Music producers shape and hone the talent of performers to produce high quality recordings. They oversee all aspects of recording sessions, including providing instruments, scheduling artists and studio time and paying upfront costs. Once an artist lays down tracks, music producers work with audio engineers to mix the sound. Part artist, part entrepreneur and part visionary, the music producer is "the brains" behind the final product.

Starting Salary

When you first start out as a music producer, your wages will likely be in the bottom 10 percent of those in your field. 50% of music producer salaries range from $13,000 to $45,000

Average Salary

ZipRecruiter reported a national average wage of $70,000 for music producers as of 2020. Factors like the size of the record label, your years of experience and your reputation can affect how much money you will earn.

Top Salaries

Top music producers earn about $350,000 per year. While as a music producer your salary will grow over the course of your career; the average ending salary in this group was $70,000.

Job Outlook

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts jobs to grow for sound engineering technicians by 21 percent through 2030, compared to 6 percent for occupations surveyed in the U.S. as a whole.

According to the BLS, competition is strong because there are many more people who want to work as music producers than there are available jobs.

Entrepreneurs and those working for smaller companies will fare better than producers who want to work for established, large companies.