Musician
Last updated · Confirm dates, fees and eligibility on the official website before you apply.
Performs and records music professionally, usually across live work, sessions, teaching and their own projects at once. Income is irregular and reputation travels by word of mouth.
- Route in
- Earliest entry: Diploma. Also entered at: Diploma, Undergraduate. Direct entry. 2 courses lead here
- Where you work
- Schools and music academies, Recording studios, Film and OTT music production, Cultural organisations and Sangeet Natak Akademi
How people get in
Getting in
Earliest entry point. Diploma level.
Other levels people enter from. Diploma, Undergraduate.
Where people work
Outlook
Schools and music academies, Recording studios, Film and OTT music production, Cultural organisations and Sangeet Natak Akademi.
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.
Start learning young, under a teacher Required
Indian classical, Western classical and contemporary music all reward early and sustained training. A guru or teacher is the traditional and still the most effective route.
Take formal training or a degree Required
A Bachelor of Performing Arts, a music degree, or the graded examination systems - Prayag Sangit Samiti, Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, or Trinity and ABRSM for Western music. Four years for a degree.
Perform constantly, wherever you can Required
Small venues, weddings, functions, competitions and accompaniment work. Stage hours are what make a musician, and there is no other way to get them.
Build multiple income streams Required
Almost no Indian musician lives on performance alone. Teaching, session work, recording, live accompaniment and content are how the profession is actually funded. Plan for the mix rather than resenting it.
Record and release your own work Required
Streaming distribution is inexpensive and open to anyone. Registering with a copyright society for royalties is a step most independent musicians skip and should not.
Establish a reputation, or specialise Optional
Concert circuits, film and advertising session work, or a strong teaching practice. Reputation compounds slowly and then quite suddenly.
Courses that lead here
2 mapped routes into this career.
Common questions
The ones people actually ask about this work.
What qualification do you need to become a Musician?
The earliest entry point is diploma level. People also enter from: Diploma, Undergraduate.
Where does a Musician usually work?
Schools and music academies, Recording studios, Film and OTT music production, Cultural organisations and Sangeet Natak Akademi.
What does a Musician 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.