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Career challenges facing musicians in the United States

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  • Ying Zhen

    (Wesleyan College)

Abstract

This study describes and analyzes the challenges that musicians face in the United States, based on a survey of 1227 musicians, which was conducted in 2018 by the Music Industry Research Association and the Princeton University Survey Research Center, in partnership with MusiCares. It reveals that the average American musician earns income from three music-related activities per year, but for 61% of musicians this is not sufficient to meet living expenses. We explore important factors affecting music-related income, focusing on the impact of attending a high school featuring music education, of joining MusiCares membership, and the interaction between these factors and being born in the U.S.A. Attending schools with music education increases music-related earnings, while MusiCares membership has a negative association. However, when MusiCares membership is controlled for, attending a high school featuring music education is associated with at least 36% higher music-related earnings. In addition, the earnings advantage among attendees of music high schools is around 56.8% higher for those who were born in the U.S.A. than those who were foreign-born.

Suggested Citation

  • Ying Zhen, 2022. "Career challenges facing musicians in the United States," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 46(3), pages 519-540, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jculte:v:46:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s10824-022-09442-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s10824-022-09442-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Music industry; Earnings; Well-being; Career challenges;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J44 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Professional Labor Markets and Occupations
    • J49 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Other

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