Money · 1 of 5

What composers make

Typical

$36,000

Starting out

$30,000

Established screen composer

$101,000

Job Bank's national median for composers is $36,000 a year, which is low for a job that usually needs a degree. Its low figure is the census floor of $32,867, so the bottom of this market is not really measured. We show $30,000 because most composers earn less than that from music alone for years and top it up with teaching, playing or an unrelated job.