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The differences between musicians and disc jockeys can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a musician and a disc jockey. Additionally, a musician has an average salary of $57,257, which is higher than the $54,894 average annual salary of a disc jockey.
The top three skills for a musician include live performances, keyboard and music theory. The most important skills for a disc jockey are R, audio equipment, and video equipment.
A musician specializes in performing or producing music through different mediums. Most of their responsibilities will revolve around practicing to develop their skills and enhance their performance, receiving training from experts to monitor progress and identify weaknesses to improve. There are also instances when a musician must interact and engage with the public, appear in shows, and participate in various competitions. Furthermore, a musician needs to maintain a healthy relationship with fans while continuously improving skills and releasing good music.
Disk jockeys are responsible for providing entertainment by playing the best songs for a specific target audience. Usually, disc jockeys work for a radio station or a recreational club. Disc jockeys must be able to have comprehensive knowledge of the music trends to provide the best music experience for the listeners. One of the duties of a disk jockey also includes being able to operate provided systems and equipment to ensure voice and music quality. A disc jockey must even know how to communicate with the audience to take requests and suggestions from the listeners.
Musicians and disc jockeys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Musician | Disc Jockey | |
| Average Salary | $57,257 | $54,894 |
| Salary Range | Between $25,000 And $127,000 | Between $29,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest Paying City | New York, NY | Waterbury, CT |
| Highest Paying State | New York | Nevada |
| Best Paying Company | Sanford Health | University of Central Florida |
| Best Paying Industry | Media | Education |
There are a few differences between a musician and a disc jockey in terms of educational background:
| Musician | Disc Jockey | |
| Most Common Degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most Common Major | Music | Communication |
| Most Common College | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | - |
Here are the differences between musicians' and disc jockeys' demographics:
| Musician | Disc Jockey | |
| Average Age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender Ratio | Male, 80.4% Female, 19.6% | Male, 76.5% Female, 23.5% |
| Race Ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 5.4% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 5.0% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 16% |