Contents
- Music industry employment statistics: U.S. jobs supported by the music industries
- Music industry employment statistics: direct U.S. music-industry jobs
- Music industry employment statistics: Canadian recording workforce age statistics
- Music industry employment statistics: age distribution in music publishing and studios
- Music industry employment statistics: gender representation across recording industries
- Sources
Music industry employment statistics: U.S. jobs supported by the music industries
U.S. music-industry employment estimates distinguish jobs supported across the wider economy from jobs attributed directly to covered industries. In the RIAA report, “total final-demand employment” includes direct activity and ripple effects. The report estimates these figures from receipts and RIMS II multipliers, so the totals are not a headcount of people employed by music companies alone. The reported totals were 2,165,543 jobs in 2017 and 2,539,280 in 2020. They describe those specific years, rather than current employment. RIAA, The U.S. Music Industries: Jobs & Benefits — The 2024 Report, Table 3.4 and notes
Two reported industry groupings help illustrate the breadth of the estimate. The report labels NAICS 300–399 “Software and Disc Production” and NAICS 400–499 “Retail and Wholesale Activities.” Their final-demand employment values, alongside the total, are:
| U.S. grouping and final-demand measure | 2017 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Total across music-industry groupings | 2,165,543 jobs | 2,539,280 jobs |
| Software and disc production (NAICS 300–399) | 84,261 jobs | 123,033 jobs |
| Retail and wholesale activities (NAICS 400–499) | 136,410 jobs | — |
The retail and wholesale figure shown is for 2017; no 2020 value is included in the checked observations. A dash here means no value is presented in this table, not zero employment. The total and subgroup estimates use the report’s economic modeling framework, which combines estimated receipts and multipliers. RIAA, Tables 2.0 and 3.4
This broad measure is useful for understanding the report’s estimate of employment associated with music-related final demand across its defined groupings. It should not be substituted for direct employment when describing industry payrolls or the number of people working at music businesses. The distinction matters because ripple effects reach beyond the direct activity represented in the separate direct-employment table. RIAA, Table 3.4 and notes
Music industry employment statistics: direct U.S. music-industry jobs
RIAA separately reports direct employment across its U.S. music-industry groupings. The estimated total was 1,126,755 jobs in 2017 and 1,317,638 in 2020. These historical estimates use estimated receipts and RIMS II multipliers, according to the table notes. The direct series represents the report’s direct-effects measure; it does not include the wider ripple effects captured in final-demand employment. RIAA, The U.S. Music Industries: Jobs & Benefits — The 2024 Report, Table 3.5 and notes
For the same two named groupings, reported direct-employment figures are:
| U.S. grouping and direct-employment measure | 2017 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Total across music-industry groupings | 1,126,755 jobs | 1,317,638 jobs |
| Software and disc production (NAICS 300–399) | 24,024 jobs | 35,397 jobs |
| Retail and wholesale activities (NAICS 400–499) | 77,563 jobs | — |
As above, the retail and wholesale entry is reported for 2017 only among these observations. The total covers the report’s music-industry groupings, while the named rows correspond to the NAICS labels identified in its industry table. Comparing these values with final-demand figures requires keeping the measures separate: they describe different scopes within the same report. RIAA, Tables 2.0 and 3.5
The two reported years provide historical reference points, not a year-by-year series. They do not show the path of employment between 2017 and 2020, and they do not establish a current total. Their modeled basis also means that the figures should be described as estimates rather than exact counts from a worker census. RIAA, Table 3.5 and notes
Music industry employment statistics: Canadian recording workforce age statistics
Statistics Canada’s 2023 figures describe the age composition of employees in the sound recording industry group. They are percentages of each stated workforce, rather than counts of jobs or people. Across the group, 29.4% of employees were aged 25 to 34. The group includes music publishers, sound recording studios, record production and distribution, and other sound recording industries. Statistics Canada, “Workforce insights: Demographics in the motion picture, video and sound recording industries, 2015 to 2023,” “The sound recording industry group” and Chart 3
Within the same age band, 38.8% of employees in record production and distribution were aged 25 to 34, while the corresponding share in other sound recording industries was 23.7%. The overall group figure and the segment figures refer to different scopes: the first covers the defined group, and the latter two are for individual industry segments. These percentages show the reported composition in 2023, but do not explain why the shares differ. Statistics Canada, Chart 3, “Proportion of employees in the sound recording industry group by age group, 2023”
The study’s population definition is important when reading any of these figures. Statistics Canada says its results cover employees who received a T4 slip from employers and self-employed individuals. Other employment types, including contract workers, are excluded. The age profile therefore applies to the population covered by the study and should not be taken as a complete count of everyone performing sound-recording work in Canada. Statistics Canada, study scope notes
Music industry employment statistics: age distribution in music publishing and studios
The 2023 data provide two age-band comparisons for music publishers and sound recording studios. Employees aged 18 to 24 accounted for 4.8% of the music publishers workforce and 4.7% of the sound recording studios workforce. For those aged 25 to 34, the shares were 25.7% and 28.2%, respectively. Each percentage is a share of the employees in the named Canadian industry, rather than a count or hiring rate. Statistics Canada, Chart 3, “Proportion of employees in the sound recording industry group by age group, 2023”
| Canadian industry, 2023 | Employees aged 18 to 24 | Employees aged 25 to 34 |
|---|---|---|
| Music publishers industry | 4.8% | 25.7% |
| Sound recording studios industry | 4.7% | 28.2% |
In both industries, the reported share for ages 18 to 24 was smaller than the share for ages 25 to 34. This comparison is limited to the two age bands and industries shown. It does not describe the full age distribution, establish a pattern across other recording segments, or show how the workforce changed over time. The chart is a snapshot of composition in 2023. Statistics Canada, Chart 3
Taken with the broader group figures, these values show why industry boundaries matter in workforce comparisons. A percentage for music publishers or sound recording studios is specific to that segment; the overall sound recording industry group combines multiple segments. Comparing the percentages is meaningful as a description of the reported age mix, as long as the named population and year remain attached to each figure. Statistics Canada, “The sound recording industry group” and Chart 3
Music industry employment statistics: gender representation across recording industries
Statistics Canada’s 2023 Chart 2 reports women’s share of employees in four Canadian sound-recording segments. Women accounted for 41.7% of employees in music publishers, 18.4% in sound recording studios, 44.0% in record production and distribution, and 18.2% in other sound recording industries. These are within-industry shares, not counts of women employed in each segment. Statistics Canada, Chart 2, “Proportion of men and women employed in the sound recording industry group, 2023”
| Canadian industry, 2023 | Employees identified as female |
|---|---|
| Music publishers industry | 41.7% |
| Sound recording studios industry | 18.4% |
| Record production and distribution industry | 44.0% |
| Other sound recording industries | 18.2% |
Statistics Canada notes that its reported gender categories do not sum to 100%, because the non-binary category was removed due to size. The female shares should therefore be read as the study reports them, not as a complete accounting of every gender identity. As with the age figures, the study covers employees who received a T4 slip from employers and self-employed individuals, while excluding other employment types such as contract workers. The results describe the covered population in 2023. Statistics Canada, Chart 2 and study scope notes