Average Musician Salary in Japan for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Musician salary for 2024 in Japan and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Japanese yen. To keep things simple, we are using the JPY currency code instead of the currency symbol ¥.

How Much Does a Musician Make in Japan?

A Musician working in Japan will typically earn around 4,211,600 JPY per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 1,980,600 JPY to the highest average salary of 6,648,800 JPY.

Average Annual Salary
4,211,600 JPY
Average Monthly Salary
350,966 JPY

Lowest Annual Salary
1,980,600 JPY
Lowest Monthly Salary
165,050 JPY

Highest Annual Salary
6,648,800 JPY
Highest Monthly Salary
554,066 JPY

These are average salaries for a Musician in Japan and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Musician to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Musician salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Musician Salaries in Japan

So we've looked at the average salaries a Musician will earn in Japan. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Musician can earn between 1,980,600 JPY and 6,648,800 JPY on average in Japan. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Musician in Japan is 4,465,800 JPY. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 4,465,800 JPY, and 50% of the population earn more than 4,465,800 JPY.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Musician salary in Japan, 25% of the population are earning less than 2,893,600 JPY while 75% of the population earn more than 2,893,600 JPY.

75% of the population earn less than 5,890,200 JPY, and 25% of the population earn more than 5,890,200 JPY.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Musician Salary by Experience Level in Japan

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average musician salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Musician in Japan that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 2,281,800 JPY.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Musician salary would increase to 3,144,700 JPY.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Musician, the average salary would be 4,475,900 JPY.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 5,461,900 JPY.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Musician with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 5,761,400 JPY.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Musician with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 6,274,900 JPY.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
2,281,800 JPY
2-5 Years +38%
3,144,700 JPY
5-10 Years +42%
4,475,900 JPY
10-15 Years +22%
5,461,900 JPY
15-20 Years +6%
5,761,400 JPY
20+ Years +9%
6,274,900 JPY

Musician Salary by Education Level in Japan

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Musician in Japan based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Musician in Japan with a high school education can earn an average salary of 2,819,600 JPY.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Musician in Japan with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 3,288,400 JPY.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Musician in Japan with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 4,777,400 JPY.

  • Master's Degree. A Musician in Japan with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 6,274,900 JPY.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
2,819,600 JPY
Certificate or Diploma +17%
3,288,400 JPY
Bachelor's Degree +45%
4,777,400 JPY
Master's Degree +31%
6,274,900 JPY

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Japan is around 2,570,000 to 7,720,000 JPY and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Musician Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Japan, a male musician will earn an average of 4,345,400 JPY, while a female musician will earn around 4,093,700 JPY.

This means that a male musician earns approximately 6% more than a female musician for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Japan

Male
4,345,400 JPY
Female -6%
4,093,700 JPY

Musician Average Pay Raise in Japan

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Musician in Japan is around 11% every 15 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Japan is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 9%

What this means is that a Musician in Japan can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 9% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Japan for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Japan.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
8%
Energy
7%
Information Technology
6%
Healthcare
5%
Travel
4%
Construction
3%
Education
2%

Musician Bonus and Incentive Rates in Japan

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Musician is a low bonus based job, with 35% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

65% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus
35%
No Bonus
65%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Japan earn approximately 4% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
6,300,400 JPY
Private Sector -4%
6,048,900 JPY

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Musician

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Musician in Japan.

Job Title Category Salary
3D Artist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,857,100 JPY
3D Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,197,600 JPY
3D Generalist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 4,681,400 JPY
3D Visualization Specialist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,698,400 JPY
Acrobatic Rigger Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,718,600 JPY
Actor Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 7,309,600 JPY
Art Administrator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,989,600 JPY
Art Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 7,285,700 JPY
Art Lead Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 7,523,300 JPY
Associate Media Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 6,709,300 JPY
Associate Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 8,448,800 JPY
Broadcast and Sound Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,053,200 JPY
Broadcast Associate Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 4,224,200 JPY
Broadcast News Analyst Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,989,600 JPY
Broadcast Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,432,600 JPY
Broadcasting Journalist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 6,984,300 JPY
Broadcasting Presenter Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 7,763,600 JPY
Camera Equipment Repairer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,912,600 JPY
Camera Operator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,659,400 JPY
Cartoonist / Animator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,363,700 JPY
CAS Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,952,700 JPY
Censorship Executive Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 6,395,900 JPY
Choreographer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,292,500 JPY
Colorist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,013,500 JPY
Communications Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 8,290,700 JPY
Correspondent Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 6,251,400 JPY
Dance Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,698,400 JPY
Dancer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,099,700 JPY
Director of Photography Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 6,335,800 JPY
Disc Jockey Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,755,300 JPY
Editorial Assistant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,359,900 JPY
Events Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,833,500 JPY
Graphic Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 4,043,600 JPY
Illustrator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 4,558,700 JPY
Industrial Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,898,100 JPY
Instructional Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,685,200 JPY
Journalist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 7,510,300 JPY
Makeup Artist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 4,116,600 JPY
Media Design Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 10,199,600 JPY
Media Equipment Operator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,359,900 JPY
Media Operations Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 8,051,500 JPY
Media Planner Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,545,500 JPY
Media Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 7,596,200 JPY
Media Product Development Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 10,369,900 JPY
Media Production Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 10,187,500 JPY
Media Program Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 11,509,500 JPY
Media Relation Executive Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 11,245,700 JPY
Media Relations Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 10,932,200 JPY
Media Sales Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 11,543,100 JPY
Movement and Dance Coordinator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 6,193,900 JPY
Multimedia Coordinator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,850,500 JPY
Multimedia Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,889,500 JPY
Music Consultant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,351,400 JPY
News Associate Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,614,600 JPY
News Reporter Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 6,768,400 JPY
Post Production Assistant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,635,200 JPY
Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 9,985,800 JPY
Product Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,755,300 JPY
Product Planner Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 4,981,700 JPY
Production Artist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,076,600 JPY
Production Assistant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,539,100 JPY
Production Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 8,206,100 JPY
Production Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,395,900 JPY
Program Researcher Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 6,457,900 JPY
Promotion Coordinator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 4,846,300 JPY
Sound Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,305,100 JPY
Sound Engineering Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,047,800 JPY
Stage Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,108,200 JPY
Sub Editor Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 3,503,800 JPY
Television Executive Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 11,734,300 JPY
Transmission Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,399,900 JPY
Video Editor Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 4,403,400 JPY
Video Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,857,100 JPY
Videographer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,267,700 JPY
Visual Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 5,567,700 JPY

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Japan, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Fukuoka 4,465,800 JPY
Hiroshima 3,970,700 JPY
Kawasaki 4,320,200 JPY
Kobe 4,558,700 JPY
Kyoto 4,162,800 JPY
Nagoya 4,570,300 JPY
Osaka 4,510,700 JPY
Saitama 3,934,900 JPY
Sapporo 4,609,700 JPY
Sendai 3,996,300 JPY
Tokyo 4,895,800 JPY
Yokohama 4,943,500 JPY

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