Performing musicians emigrated in higher numbers in the Hungarian mass emi­gration of 1956 than composers for various different reasons. As revealed by this study, on one hand, this is explained by the fact that their motivation to emigrate was different. On the other hand, there was also a significant differ­ence in the attainable income of various musical professions. Based on archi­val sources, this study explores the structure and size of fees and royalties in the music industry in the context of the cultural politics and centrally planned economy of Hungarian state socialism. The study provides insight into the social prestige of various musical professions and the decision-making processes in the industry. Contemporary Hungarian musical life is explained through case stud­ies of Zoltán Kodály and László Lajtha, which shed new light on the political and professional situation of these composers in this period.