A music producer salary consists of a few streams of revenue, so let’s look at all of the possible options.

This is a music producer’s main source of income and the most reliable one. It’s typically a flat fee, and the client (artist) usually pays half up front and the other half when the project is finished. However, some producers prefer to charge hourly.

If you’re just starting out, you may want to charge $200-400 per song, depending on your skill level and the size and quality of your portfolio work. If you don’t have a portfolio (other than your own songs), you may want to offer one or two clients pro bono work, just to get some experience and portfolio items.

Looking at the music producer profiles on websites like SoundBetter will give a good idea of what an experienced producer earns per song. It ranges anywhere from $400 up to $2,000-3,000 per song.

This price varies from producer to producer and from client to client. Here are some factors to consider when finding the right price to charge…

• Your experience level
• The client’s budget
• How involved the production process will be
• Whether or not you charge for revisions
• How many revisions you’ll offer and how much you’ll charge for each additional one
• The time frame the client is expecting (shorter time frame = higher fee)

Because of all these variables, it’s a good idea to have a set fee as a starting point, then adjust depending on the situation. This is why many producers don’t publicly list their prices but rather say “Contact me for pricing.”

Some producers offer a certain number of revisions – when the client wants them to change elements of the production – and then charge a fee for each revisions above that limit.

As a Music Producer myself, I do not charge for revisions. My thinking is, I should make sure the artist and I are communicating well from the get-go in order to minimize revisions. Plus, I want to create something the artist and I are both proud of, and I don’t want an unexpected fee to get in the way. Because of this, I have the freedom to charge a bit more upfront if I want.

If you will be charging for revisions, find a set price point per revision based on how much time you think it will take to make production adjustments.

Music producers will often ask for a certain percentage of the streaming royalties generated by songs they’ve produced. Beginner producers may not have enough leverage to ask for a percentage, but experienced producers can ask for anywhere between 2% and 50% of the streaming revenue.

However, when you do the math, it isn’t a significant amount unless your song blows up on streaming platforms. Regardless, it’s a smart move to ask for some of the streaming royalties as it’s a form of passive, potentially long-term income.

To set this up, the artist would tell their digital distributor to divert a percentage of the streaming royalties to you automatically.

Publishing and songwriting royalties are paid when your song is on TV, when it’s performed live by you or someone else, and when a public establishment plays it over their public speakers.

Depending on your role in the production of a song, you may ask for a portion of the publishing royalties, songwriting royalties, or a bit of both.

To set this up, you will need to be listed as owning a percentage of the publishing rights with the artist’s and your Performance Rights Organizations, like BMI or ASCAP.

A mechanical royalty is generated any time the recording of a song is streamed or downloaded. The easiest way to collect mechanicals is to register your songs with a publishing admin company. They collect the mechanical royalties, take their cut, and give you the rest.

In this case, to earn mechanical royalties on a song you produced, you will need to be listed as owning a certain percentage of the mechanicals with your publishing admin company.

As a beginner music producer, your “salary” (your annual income) can vary widely based on the things we’ve already talked about. But make no mistake, you can make a full-time living producing music. And some producers make a comfortable living.

The best way to figure out how much you could make as a producer is to use the figures in the previous section, emphasis on the “Upfront fee” section. The small royalty payouts you may get can definitely be nice, but your most reliable source of revenue will be what the artist pays you upfront.

So how do you get started as a music producer? Here are some practical steps to take based on my own experience getting paid to do this.

This is the most important step. You need practice. And you need something to show potential clients. So instead of waiting around for someone to take a chance on you, show them what you can do. Don’t do anything else until you finish 2-3 of your own pro-level songs.

If you want to be treated like a professional producer, get a website. Not only does this show potential clients you’re serious about this as a career, but it also helps your name show up higher in search results. And a website is a great place to showcase your work and provide an easy way for people to contact you.

Find other music producers online. Go to local open mics and talk to artists who impress you. Meet people. Make friends. Don’t be a jerk. This is one of the main ways producers get regular work and build a sustainable career.

Here are some ways and platforms where you can find production clients.

This is why it’s so important to give every client an amazing experience. This is one reason I don’t charge for revisions – I want to make the process as smooth as possible. Then, hopefully, that artist will recommend me to other artists. Make great music, be easy to work with, and people will spread the word.

Find Facebook groups for songwriters and musicians and post about your services. Comment on indie artists’ TikTok videos. Follow and message impressive indie artists on Instagram. Don’t spam them. Be real. Make an actual connection. This can lead to production work.

SoundBetter is built for music people to connect with each other. In addition to music producers, you can find songwriters, singers, mixing engineers, and musicians. This is one place artists go to find a music producer that fits their style.

SoundBetter offers an easy-to-use platform, mediation if needed, and you can list the music-specific services you offer. Plus, they only take 5% from the producer. Currently, this is how I get most of my production work.

Fiverr is not specific to music people, but make no mistake, there are plenty of producers on Fiverr. And it’s a well-known website for hiring creatives, so you can get plenty of work via this platform.

You can offer tiers of your services, which is a nice way to give clients options that fit their needs and budget. Unfortunately, they take 20% from the producers, which is quite steep. I’ve gotten some production work on Fiverr.

AirGigs is specific to music creatives, and it’s another place artists go to find music producers. I find their design a bit clunky, but that may just be preference. They take 15% from the producer, which is pretty high. I’ve gotten some work through this platform.

Building a career as a music producer can take some time. Just stay consistent with it. If you are having trouble finding clients, keep producing your own songs while you look for people to work with. Always be creating and keep looking for ways to get better.

You can definitely earn a full-time music producer salary, it may just take some time to get there.