# Average Musicians Wage in Ireland?!



## Damien (7 Sep 2009)

Im just wondering if anybody has any idea what the average wage is for an up-and-coming band or singer song writer in Ireland?? Im curious due to the fact that it looks like artists will be getting taxed from here on. Many thanks.


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## Caveat (8 Sep 2009)

Wage?  Does it ever really work like that? Unless you are a jobbing, unionised session player I wouldn't have thought actual wages would really come into it. 

Most musicians I know make what they can, whenever they can, however they can - doesn't really change until you become reasonably successful and even then, very few would get a 'wage' as such.


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## huskerdu (8 Sep 2009)

The artists tax excemption, which has been mentioned by the commision on taxation, only covers royalty payments on original works, so for musicians, it only covers payment associated with material which they have written, not fees for playing, so doesn't apply to all musicians, or even for those musicians who get it, it wouldn't be on all their income. 

Therefore a successful wedding / covers band would not get an tax excemption
at all. 

Of course, cavaet is right, there is no average anything for such things


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## Brendan Burgess (8 Sep 2009)

My understanding is that many musicians work in the cash economy and don't declare their income for tax purposes. They should of course, but I think that most don't. 

I doubt if many of them make enough to be taxable if that was their only source of income.

Brendan


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## JJ1982 (23 Sep 2009)

My other half is a musician and is registered for Income Tax for this. He works about 2 nights a week at full price and then one or two sessions which pay less. In the summer there is a bit more work going. It has never amounted to more that 30k in a year, I think 30k was his highest ever in 2006.

But there are many musicians who make a fine bit of money and because its cash do not declare it and therefore are "entitled" to SW benefits. Its very hard for revenue to audit an almost complete cash economy. Pubs dont exactly make a musican fill in a form with all their details each gig!


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## BeanPole (13 Oct 2009)

JJ1982 said:


> Pubs dont exactly make a musican fill in a form with all their details each gig!


 
Perhaps this should be part of the terms of the publicans licence. If you want to offer public entertainment, then give the taxman the details of the musicians you are using.

This way the taxman could audit 5 - 10% of them to catch evaders.

Might not be worth it, due to the small amounts involved


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