A few weeks ago we invited audio production freelancers the opportunity to take part in an anonymous survey about income and other associated factors.
The response was encouraging with over 850 respondents worldwide.
The survey was split into several questions, allowing us to take into account factors such as location, age, and industry sector which we divided between music and post production.
We also asked about things like the cost of healthcare and also if people were saving for retirement.
Below are the results, please bear in mind that the group surveyed are made up from our readership, the results may differ were this survey conducted with a wider sample set.
International Results
The first question was the income made each year in dollars. If you live in another part of the world you will need to convert it to your local currency.
What segment of the audio industry do you work in?
As can be seen, those surveyed were evenly split between music and post production with a slightly greater number saying they work in music production.
Please give your age
How much do you earn?
As you can see, the highest income segment is less than $10,000. This is of some concern and could mean one of several things…
People working in our industry are living below the poverty line,
They are depending on spouses or parents
Music is not the main source of household income.
They may also be having to supplement their income with other work, or having to claim benefits, where this is possible.
The mean average income of the 882 respondents is $45,082.77.
Music & Post Income Variation
The mean average income of those who took our survey when broken into music and post production is;
Music production - $36,191.58
Post production - $55,221.91
As can be seen, those working in post production are earning on average 53% more than those working in music production. In both groups those who said they earn less than $10,000 per year identified as 32% working in music production and 13% working in post production.
International Variations
Below are international variations of the mean average.
USA - $55,859.93 ($48,389.93)*
Canada - $54,962.26
United Kingdom - $52,396.69
Europe - $33,666.67
Australia & New Zealand - $50,173.08
Rest of World - $22,378.38
As you can see the variation in earnings in our industry around the world are significant. However this is to be expected and would be the same irrespective of sector.
Looking at Europe as a whole makes the average income seem shockingly small, however the EU has 28 member countries. According to Eurostat the variances are shown in stark detail. “In 2020, the net annual earnings of an average single worker without children were €24,000 in the EU, ranging from €6,400 in Bulgaria to €41,200 in Luxembourg.”
*Health insurance payments also need to be factored in for countries such as the USA. The average annual cost of health insurance in the USA is $7,470 for an individual and $21,342 for a family as of July 2020, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation - If this were to be factored in then the average mean income for US freelancers who took our survey would drop to around $48,000. Meanwhile across the border in Canada healthcare is free.
Industry Variations
We think it is worth taking the regional mean average income achieved in the music and post production industry and comparing it with the average gross wage in each country. We are using the OED 2019 statistics.
Region | Average Income | Industry Difference |
---|---|---|
USA | $65,836 | -$10,874 |
Canada | $53,198 | +$1764 |
United Kingdom | $47,226 | +$5170 |
Europe | $27,697 | +$5969 |
Australia & New Zealand | $49,216 | +$957 |
Rest of World | $22,378 | +4378.00 |
As you can see, on the whole those working in the music and post production industry who took our survey are earning more than than the national average. This is with the exception of those working in the USA.
Do You Have A Retirement or Pension Plan?
Yes - 35%
No - I can't afford to save 44%
No - I haven't thought about it 22%
Of those surveyed only 35% said they had some kind of retirement plan. This means that they either need to start a pension now, work into retirement, or live in poverty later in life.
The whole area of pension and long term financial planning is often overlooked by those working freelance in the creative sector. Over 44% of those who took our survey said they could not afford to save, with about 22% saying that they hadn’t thought about it. We speak about things that audio professionals avoid at their peril in this article.
Do You Pay For Healthcare?
No, I live in a country where health care is free - 53%
Yes - 33%
No, I can't afford to pay for health care. - 15%
It’s encouraging to see that over half of those who responded have free healthcare, something that shouldn’t be taken for granted. However, a third of those asked have to pay for healthcare out of their income and around 15% cannot afford to pay for healthcare.
Is This Your Experience?
There’s a huge variation in earnings across the sector with the largest group, mainly in music production, earning less than $10,000 a year.
There may be other factors which need to be considered which may paint a different picture, we’ve already outlined these above, they include this not being their main source of income or not being the main household income.
What is clear is that if this is their main source of income then $10,000 a year is certainly not enough and is around $8000 lower than the average Global Pay Scale of $18,000.
Looking at the wider picture, with the exception of the USA, those who took the survey seem to be earning more than the average income for their country.
Is the above data similar to your own experience? Are you one of the many who are earning less than $10,000 a year from music or post production? Or are you earning closer to the average or more?
This survey isn’t perfect, but it is a good starting point for the community to discuss how we make a reasonable living from doing what we love. Furthermore, it’s also important for us to consider how we make provision for health care and our long term future.
One thing is clear from this survey of our readers, it is entirely possible to make a good living from working in music or post production. It does dispel the myth that those of us who choose to work in the creative sector do it until we get a proper job!