Music Producer

Explore employment trends, required job duties and skills for this career. ASU offers a variety of degrees that can help you prepare for and meet your career goals. Visit ASU's Career and Professional Development Services to learn how to develop your career plan.

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Potential job titles in this career

Arranger, Choir Director, Composer, Conductor, Music Composer, Music Director, Music Producer, Orchestra Director, Producer, Songwriter

* Additional schooling, certification, or degrees maybe be required for some of the potential careers that are listed.

What will I do?

Use gestures to shape the music being played, communicating desired tempo, phrasing, tone, color, pitch, volume, and other performance aspects.

Direct groups at rehearsals and live or recorded performances to achieve desired effects such as tonal and harmonic balance dynamics, rhythm, and tempo.

Study scores to learn the music in detail, and to develop interpretations.

Apply elements of music theory to create musical and tonal structures, including harmonies and melodies.

Consider such factors as ensemble size and abilities, availability of scores, and the need for musical variety, to select music to be performed.

Determine voices, instruments, harmonic structures, rhythms, tempos, and tone balances required to achieve the effects desired in a musical composition.

Experiment with different sounds, and types and pieces of music, using synthesizers and computers as necessary to test and evaluate ideas.

Transcribe ideas for musical compositions into musical notation, using instruments, pen and paper, or computers.

Audition and select performers for musical presentations.

Plan and schedule rehearsals and performances, and arrange details such as locations, accompanists, and instrumentalists.

In this career, it is important to know

Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

It's useful to be good at

Hearing Sensitivity - The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.

Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Auditory Attention - The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Employment trends

Location	Pay period	2022
Location	Pay period	10%	25%	Median%	75%	90%
United States	Hourly	$15.26	$21.66	$30.26	$47.21	$79.69
United States	Yearly	$31,750	$45,050	$62,940	$98,200	$165,760
Arizona	Hourly	$17.57	$21.39	$23.34	$36.23	$72.77
Arizona	Yearly	$36,540	$44,500	$48,540	$75,350	$151,360

2022 Median%
United States	$30.26 Hourly	$62,940 Yearly
Arizona	$23.34 Hourly	$48,540 Yearly

Employment (2022)

51,800 employees

Projected growth (2022 - 2032)

Little or no change

Projected job openings (2022 - 2032)

5,100

* Data obtained from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).

What are accelerated programs?

Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.

3 year programs

These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.

Accelerated master's

These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).

Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.

What are concurrent programs?

Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.

What are joint programs?

Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.

What constitutes a new program?

ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the “New Programs” option.

What are online programs?

ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.

What is the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)?

The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is a program in which residents of western states (other than Arizona) may be eligible for reduced nonresident tuition. See more information and eligibility requirements on the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program.