Do Music Industry Employers Publish Salaries?

Most job ads still hide the pay

This report describes the pattern of openings on Music Industry Jobs Europe, not the whole market, and avoids exact vacancy totals that change daily. Fewer than one in ten listings includes a salary or pay range in the employer's own ad. The large majority do not say what the job pays. That is a low rate compared with the recent push for pay transparency in the EU, where a directive requires employers to give pay information to candidates before an interview.

Many employers satisfy that requirement at the interview stage, so it does not always show in the public ad. For job seekers, the practical effect is that pay has to be researched rather than read. This slows the process, but it also means that candidates who prepare, by comparing similar roles and asking sensible questions, often negotiate better outcomes than those who simply wait for an offer.

Where salaries are published

The United Kingdom accounts for around three quarters of listings that show pay, followed by a few in Spain, Italy, Germany and Austria. Part of this is a small-sample effect: a handful of employers post the same role in several locations, and each location counts as one listing. A low figure for a country says little about what employers there actually pay. The UK pattern reflects local custom, where stating a range in the ad is more common than in many continental markets. Elsewhere, pay is usually discussed at interview, set by collective agreements or fixed by a published scale in some organisations.

Who publishes

Employers that publish pay include Resident Advisor, Focusrite Group, FourFour Digital, Musixmatch, KOKO, AEG Europe, The Columbo Group, Suno, Something Something, Faber Music, Bose (Sonus faber), Universal Music and Splice. Two of them, an electronic-music platform and an audio-equipment group, produce most of the listings with pay. The rest are single roles at labels, publishers, agencies and venues. Large major-label and streaming employers rarely publish ranges in their ads. Treat the list as examples, not a ranking. Employers change their practice over time, and new ones start publishing, so use the board to see which listings currently show pay in your field and city.

Why so few employers publish

Several reasons are common. Employers want room to negotiate, they worry about internal pay comparisons, and many consider the interview a safer moment to discuss money. In a small sector, some also fear that published figures will be used by competitors to recruit their staff. The legal picture is shifting, though. As transparency rules are applied more widely across the EU, candidates can expect to hear more about pay earlier in the process, even if the public ad stays silent for now. Collective agreements and public-sector style pay scales exist in some countries, where employers may feel there is little to publish because the scale is already known. Always ask whether such a scale applies to the role you are considering.

How to research pay when it is missing

Ask the recruiter for the range in the first call, compare with similar roles on this board, check collecting-society and industry salary surveys, and look at the pay ranges that employers in the same city publish. Always compare gross annual pay in the same currency and note whether bonuses are included. Graduates should also ask about benefits, training and progression, which can matter as much as the base figure. Career changers should ask how their previous experience will be valued before agreeing a level. Speak to people in the field if you can. A short, polite conversation with someone in a similar role often gives a better sense of the range than any survey. Keep notes of what you hear and compare it with what the employer offers.

What we are doing about it

Where an employer publishes a salary, the job page on Music Industry Jobs Europe shows it. We never estimate pay for an employer that has not published it. Because the board links to the employer's official careers page, the salary you see is the one the employer chose to state. If you do not see one, check the original ad as well, and read our articles on published salaries for examples of what some employers have stated.

Keep in mind that the board covers openings that link to the employer's official careers page, so the pay shown is what the employer chose to publish. Use the filters for field, city and seniority to find comparable roles, and read our articles on published salaries and entry-level pay for examples of ranges that employers have stated, which can give you useful context.

More guides

• How to Get a Job in the Music Industry in Europe
• Music Industry Careers by Field
• How to Start in Entry-Level Music Jobs