According to a 2020 study by the Center for Cultural Innovation at Berklee College of Music, only about 1 in 10 professional musicians in the United States earn a living wage from their music alone. The majority of musicians rely on a combination of sources for their income, such as teaching, composing for film and TV, session work, and performing in non-music jobs.
The Music Creators North America (MCNA) conducted a survey in 2019, which found that nearly 50% of musicians reported earning less than $5,000 from music in the previous year. Additionally, the MCNA survey revealed that only about 14% of musicians earned over $10,000 annually solely from their musical work.
A study by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2021 indicated that the top 1% of musicians in the United States earned about 75% of the industry's total revenue, while the bottom 99% of musicians split the remaining 25%. This implies that a small percentage of successful artists dominate a majority of the income generated by the music industry.
It is important to note that these statistics are for the United States, and the situation may vary in different countries and regions. Additionally, factors like genre, location, career stage, and individual circumstances can greatly influence a musician's ability to earn a living solely from music.