{"id":10289,"date":"2017-10-18T11:45:04","date_gmt":"2017-10-18T15:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/takenote\/?p=10289"},"modified":"2025-11-19T10:56:46","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T15:56:46","slug":"turn-band-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/turn-band-business\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Turn Your Band Into a Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-essential-legal-and-financial-tips-to-help-independent-musicians-run-their-bands-like-businesses\">Essential Legal and Financial Tips to Help Independent Musicians Run Their Bands Like Businesses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I know. I know. Thinking about your band and your music as a business venture may make you feel a bit uneasy, but if you\u2019re an independent artist, thinking this way can put you on the path towards a sustainable music career and enable you to do more of what you love: Creating music!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In my free massive open online course on Coursera, <em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Building Your Career in Music: Developing A Brand and Funding Your Music (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.coursera.org\/learn\/navigate-music-industry-independent-artist\" target=\"_blank\">Building Your Career in Music: Developing A Brand and Funding Your Music<\/a><\/em>, I share five tips for turning your band into a business. Read on for an overview and learn how to make the most out of your music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Five Tips for Making Your Band a Business | Navigating the Music Business with Leah Waldo\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Id3klQu-sLQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Please note: The information shared in this post refers to the United States only. Check your local laws and tax code for information that is specific to your area.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-incorporate-as-an-llc\"><strong>1. Incorporate as an LLC<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An LLC, or limited liability company, is a corporate structure where the members of the company cannot be held personally liable for the company\u2019s debts and liabilities. Let\u2019s say you and your band get into some legal trouble \u2013&nbsp;for example, a venue is suing you for allegedly damaging some of their equipment. And let\u2019s say you lost the course case and owe that venue money. If you have not incorporated as an LLC, you can be held personally liable \u2013 meaning, the venue can go after your personal assets such as a car, house, or any personal savings accounts. If you have incorporated as an LLC, then that venue can only go after any assets owned by that LLC (which probably isn\u2019t much if you\u2019re just starting out). Incorporating as an LLC is essential for legally protecting yourself and your bandmates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A note to songwriters: You may not need an LLC, but you should absolutely register a publishing company. Why? As Berklee Online <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"http:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/music-business?campaign_id=7010Z000001ZkQgQAK&amp;pid=&amp;utm_source=takenote&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bol-gen-takenote-link-from-article\" target=\"_blank\">music business<\/a> course author and instructor <a href=\"http:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/faculty\/john-kellogg?campaign_id=7010Z000001ZkQgQAK&amp;pid=&amp;utm_source=takenote&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bol-gen-takenote-link-from-article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">John Kellogg<\/a> says, \u201cEvery time music gets played, somebody gets paid.\u201d You want to ensure that somebody is you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Registering a publishing company is really easy. Simply go to your local City Clerk\u2019s office and request to fill out a Business Registration form. Complete the form, pay a small fee (usually no more than $80), and viola! You\u2019re officially the founder and president of a new publishing company. Finally, you\u2019ll need to register your new publishing company with your performance rights organization (PRO) and list your publishing company as the publisher for your songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a songwriter, when you register with a performing rights company (BMI, ASCAP, or SESAC), you\u2019re entitled to the writer\u2019s share of the royalty for a song, which is 50%. That other 50% goes to the publisher. If you are an indie songwriter and are not affiliated with any publisher, you\u2019re essentially leaving that other 50% on the table. &nbsp;If you incorporate as your own publishing company and then register your songs as the publisher with the performing rights company, then you\u2019ll receive the full 100% of the royalties owed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last but not least, there is one other major benefit to incorporating: You can open a corporate bank account. Having a corporate bank account that manages all of your band expenses will make managing your money and filing taxes much clearer \u2013 that way, you\u2019re not intermingling your personal and professional expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-decide-whether-your-bandmates-are-employees-or-independent-contractors\"><strong>2. Decide whether your bandmates are employees or independent contractors.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Either way, you should absolutely have your bandmates fill out the appropriate tax forms. Why? Well, let\u2019s say your band makes $10,000 in one year. You, being the generous and benevolent bandleader that you are, decide to pay your bandmates $8,000 of that total $10,000. When it\u2019s time to do your taxes, you are required to report that $10,000 as income. However, you can also report your expenses, including salary (for employees) or contractor fees (for independent contractors). These expenses are deducted from the total amount of money you owe taxes on. So, since you paid your bandmates $8,000, you\u2019ll only owe taxes on $2,000 (because $10,000 &#8211; $8,000 = $2,000). Again, make sure you have your bandmates complete the appropriate tax forms. You\u2019ll need these so that the IRS can confirm that you\u2019re not lying about your expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, what are these forms? You\u2019ll need different forms depending on whether your bandmates are employees or independent contractors. An <strong>employee<\/strong> fills out a W4 and an <strong>independent contractor<\/strong> fills out a W9. The main difference between the two is that employees have taxes withheld from their paychecks (federal, state, local, etc.) whereas independent contractors do not and are required to pay their own taxes. Be aware that if you do not manage your taxes properly, or if you categorize your bandmates incorrectly, you may be audited and charged fees by the IRS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more about this process and decide which forms to give your bandmates, visit the IRS\u2019s website at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.irs.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">www.irs.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-keep-track-of-your-income\"><strong>3. Keep track of your income.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This may seem obvious, but when you\u2019re gigging and touring and money is flying all over the place, it can become difficult to keep track of how much you\u2019re bringing in. It\u2019s important to keep track of your income because, again, at the end of the year, it\u2019ll be time to do those taxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you overreport how much money you brought in, you\u2019ll be paying too much in taxes, which is not fun for anyone. But, on the flip side, if you underreport how much money you\u2019re bringing in, you won\u2019t be paying enough in taxes and could incur fees later. You could get into some serious trouble with the IRS, even if it is an honest mistake. Here are some ways you can keep track of your income:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Keep an income journal. Every time you get paid, create an entry. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep an online ledger that is saved in the cloud so you can access it from anywhere.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Download a money management app to help you keep track of income.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-keep-track-of-your-expenses\"><strong>4. Keep track of your expenses.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In Tip #2, we talked about subtracting the amount you pay to your bandmates from your total income. The same can be done with business related expenses, such as sound equipment, recording software, gas to and from gigs, even guitar strings. These expenses are called \u201cwrite offs.\u201d As a business, you\u2019re able to \u201cwrite off\u201d these business related expenses from your yearly income, thus lowering the amount you\u2019ll owe taxes on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is one small catch: In order to \u201cwrite off\u201d an expense, you\u2019ll need to keep your receipt of that expense as proof that you actually spent that money on your business. Here are some tips to help you keep track of your expenses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Purchase a mini file folder and carry it with you always. Any time you make a business related purchase, place the receipt in the folder.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you carry a wallet, designate a special slot just for business related receipts and empty them into a safe file at home. At the end of every month, be sure to file your receipts regularly because the ink will fade if kept in a wallet for too long!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you\u2019re<em> really<\/em> organized, keep a ledger of your expenses and update it weekly (a little time now saves <em>a lot<\/em> of time later). <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When paying your bandmates, use an app like Venmo to help you easily keep track of how much you\u2019ve paid them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-meet-with-a-certified-public-accountant-cpa\"><strong>5. Meet with a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><br><\/strong>Although I\u2019ve listed this as Tip #5, it really should be at the top of the list. If you\u2019re ever confused about your finances or taxes, don\u2019t just wing it and hope for the best. Take the time to meet with a CPA. They will be able to answer all of your questions and also share additional tips and tricks to help you manage your finances effectively. They\u2019re experts when it comes to the tax code and will be able to help you file your taxes correctly. And should the need arise, they\u2019ll also be able to help you through an audit from the IRS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019d like to learn more about navigating the music industry as an independent artist, including how to manage a band, planning and recording a record, and launching and running a successful crowdfunding campaign, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.coursera.org\/learn\/navigate-music-industry-independent-artist\" target=\"_blank\">check out my course on Coursera<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thinking about your music as a business venture may make you feel uneasy, but if you\u2019re an independent artist, thinking this way can put you on the path towards a sustainable music career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":10292,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,9564,9568],"tags":[674,676,971],"class_list":["post-10289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-features-articles","category-music-business-articles","tag-independent-musician","tag-indie-musician","tag-music-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.8 (Yoast SEO v25.8) - 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