First Music Contact and Performing Arts Forum’s 2026 Pay and Conditions survey finds most people in the industry rely on freelance work, nearly two-thirds earn under the national living wage, and just 2% received Basic Income for the Arts.
First Music Contact and Performing Arts Forum have released their second joint Pay and Conditions survey covering the performing arts and music sectors in Ireland, and the findings paint a difficult picture for people trying to make a living from music here.
Based on the results, both organisations are calling on government to increase funding to the Arts Council and Culture Ireland, and to significantly broaden Basic Income for the Arts ahead of Budget 2027.
The survey drew responses from 113 individuals and 15 music industry enterprises across Ireland in late 2025, covering musicians, composers, and music industry workers.
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Some of the key findings:
- 63% of people in the music industry rely wholly or partly on self-employment income, with no year-round contracted work
- Median total weekly income from all sources was €454.34, – 79% of the National Weekly Living Wage. €574.48.
- The Central Statistics Office’s Earnings Analysis shows that the national median weekly earnings from all sources for all employees in 2024 were €730.89.
- 48% earned less than the National Hourly Living Wage of €14.75, and a third earned less than the National Hourly Minimum Wage
- 70% of respondents said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their work, compared to 11% of respondents to the CSO’s general Personal and Work-Life Balance survey
- 36% find it difficult or very difficult to make ends meet, compared to 7% of all Irish households
- 76% of those earning above the PRSI threshold made no pension contributions in 2024, and 67% of music industry enterprises had no pension arrangement for staff
- 41% of respondents had no health insurance
- Just 2% of respondents received Basic Income for the Arts in 2024, and only 18% received any funding at all
Job satisfaction was notably lower among women (86% dissatisfied or very dissatisfied) and LGBTQIA+ respondents (91%) compared to men (62%). Despite the low satisfaction scores, most people aren’t planning to leave: only 25% of dissatisfied respondents said they were likely to leave their job in the next six months, though that’s still double the rate among the general population.
The report’s qualitative responses paint a consistent picture of people surviving on multiple jobs to fund their music. One established creator and film/TV/games composer described working three jobs, one in the arts, one teaching, and one entirely outside music, just to make it work, calling 60 to 70 hour weeks normal. Another respondent, an aspiring musician who received Basic Income for the Arts, said the scheme made their life in music viable for the first time, funding an award-winning record and international tour, but called its cliff-edge ending in February “untenable” with two kids and a mortgage to support.
Several respondents pointed to streaming as a root cause. One emerging creator said the main culprit behind their financial strain was low streaming payments, while another said it costs roughly €10,000 to €30,000 to make an album, with no realistic way to recoup that through sales.
Based on the findings, First Music Contact and Performing Arts Forum are asking government to:
- Increase funding to the Arts Council and Culture Ireland to support the domestic development and international growth of Irish creative careers
- Increase funding to strategic infrastructure organisations in the sector
- Broaden Basic Income for the Arts significantly, with a roadmap to make it permanent and available to all who qualify by 2035
The full report is available to read here.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
