Jazz pianist Jeremy Monteiro laments stagnant $150 a gig wage for musicians in Singapore

SINGAPORE – Singapore’s king of swing Jeremy Monteiro has lamented the state of the local music and gig-playing scene, pointing out how stagnant musician’ wages have stayed over the years.

In a lengthy Facebook post that went online on June 23, the 64-year-old jazz musician writes: “Some things never change. In the mid-1970s when I first became a professional musician, musicians made $100 to $150 a live club gig.

“In 2024, many musicians are still making $150 a night.

“We must be recession-proof since prices have gone up, salaries have gone up, but musicians’ salaries have largely stayed the same since the mid-70s.”

Monteiro, a Cultural Medallion recipient for his contribution to the local jazz scene, began performing gigs at clubs in 1976 as a teenager.

While the veteran says he has been lucky to have established a name for himself, with members of the public who pay to watch him play and corporations such as private banking group EFG that have supported his career, many are not as privileged.

He adds that while there are artistes like Mandopop stars JJ Lin and Stefanie Sun who can sell out stadiums and make millions, most musicians are just “workers in Singapore like everyone else”.

He writes: “A musician in Singapore with freelance club gigs (because there are very few full-time residency gigs anymore) who teaches regularly either in a school or on a freelance basis and does the occasional corporate gig which (pays) much better can (earn) between $4,000 to $8,000 a month.

“This represents maybe the top 20 to 30 per cent of income earners (among) average musicians. (The average is) more like $2,000 to $5,000 a month.

“So this is not a lucrative living. It’s a vocation. We do this because we love this and are passionate about it.”

Offering advice to young musicians who do not come from wealthy families, Monteiro says they should keep practising their craft, build a community of people willing to support their music, promote themselves on social media, collaborate with artistes from different disciplines and forgo ambitions to own expensive things or take lavish vacations.

He also advises them to save as much as they can and avoid taking large or long-term loans.

Monteiro’s post has received more than 80 shares and over 100 comments, with many agreeing that the state of the local music industry makes it difficult to be a professional, working musician.

The composer-pianist himself admits to having less than a nest egg than he would like, and that he can only voice his support for his peers in the industry.

He says: “To all my fellow musicians in Singapore and everywhere. I feel you, I admire you and to many of you I know personally, I love you.”

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𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞. 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐝 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟎𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧, 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 $𝟏𝟎𝟎-$𝟏𝟓𝟎 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞...

Posted by Jeremy Monteiro on Saturday, June 22, 2024