Corporate cash is where it's at

It's said Lorde charges $300,000 for private gigs. Picture / Sarah Ivey

If you're pop royalty, a friendly dictator may pay you 1 million ($1.9 million) to sing at his birthday party. Those further down the scale get to sing for Nando's vouchers. But professional singers are finding corporate gigs to be the biggest source of income, a survey has found.

Musicians have been forced to supplement their income as album sales have declined by nearly 50 per cent over the past decade as the industry struggles to make the transition to a digital future.

The first major analysis of the earnings of professional musicians in Britain has found that income from corporate engagements now far outweighs revenue from record sales and even live concerts.

For singers, "payments for non-ticketed corporate gigs" accounted for 49 per cent of their total earnings in 2013, said UK Music's Measuring Music survey of 900 composers, musicians and songwriters.

This year it was reported it would usually cost $300,000 to secure Kiwi teenage singing sensation Lorde to perform at birthdays or corporate functions.

Ticketed live events produced a further 10 per cent of income with royalties from record sales, publishing rights and radio airplay also accounting for just 10 per cent. Sponsorship deals and commissions for film and television as well as music tuition accounted for the rest.

Lily Allen was once paid 120,000 ($238,000) for a 40-minute performance at a Nokia Christmas party but not every musician can command a bumper fee.

Natalie McCool, a rising Liverpool singer-songwriter who has been mentored by Sir Paul McCartney, said: "I've played corporates for Yamaha, Audio-Technica and Ford, where they wanted a piece of music [for] a new car launch. I do a lot ... they pay well. Local venues don't have that kind of money to pay artists."