Official labor data does not provide one universal U.S. occupational series for music producers. The closest benchmarks include producers and directors, sound engineering technicians, and music directors and composers. They show substantial variation: U.S. producer-and-director pay had a May 2025 median of $90,360, while the May 2023 mean was $107,170. Canadian multimedia audio producer wages ranged from $22.00 to $70.00 per hour in a November 2025 update.
Contents
- What do music producers earn in the United States?
- How music producer earnings vary by industry
- Where U.S. producer earnings are highest
- Sound engineering pay as a studio-production benchmark
- Music director and composer earnings statistics
- Canada pay and employment outlook
What do music producers earn in the United States?
The most direct broad benchmark comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) occupation for producers and directors. It is broader than music production, so the figures should be read as a comparison point rather than a salary promise for a recording producer. In May 2025, the median annual wage was $90,360. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $45,780, while the highest-paid 10% earned more than $198,540. These are employee wage measures and do not describe every freelance, royalty, or producer-point arrangement. BLS, Producers and Directors: Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025.
The BLS May 2023 occupational employment table supplies a second snapshot. It counted 154,470 U.S. jobs in the broader occupation, excluding self-employed workers. The mean hourly wage was $51.52, and the mean annual wage was $107,170. The median annual wage was $82,510, compared with $128,040 at the 75th percentile and $174,540 at the 90th percentile. BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: Producers and Directors, May 2023.
| U.S. producers and directors benchmark | Amount | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|
| Mean annual wage | $107,170 | May 2023 |
| Median annual wage | $82,510 | May 2023 |
| 75th-percentile annual wage | $128,040 | May 2023 |
| 90th-percentile annual wage | $174,540 | May 2023 |
| Median annual wage | $90,360 | May 2025 |
The difference between the May 2023 and May 2025 figures reflects different BLS releases and measurement years; it is not a calculation of growth. The occupation also combines roles that may differ from a hands-on music producer. For an independent producer, actual income can include project fees, mixing or production services, royalties, and other sources that these employee wage tables do not combine into one national figure.
How music producer earnings vary by industry
Industry is one of the clearest differences in the May 2023 BLS data. Producers and directors in motion picture and video industries had a $130,620 mean annual wage. The mean was $109,010 in media streaming distribution, social networks, and other media networks, and $111,790 in advertising, public relations, and related services.
The same table reported a $71,710 mean annual wage at radio and television broadcasting stations. Performing arts companies reported a $77,330 mean. These categories are not interchangeable with music recording, but they illustrate how the production environment can change the benchmark.
| Industry grouping | Mean annual wage | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Motion picture and video | $130,620 | May 2023 |
| Advertising, public relations, and related services | $111,790 | May 2023 |
| Media streaming, social networks, and other media networks | $109,010 | May 2023 |
| Performing arts companies | $77,330 | May 2023 |
| Radio and television broadcasting stations | $71,710 | May 2023 |
These industry values are means, not medians. A mean can be pulled upward by higher-paid workers, so it should not be treated as the typical pay received by every person in that category. They are useful for comparing the reported industry groups, while the broader wage distribution gives more context about how widely earnings vary. BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: Producers and Directors.
Where U.S. producer earnings are highest
The May 2023 state data show the largest reported employment among the listed states in California and New York. California employed 44,740 producers and directors and reported a $132,990 mean annual wage. New York employed 29,180 and reported a $139,060 mean. The figures describe the broader occupation, not music producers alone.
Florida employed 7,790 producers and directors, with an $83,950 mean annual wage. Texas employed 7,290, with a $76,060 mean. Pennsylvania employed 4,630, with an $81,770 mean. Employment counts and wages measure different aspects of a market: a large employment base does not automatically mean the highest mean wage.
The metropolitan figures show a similar concentration. The Los Angeles metro area employed 32,880 producers and directors and reported a $133,750 mean annual wage. The New York metro area employed 28,530 and reported a $140,730 mean. Boston reported an $88,570 mean, while Seattle reported $93,720. The BLS table gives no employment count for Boston or Seattle in the supplied figures. BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: Producers and Directors, May 2023.
For readers comparing locations, the appropriate question is not only “Where is the mean wage higher?” It is also whether the comparison is a state or metro area, which industry mix is represented, and whether the role is an employee position. The supplied BLS data do not provide a separate location series specifically for independent music producers.
Sound engineering pay as a studio-production benchmark
Sound engineering technicians offer a more technical studio-production comparison. BLS counted 14,600 U.S. sound engineering technicians in May 2023. Their mean hourly wage was $35.62 and their mean annual wage was $74,100. The annual distribution ranged from $36,160 at the 10th percentile and $45,820 at the 25th percentile to $59,430 at the median, $94,550 at the 75th percentile, and $132,940 at the 90th percentile. BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: Sound Engineering Technicians.
Industry again matters. Sound engineering technicians in motion picture and video industries had a $99,990 mean annual wage. The mean was $59,040 in sound recording industries, $57,300 at promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events, and $59,590 at radio and television broadcasting stations.
Los Angeles employed 4,780 sound engineering technicians and reported an $82,180 mean annual wage in May 2023. This is a related occupation and should not be substituted for producer earnings. It is most useful as a benchmark for the technical side of studio work, especially when comparing production-adjacent career paths.
Music director and composer earnings statistics
Music directors and composers provide another music-specific comparison, although their duties differ from those of producers. In May 2022, the mean hourly wage was $45.88 and the mean annual wage was $95,430. The 10th-percentile annual wage was $31,750; the 25th percentile was $45,050; the median was $62,940; the 75th percentile was $98,200; and the 90th percentile was $165,760. BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022: Music Directors and Composers.
The later May 2024 BLS release counted 12,330 music directors and composers. It reported a $40.50 mean hourly wage and a $30.61 median hourly wage. Because the supplied annual distribution is from May 2022 while these hourly figures and the employment count are from May 2024, they should be kept as separate dated observations rather than combined into one trend.
Together, the figures show why “music producer earnings” can be difficult to summarize with a single number. A producer may work across creative direction, recording, arrangement, engineering, or project management, while the official tables classify workers by occupational groups that overlap only partly. BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages—May 2024, May 2024.
Canada pay and employment outlook
Canada’s Job Bank uses the broader NOC 51120 classification for multimedia audio producers. Its wage report, updated November 19, 2025, lists a low wage of $22.00 per hour, a median wage of $41.03, and a high wage of $70.00 per hour. These amounts are reported in Canadian dollars and cover the broader classification, not only music producers. Job Bank, Wages for Producers, Directors, Choreographers and Related Occupations, wages updated November 19, 2025.
The Canadian Job Bank’s 2023 profile reported 37,600 jobs in the broader multimedia audio producer occupation. Workers aged 50 and over represented 24% of the occupation, and the median retirement age was 63.0. Those are workforce-composition measures, not earnings measures, but they add context to the employment base. Job Bank, Job prospects: Multimedia Audio Producer in Canada, 2023.
The U.S. outlook is a forecast rather than an observed wage result. BLS projects employment of producers and directors to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,100 openings per year on average during that period. It projects employment rising from 181,000 in 2025 to 188,300 in 2035. These projections concern the broad U.S. occupation and should not be read as a forecast for the number or income of independent music producers. BLS, Producers and Directors: Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 forecast.
For planning purposes, the clearest takeaway is to match the statistic to the work: broad producer wages for production leadership, sound-engineering wages for technical studio work, music-director and composer wages for adjacent creative roles, and Canadian Job Bank figures for the multimedia audio producer classification. None of these official series captures every freelance fee, royalty, or producer-point payment as a single comparable annual income.