More than 50% of Filipinos employed in the music industry earn less than Php20,000 a month, which almost falls a little over the minimum wage in the National Capital Region.

This is according to a national music stakeholders survey conducted with 700 respondents and gathered data from focus group discussions with music stakeholders, music-related companies, and organizations from different regions nationwide. 

The respondents come from diverse professions, businesses, and affiliations. The survey showed that 61.1% of Filipinos involved in music creation, production, distribution, and consumption are college degree holders, majority of them are freelance artists. Moreover, most of the respondents said they have non-music-industry related income to support their living expenses.

“Local artists would always have to go through what we normally identify as sariling sikap, that is, without any government intervention and support in its music training, marketing and promotion,” recounts Maria Alexandra Chua, Project leader of the Department of Science and Technology-National Research Council of the Philippines’ (DOST-NRCP) funded project called Musika Pilipinas Project which analyzed the country’s music market, its vulnerabilities, and proposed key areas for improvement.

The time spent by Filipinos listening to music, at an average of 126 minutes or a little over two hours per day is known to be the longest in the world. Music is more than a means of entertainment - it is the people’s way to communicate feelings, resonate their stories, and build on their emotions.