Session musicians earn through studio recording fees, live touring and dep work, remote session recording via online platforms, and teaching. Top session players combine multiple income streams to earn £40,000–£100,000+ per year.
Session musicianship is the art of being hired to perform music you did not write, with performers you may not know, often with little preparation time — and doing it brilliantly. It is one of the most demanding and well-paid specialisations in professional music.
Studio session recording is the traditional core of session income. A studio musician is hired by a record label, producer, or artist to record a specific instrument part for a recording project. Rates in the UK are regulated by the Musicians' Union: the standard session rate for a three-hour studio session is around £130–£200+. Major label sessions pay more; independent sessions often pay less or are negotiated case by case.
Live dep (deputising) work — filling in for a regular band member who is unavailable — is a significant income stream for many session musicians. A dep gig might be a single show or a full run of tour dates. Rates vary enormously: a local dep gig might pay £100–£150; a touring dep for a major artist might pay £300–£600+ per night plus travel and accommodation.
Remote session recording has transformed the market. Platforms like AirGigs, SoundBetter, and Virgoul allow musicians to record parts professionally from their home studio and deliver them to clients worldwide. A skilled session guitarist or bassist can earn £50–£300+ per remote session depending on complexity and clientele. Remote work has opened session income to musicians who are not in major music industry cities.
Teaching is the fourth major income stream. Most working session musicians teach privately or through platforms, using their professional credibility to attract students. Many earn £30,000–£60,000 from teaching alongside their session work.
Building a session career requires: exceptional technical facility (you must be able to play what is asked for on the first or second take), strong sight-reading, a home recording setup for remote work, and an extensive network. The session world is almost entirely relationship-based — most work comes through recommendations from other musicians and producers who trust your professionalism.
Virgoul connects session musicians with clients looking for professional recording services — alongside a platform to build teaching income that provides stability between session bookings. Building both streams through Virgoul creates a sustainable music career that does not depend entirely on gig availability.
Join VirgoulSession musician income varies enormously. Entry-level session players earning from a mix of dep work, teaching, and occasional studio sessions might earn £15,000–£30,000. Established session players with regular clients and touring work typically earn £40,000–£80,000. The top tier of session musicians in major markets (London, Nashville, LA) can earn £100,000+. Most session musicians combine multiple income streams — studio, live, remote sessions, and teaching.
The path to session work: develop exceptional technical facility on your instrument (you need to be reliably excellent on first or second takes), build strong sight-reading skills, set up a home recording setup for remote sessions, and network aggressively within the music industry. Most session work comes through recommendations. Starting points: offer to dep for local bands, approach local recording studios about session availability, join musician Facebook groups and forums, and register with the Musicians' Union.
Guitar (electric and acoustic), bass, drums, keys/piano, and strings (violin, viola, cello) have the most consistent session demand. Brass and woodwind players work regularly in specific genres (jazz, soul, orchestral). Vocalists who can provide backing vocals or additional lead takes are consistently in demand in pop and R&B production. In electronic music production, session work shifts toward synthesiser programming and electronic production skills.
For studio work, sight-reading is essential — you are often given parts with minimal preparation time and expected to record them on the first or second take. For live dep work and some recording contexts, chord charts and number charts (Nashville Number System) are the standard instead of full notation. The more you can read, the more work you are employable for. A session guitarist who sight-reads standard notation is employable in far more contexts than one who only works from tabs or chord charts.
AirGigs and SoundBetter are the most established platforms specifically for remote session musicians, with large client bases and structured project workflows. Virgoul supports music session work alongside teaching and collaboration. Fiverr has significant volume for production gigs (mixing, mastering, session recording) but with aggressive discounting. Many established session musicians find their best remote clients through personal networks and social media rather than marketplace platforms.