Musicians and Singers

Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
O*NET-SOC code
27-2042.00

Play one or more musical instruments or sing. May perform on stage, for broadcasting, or for sound or video recording.

  • Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08

    Moderate· relative

    LowFour relative bandsVery high

    Group-level value

    Scale, basis and source

    Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)

    831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band

    Source dataset (XLSX download)

  • Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03

    0.000

    0.000Range of values carried here0.745
    Scale, basis and source

    Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published

    Mapped onto O*NET tasks

    Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value

    Source dataset (CSV download)

  • Data source: ILOPublished: 2025

    0.28

    0.09Range of values carried here0.70

    Group-level value

    Scale, basis and source

    Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published

    Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published

    Source dataset (PDF download)

What kind of figure this source publishes

The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.

Task-level exposure

Exposed tasks only

30 rated tasks · 18 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (60.0%)

β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.

  • Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
  • 4 rated tasks are not in the O*NET 31.0 task list; their scores are kept as published for O*NET 27.2.
Source
OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
Release
gh-main-0471612
License
MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI

Tasks of O*NET-SOC 2010 occupations 27-2042.01 Singers; 27-2042.02 Musicians, Instrumental, linked to this occupation by the O*NET-SOC 2010 to 2019 crosswalk

Task (O*NET 20.1)Claude.aiRaw / share %
Compose original music such as popular songs, symphonies, or sonatas.

27-2042.02

0.021728.9
Compose songs or create vocal arrangements.

27-2042.01

0.015921.3
Interpret or modify music, applying knowledge of harmony, melody, rhythm, and voice production to individualize presentations and maintain audience interest.

27-2042.01

0.015120.2
Seek out and learn new music suitable for live performance or recording.

27-2042.01

0.00628.2
Collaborate with a manager or agent who handles administrative details, finds work, and negotiates contracts.

27-2042.01

0.00618.1
Perform before live audiences, or in television, radio, or movie productions.

27-2042.01

0.00385.1
Research particular roles to find out more about a character, or the time and place in which a piece is set.

27-2042.01

0.00334.4
Transpose music to alternate keys, or to fit individual styles or purposes.

27-2042.02

0.00293.8
Not observed on any surface — 20 task(s) — These tasks have no row in the source for this release. The 0 in the share row is a display-stage composition ratio; absence is what the — in the raw row states.
Memorize musical selections and routines, or sing following printed text, musical notation, or customer instructions.
—0
Sing as a soloist or as a member of a vocal group.
—0
Practice singing exercises and study with vocal coaches to develop voice and skills and to rehearse for upcoming roles.
—0
Sing a cappella or with musical accompaniment.
—0
Observe choral leaders or prompters for cues or directions in vocal presentation.
—0
Make or participate in recordings.
—0
Learn acting, dancing, and other skills required for dramatic singing roles.
—0
Practice musical instrument performances, individually or in rehearsal with other musicians, to master individual pieces of music and to maintain and improve skills.
—0
Perform before live audiences.
—0
Specialize in playing a specific family of instruments or a particular type of music.
—0
Play musical instruments as soloists, or as members or guest artists of musical groups such as orchestras, ensembles, or bands.
—0
Play from memory or by following scores.
—0
Sight-read musical parts during rehearsals.
—0
Audition for orchestras, bands, or other musical groups.
—0
Provide the musical background for live shows such as ballets, operas, musical theatre, and cabarets.
—0
Promote their own or their group's music by participating in media interviews and other activities.
—0
Make or participate in recordings in music studios.
—0
Direct bands or orchestras.
—0
Teach music for specific instruments.
—0
Improvise music during performances.
—0

Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page

All O*NET 31.0 task statements (26)

All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.

Task (O*NET 31.0)Type
Perform before live audiences in concerts, recitals, educational presentations, and other social gatherings.Core
Specialize in playing a specific family of instruments or a particular type of music.Core
Play musical instruments as soloists, or as members or guest artists of musical groups such as orchestras, ensembles, or bands.Core
Sight-read musical parts during rehearsals.Core
Play from memory or by following scores.Core
Listen to recordings to master pieces or to maintain and improve skills.Core
Provide the musical background for live shows, such as ballets, operas, musical theatre, and cabarets.Core
Seek out and learn new music suitable for live performance or recording.Core
Make or participate in recordings in music studios.Core
Make or participate in recordings.Core
Practice performances, individually or in rehearsal with other musicians, to master individual pieces of music or to maintain and improve skills.Core
Sing a cappella or with musical accompaniment.Supplemental
Interpret or modify music, applying knowledge of harmony, melody, rhythm, and voice production to individualize presentations and maintain audience interest.Supplemental
Sing as a soloist or as a member of a vocal group.Supplemental
Observe choral leaders or prompters for cues or directions in vocal presentation.Supplemental
Memorize musical selections and routines, or sing following printed text, musical notation, or customer instructions.Supplemental
Practice singing exercises and study with vocal coaches to develop voice and skills and to rehearse for upcoming roles.Supplemental
Teach music for specific instruments.Supplemental
Audition for orchestras, bands, or other musical groups.Supplemental
Promote their own or their group's music by participating in media interviews and other activities.Supplemental
Research particular roles to find out more about a character, or the time and place in which a piece is set.Supplemental
Transpose music to alternate keys, or to fit individual styles or purposes.Supplemental
Arrange and edit music to fit style and purpose.Supplemental
Improvise music during performances.Supplemental
Collaborate with a manager or agent who handles administrative details, finds work, and negotiates contracts.Supplemental
Perform in television, radio, or movie productions.Supplemental

Occupation information

Employment outlook (BLS)

Employment, 2025
170K
Projected employment, 2035
171K
Change (2025–35)
+0.3%
Median annual wage, 2025
not published
Typical education needed for entry
No formal educational credential

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — Employment by detailed occupation, 2025 and projected 2035

Korea classification links (KSCO)

Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.

KSCO codeKSCO titleRelationStatus
29441국악인This occupation is broaderconfirmed
29442국악 연주가This occupation is broaderconfirmed
29453연주가This occupation is broaderconfirmed
29461가수This occupation is broaderconfirmed
29462성악가This occupation is broaderconfirmed

Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)

ILO occupational description

AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.

  • ISCO-08 2652Musicians, Singers and Composers

The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.

Musicians, singers and composers write, arrange, conduct and perform musical compositions.

Tasks

  • (a) creating melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structures to express ideas and emotions in musical form;
  • (b) translating ideas and concepts into standard musical signs and symbols for reproduction and performance;
  • (c) adapting or arranging music for particular instrumental or vocal groups, instruments or occasions;
  • (d) conducting instrumental or vocal groups;
  • (e) selecting music for performances and assigning instrumental parts to musicians;
  • (f) playing one or more musical instruments as a soloist or as a member of an orchestra or a musical group;
  • (g) singing as soloists or members of vocal groups or other bands;
  • (h) practising and rehearsing to maintain a high standard of performance.

Example occupations

Band leader · Composer · Instrumentalist · Music conductor · Night club musician · Night club singer · Orchestrator · Singer · Street musician · Street singer

Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits

ESCO occupational vocabulary

Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.

  • variety artistESCO 2659.2.6This occupation is narrower

    Variety artists are multi-disciplinary artists who master in at least two of the following disciplines: comedy, dance, singing, circus arts, object manipulation and illusionism. They perform solo or collectively, may appear in music variety shows, cabaret, musicals and other entertainment events. Their artistic performance is characterised by the blending of arts, styles and disciplines.

  • musicianESCO 2652.3This occupation is broader

    Musicians perform a vocal or musical part that can be recorded or played for an audience. They have know-how and practice of one or many instruments or using their voice. The musician can also write and transcribe music.

  • singerESCO 2652.3.2This occupation is broader

    Singers are professional musicians, skilled in the use of their voice as a musical instrument, with different vocal ranges. They perform for live audiences and for recordings in different musical genres.

Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)

License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)

View original

ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.

France classification links (ROME)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.

ROME codeROME title (French)Relation
L1202Musicien / MusicienneThis occupation is broaderprovisional
L1212Chanteur / ChanteuseThis occupation is broaderprovisional
L1205Artiste-interprèteRelated, not a matchprovisional

Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.

ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)

Spain classification links (CNO-11)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

CNO-11 codeCNO-11 title (Spanish)Relation
2932Compositores, músicos y cantantesSame scopeprovisional

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)

Germany classification links (KldB)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

KldB codeKldB title (German)Relation
94114Musiker/innen - hoch komplexe TätigkeitenThis occupation is broader
94124Sänger/innen - hoch komplexe TätigkeitenThis occupation is broader
94184Musik-, Gesangs- und Dirigententätigkeiten (sonstige spezifische Tätigkeitsangabe) - hoch komplexe TätigkeitenThis occupation is broaderprovisional

Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)

Japan classification links (JSCO)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

JSCO codeJSCO title (Japanese)Relation
231音楽家Same scopeprovisional

Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)

Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources