Life Quality of Professional Musicians in Split County, Croatia

The context of economic transition has a considerable influence on the Croatian labor market. Economic instability, high unemployment rates, business insecurity and part-time jobs are only a few among many characteristics affecting the quality of life of an individual in Croatia. The influence of music on the producing culture and society depends on the social position and perspective of the musicians who write, compose and perform music and, by doing so, transfer their message to the public. With the aim of exploring the life quality of professional musicians in the Split County, Croatia, research including one hundred professional musicians was conducted. The obtained results suggest that the living standard of professional musicians is average while their life satisfaction is high. For the majority of the participants, music is the main and the largest source of income and their average monthly earnings are at the level of the average monthly net salary in the Republic of Croatia. Participants rated their health and spending time with loved ones as top priorities in their lives. The confidence in the institutions is rated relatively low with the exception of the Croatian Music Union Split. Dissatisfaction with the poor economic situation in Croatia does not affect their personal life satisfaction.