Our Model

As of 2024, in San Diego where MEC is based, the living wage for a single person according to MIT is $61,401 annually, or $29.52 an hour.

According to Zip Recruiter, the average salary of a musician in San Diego is $43,035 annually, or $20.69 an hour.

According to The San Diego Foundation, 10 % of San Diegans live in poverty and the median salary of musicians places them under living wage.

MEC addresses these issues with need-based grants given to musicians making under their region’s living wage. We seek to subsidize their yearly income by offering $1 per hour worked in music in a tax year. This means that a musician working 20 hours a week in music is eligible to receive up to $1,040. A full-time musician is eligible to receive up to $2,080. We also seek to establish these grants by guaranteeing living-wage performance opportunities for performing musicians.