Singer Career
If you’ve enjoyed singing in and out of the shower since you were a child, becoming a professional singer just might be the career option you’ve been looking for. This is a profession where you get to do what you love, and you get to help others have a good time as well. It is a win-win prospect not enjoyed in many other professions.
Music is everywhere in society today, so there are multiple opportunities available for singers today. From singing to adoring fans at a theme park or on a cruise ship to belting out tunes in a club or concert hall, the sky is really the limit if you have the confidence to go places.
Singer Career Snapshot
Singers need to be prepared for long hours in venues that can range from new and ultra modern to quite old and run down. Once you start landing jobs and begin to make a name for yourself, you will need to be ready to travel long distances, both by car and by plane.
Further details on a career as a singer are listed below (statistics from the May 2016 Bureau of Labor Statistics and Onet Online):
is the typical annual pay for singers.
increase in employment between 2014 and 2024.
jobs in 2014 with an expected increase of 6,000 new jobs added by 2024.
Singer Education
There is no formal education required to be a singer. That being said, it would be beneficial to have some training in school so that you have an opportunity to perfect your vocal skills. A background in social media and marketing will also be beneficial to help you land jobs as you first start out in the industry.
Singer Job Duties
You will want to be prepared to not always being the star of the show. Singers might do commercials, perform backup vocals to another artist, or engage in any of a number of other activities that add to the quality of the show. If you do not have an agent, you will also need to be willing to market yourself.
Singer Salaries
One thing to keep in mind about singing as a career is that your salary will tend to fluctuate from one year to another. At the median range, you can expect to earn just over $50,000 on average each year according to BLS.gov reports. That equates to a low of $18,860 per year to the highest ten percent in the industry earning roughly $136,260.
Singer Job Outlook
While there is a demand for singers across the globe, the current job outlook is a bit slower than average. There is an expected three percent growth in this profession anticipated over the next decade.
Singer Skills & Traits
| Singer Skill Set: | Required Abilities: | Tools Used by Singers: | Typical Work Activities: |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Active Listening • Coordination • Social Perceptiveness • Speaking | • Memorization • Speech Clarity • Oral Expression • Oral Comprehension | • Compact disk players or recorders • Microphone stand • Microphones • Musical instrument effects unit | • Thinking Creatively • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships • Making Decisions and Solving Problems • Communicating with Persons Outside Organization |
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