Income

Robert Brown, the founder and front man of the steampunk band Abney Park remembers one week in March 2020 when every one of their upcoming concerts got canceled.  The band had been gigging for two decades, supporting the four members...

This week on the New Music Business, I spoke with Pink Noise’s business manager Khloe Churko, alongside tax preparer and fellow podcaster Stephanie Belcher. We dive deep into the weeds of music industry finances including bookkeeping, 1099s, LLCs versus S Corps, DBAs, how PROs pay artists, and so much more!

Most aspiring artists are chasing their creative dreams on a shoestring budget. Musical gear, recording costs, and promotion expenses can be incredibly expensive, which is why properly managing your money is crucial. As an independent musician who’s spent the last...

The news that took over the entire world this past week was how Neil Young gave Spotify an ultimatum to either remove Joe Rogan’s podcast or Young would remove his music.  Why? Young said in an open letter to his...

Hey all, hope you're staying warm out there. With the January 31st issue deadline right around the corner, let's have a quick talk about 1099's. First, what is a 1099? A 1099 is a statement of income issued to a taxpayer...

This post is about blockchain technology, which makes some people’s eyes glaze over. But trust me, once you understand the basic idea, it’s actually easy to grasp. And it’s all very exciting for indie musicians.   This post will cover how the...

Once you've decided to officially become a professional musician, you are faced with a problem that every working American has to face - you need to file a tax return. This fact alone is enough to dissuade some very talented...

  If you’re a songwriter or publisher with BMI, or you’re thinking of joining BMI, this post is for you. It simply collects royalties for publishers and songwriters. What Is BMI? Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a performing rights organization (PRO). It represents...

In 2009, after working in music and venue marketing for 10 years, I started answering the phones at a busy tax prep firm in Chicago. It was supposed to be a temporary gig, but before long, my musician friends...

If you are reading this, you probably already know about "sync licensing." If you don't, then head over to this amazing podcast with Vo Williams: "Hip Hop Artist with over 1,000 TV, Film and Video Game placements." Listening to the podcast...