Many musicians in S'pore still making $150 a night since mid-70s, laments jazz pianist Jeremy Monteiro

Jan Lee
The Straits Times
June 25, 2024

Singapore's king of swing Jeremy Monteiro has lamented the state of the local music and gig-playing scene, pointing out how stagnant musicians' wages have been over the years.

In a lengthy Facebook post 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 such as 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 that a musician in Singapore with freelance club gigs - because there are few full-time residency gigs nowadays - 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 and $8,000 a month.

However, this represents the top 20 to 30 per cent of income earners among musicians. The average, he says, is more like $2,000 to $5,000 a month.

"So this is not a lucrative living," he adds. "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 and collaborate with artistes from different disciplines. They should 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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