What is a music producer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted Expert
Johnathan Paul
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a music producer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $27.28 an hour? That's $56,752 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 12,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a Music Producer?

J

Johnathan PaulJohnathan Paul LinkedIn Profile

Adjunct Professor, University of North Texas

My number one piece of advice for soon-to-be or recent graduates is never to stop learning. I always strive to tell my students to be as diverse as possible. Don't just know one thing; in today's market, you need to know how to do several things. Diversify your tool palette. This will help you in the long run and may lead you to a career path you didn't realize existed.
ScoreMusic ProducerUS Average
Salary
4.4

Avg. Salary $56,752

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
9.2

Growth Rate 8%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 6.42%

Black or African American 8.00%

Hispanic or Latino 14.69%

Unknown 5.60%

White 65.13%

Gender

female 8.85%

male 91.15%

Age - 39
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 - 39
Stress Level
9.2

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
9.6

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
2.8

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Music Producer career paths

Key steps to become a music producer

  1. Explore music producer education requirements

    Most common music producer degrees

    Bachelor's

    59.6 %

    Associate

    15.9 %

    High School Diploma

    12.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific music producer skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    R18.13%
    Audio Engineering13.60%
    Music Production9.30%
    Pro Tools8.47%
    Mac5.12%
  3. Complete relevant music producer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New music producers 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 producer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real music producer resumes.
  4. Research music producer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage custom-built media duplication arrays, printers and packaging systems (VHS, CD, DVD).
    • Manage the QA process including test/debug cycles and platform compliance/compatibility testing.
    • Produce award winning Samsung short as part of a highly successful integrate campaign.
    • Post audio for multimedia productions including mixing, ADR, Foley and scoring.
  5. Prepare your music producer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your music producer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a music producer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Music Producer Resume templates

    Build a professional Music Producer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Music Producer resume.
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  6. Apply for music producer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a music producer 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 Producer Job

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Average music producer salary

The average Music Producer salary in the United States is $56,752 per year or $27 per hour. Music producer salaries range between $39,000 and $81,000 per year.

Average Music Producer Salary
$56,752 Yearly
$27.28 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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