Music Composer
Last updated · Confirm dates, fees and eligibility on the official website before you apply.
Writes original music for film, television, advertising, games or performers, usually producing the recording as well. Most build income from several of these at once.
- Route in
- Earliest entry: Diploma. Also entered at: Diploma, Undergraduate, Postgraduate. Direct entry. 3 courses lead here
- Where you work
- Film and OTT music production, Cultural organisations and Sangeet Natak Akademi, Private academies, Schools and music academies
How people get in
Getting in
Earliest entry point. Diploma level.
Other levels people enter from. Diploma, Undergraduate, Postgraduate.
Where people work
Outlook
Film and OTT music production, Cultural organisations and Sangeet Natak Akademi, Private academies, Schools and music academies.
Indicative starting salary
Understand the role
Highly variable per month at entry level.
This is an indicative range, not a quote. Actual pay varies with employer, city, sector and the specific role.
The route in, step by step
6 steps from where you are now.
Learn music thoroughly first Required
Theory, harmony, an instrument and ideally voice. Composition rests on the depth of your musical understanding and shortcuts are audible.
Take a degree or formal training Required
Bachelor of Performing Arts, a music degree, or a sound and music production programme.
Learn production and the software Required
A digital audio workstation, MIDI, arrangement, mixing and virtual instruments. Composers are now expected to deliver a finished-sounding demo, not a written score.
Compose for anything available Required
Short films, advertisements, theatre, independent releases and student projects. Early work is usually unpaid or barely paid and is how a portfolio is built.
Work as an assistant or in a studio Required
Assisting an established composer is the traditional route into film and advertising work, and it is still the most reliable one.
Independent composing, and protect your rights Optional
Film, advertising, gaming or library music. Register your works with a copyright society - royalties are where composing income compounds, and unregistered work earns nothing from reuse.
Courses that lead here
3 mapped routes into this career.
Common questions
The ones people actually ask about this work.
What qualification do you need to become a Music Composer?
The earliest entry point is diploma level. People also enter from: Diploma, Undergraduate, Postgraduate.
Where does a Music Composer usually work?
Film and OTT music production, Cultural organisations and Sangeet Natak Akademi, Private academies, Schools and music academies.
What does a Music Composer earn to start?
Highly variable per month is a typical entry-level range. Pay varies with employer, city and sector.
Test this against your own priorities
Pay, hours and entry route matter differently to different people. Compare this against the alternative you are actually weighing, rather than against the average.