What is a music critic and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a music critic. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.5 an hour? That's $53,043 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 2,700 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreMusic CriticUS Average
Salary
4.1

Avg. Salary $53,043

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
4.7

Growth Rate 5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
9.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 5.27%

Black or African American 5.62%

Hispanic or Latino 9.49%

Unknown 4.75%

White 74.69%

Gender

female 26.67%

male 73.33%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress Level
4.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.6

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
4.5

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a music critic

  1. Explore music critic education requirements

    Most common music critic degrees

    Bachelor's

    72.3 %

    Master's

    19.3 %

    High School Diploma

    3.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific music critic skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    News Stories43.00%
    Music Scene29.06%
    Facebook27.93%
  3. Complete relevant music critic training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New music critics learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a music critic based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real music critic resumes.
  4. Research music critic duties and responsibilities

    • Review architecture student work for semester final project.
    • Recommend new albums/music documentaries for readers to discover.
  5. Apply for music critic jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a music critic job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Music Critic Job

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Average music critic salary

The average Music Critic salary in the United States is $53,043 per year or $26 per hour. Music critic salaries range between $26,000 and $105,000 per year.

Average Music Critic Salary
$53,043 Yearly
$25.50 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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