists earn 9% more than similar careers in the United States. On average, they make less than talent directors but more than audio engineers.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Talent director salary | $74K |
| Singer salary | $63K |
| Music artist salary | $63K |
| Musician salary | $57K |
| Music teacher salary | $59K |
| Conductor salary | $52K |
| Audio engineer salary | $53K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)