United States Employment Service in the context of Recording artists

A musician is someone who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate a person who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters, who write both music and lyrics for songs; conductors, who direct a musical performance; and performers, who perform for an audience. A music performer is generally either a singer (also known as a vocalist), who provides vocals, or an instrumentalist, who plays a musical instrument. Musicians may perform on their own or as part of a group, band or orchestra.

Musicians may specialize in a musical genre, although many perform across a variety of styles and often blend or cross genres. Their musical output is influenced by a range of factors, including culture, skill set, life experience, education, and creative preferences. A musician who records and releases music is often referred to as a recording artist; while a musician who primarily writes and records art music, media soundtracks , and scores—including for films, theatrical stage productions, and video games—or classical music is usually called a composer. A music producer, while not a musician outright, may themselves be a musician. A conductor, by way of gestures, leads and provides live direction for, or conducts, an ensemble, typically an orchestra or choral group.

The Wagner–Peyser Act (Pub. L. 73–30) is a United States federal law that establishes a nationwide system of public employment offices, known as the Employment Service. The US DOL Employment and Training Administration defines the Employment Service (ES) as the national system of public offices described under the act, where services are delivered through a nationwide system of one-stop centers, managed by state workforce agencies (SWAs) and the various local offices of the SWAs, and funded by the US DOL.

The act was named for its congressional sponsors, Sen. Robert F. Wagner (D-New York) and Rep. Theodore A. Peyser (D-New York). As part of the New Deal, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the act into law on June 6, 1933, at the White House. The act was later amended many times, especially by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014.