Arts, Design, Media, and Sports · Career brief

Musicians and Singers

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

Musicians and Singers at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

—

National pay benchmark

2025 national median. ChooseField percentile unavailable.

2Demand

0.3%

Slow projected growth

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Below the middle of ChooseField careers for growth.

3Openings

17,400

Lots of annual openings

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Top quarter for openings among careers on ChooseField.

4Route in

No formal credential

A four-year degree is not the typical entry route

No formal educational credential. Prior related work is not typically required.

5The work

Creative

Original ideas and creative judgment matter

Perform before live audiences in concerts, recitals, educational presentations, and other social gatherings.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.3%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.

ChooseField take

The standout national signal is opening volume; it ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if creative work appeals to you and you are comfortable with entry without a formal credential. Main tradeoff: BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.3%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.

Before choosing, compare:Craft Artists Dancers Athletes and Sports Competitors

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare Musicians and Singers with another field Explore rankings in Arts, Design, Media, and Sports Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

2025–2035 outlook

0.3%employment growth17,400openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

No formal educational credential; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

170,400

Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Musicians and singers (27-2042).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

Perform before live audiences in concerts, recitals, educational presentations, and other social gatherings.
Sing a cappella or with musical accompaniment.
Specialize in playing a specific family of instruments or a particular type of music.
Interpret or modify music, applying knowledge of harmony, melody, rhythm, and voice production to individualize presentations and maintain audience interest.

Decision-changing realities

What could make this a poor fit

BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.3%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.
The work routinely happens in close physical proximity to other people; personal space is limited.
Hands-on manipulation of tools, controls, or objects occupies a meaningful part of the workday.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public4.2
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships3.9
Processing Information3.8
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events3.8
Thinking Creatively3.8

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Artistic6.7
Enterprising3.4
Social3.4
Realistic2.9
Conventional2.2
Investigative1.5

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Fine Arts Foreign Language Communications and Media Philosophy and Theology

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Complete a creative brief for someone else, meet the deadline, invite blunt criticism, and revise the work once.
Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe Musicians and singers nationally. They do not establish the salary or number of vacancies available in your area.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Speaking, Active Listening, Monitoring among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

BLS does not assign a related-experience requirement to the occupation. Employers may still ask for placements, supervised practice, a portfolio, or experience with particular tools. Check entry-level vacancies separately from experienced roles.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options

Compare before committing

The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for Craft Artists, Dancers, Athletes and Sports Competitors, Actors.