Roles, Revenue, and Responsibilities: The Changing Nature of Being a Working Musician

Abstract

Technology has atomized the music industry, and this dispersion of both opportunity and income has meant that musicians are juggling more work, shouldering more risk, and are tasked with more career-management duties—often for lower rates—than before. In this article, we examine qualitative and quantitative data collected through Future of Music Coalition’s Artist Revenue Streams project to learn more about the roles, revenue streams, and responsibilities that many of today’s musicians are managing.