I’ve been attending the Future of Music Policy Summit 2011 for a number of years – it is a great way to network with other musicians, policymakers, arts and media representatives, technology pros, and industry figures to discuss issues at the intersection of music, technology, policy and law. If you attend, you can find out about current trends and try to figure out what career moves you might make during the next year. .
There are scholarships for working musicians.
Okey-dokey fellow songwriters and artists. Here is a different kind of Double Dog Dare…
If you want to change things through your music, read up on Woody Guthrie. AND, while you are at it, check out the 6th Annual Woody Guthrie Fellowship Program. The purpose of the short-term fellowships is “to support scholarly use of the Woody Guthrie Archives Research Collection for research work related to Guthrie’s life, work and contribution to American music and world culture.”
Interested? Read about the fellowships here: BMI Foundation
Learn about and get teaching resources about Woody Guthrie
I recently attended a conference and heard a presentation on the value artists bring to communities in need of redevelopment. It was very encouraging until one audience member spoke up to say that BECAUSE of the value musicians and artists had brought to her previously declining neighborhood, she and other musicians were now being forced to move elsewhere.
The good news is that savvy cities see the economic boon of creative communities and are welcoming artist refugees with open arms. Read More about artists being forced out of New York City and where they are heading.
NOTE: In a big ouchie for the DC area, one executive is quoted as saying New York City could become “a Washington, D.C.,” a sterile, planned city with a number of cultural institutions but few artists—certainly not a place known as a birthplace for new cultural ideas and trends.” OUCH!
Want to be nominated for a GRAMMY? After you’ve created the best buncha music every heard by man or beast, you gotta join the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.
Yes, you CAN join if you are an independent artist. Here is how:
FRAUD ALERT: Ok, I actually don’t seem to know how to make REAL money myself…but hope springs eternal…
The Future of Music Coalition has put together a great synopsis of how to monetize your music. Read more here: The 29 Streams
Do you know about the Performing Arts Alliance? Here is how they describe themselves:
“The Performing Arts Alliance is a national network of more than 18,000 members comprising the professional, nonprofit performing arts and presenting fields. Membership in the Performing Arts Alliance is a member service of American Music Center, Association of Performing Arts Presenters, Chorus America, Dance/USA, Fractured Atlas, League of American Orchestras, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, National Performance Network, OPERA America, and Theatre Communications Group.”
Are you interested in learning how to represent your group to decision makers? If so, check out their guide on arts advocacy and lobbying.
Here is a link: The Performing Arts Alliance
A few years ago I discovered this FABULOUS software for helping me organize the ba-zillion elements involved in writing a musical. First there’s all the historical research, then the plot and the lyrics and the music and the tracks and the edits …YIKES!
If you are a creative writer you will likely LOVE this easy to use program – Scrivener. There are great online video tutorials, too.
My little artsy enterprise was audited a couple of years ago. It was not fun. A couple of articles I read suggested the IRS was targeting artists and musicians because many take deductions for losses related to the creation of their art. But then they do not make enough of a profit to be considered a business. (Yeah, let’s throw an audit on top of losing money to make us REALLY feel professional!)
Why do I bring this up? Because you need to keep GREAT records in order to “win” an audit. I was, thankfully, able to prove every expenditure was legit, and that it wasn’t just me and my mommy who think of me as an artist. Here is what helped me prove my case.
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NOTE: THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE or an endorsement of any product- please consult an attorney/tax guru for tax advice and do your own research about database programs.
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1. Keep every receipt for every expenditure. I did NOT have a scanner at that time (but I sure as heck do now!) Don’t count on those receipts being legible after a month of two…the ink fades. So scan them as you get them and file a copy in a safe place in your computer or back-up drive.
2. Keep a record of every product you create and what materials you used to create it. In my case, I have a “portfolio” of releases – the actual disc. Even if it was just a small repress of 50 or 100 CDs for promotional purposes, I kept one copy of the actual disc and one set of the entire promo piece.
3. Track the costs of all physical items – use a database. At the time of my audit I had a PC, and I used a program called Art Affair to organize all my data about physical products. It helped me figure exactly what items went into making and packaging piece of “art” (like a promo disc.) So I was able to tie every plastic bag or biz card or one sheet or disc hub to the promotion. I could also break down the actual cost of one individual package that would go to an individual retailer, for example, and could tell you what materials were left over in inventory.
4. Print copies of reviews, press coverage, your web sites, and web sites of others who sell your music. My idea was to prove that, not only do I consider myself a business, but others do, too.
5. Prove your actual income earned from all sources related to your music. Even if you didn’t make a profit for the year, there should be evidence that proves you tried to make a profit.
6. Be organized for your meeting with your auditor. Don’t waste their time. They are people, too – mine was actually very nice.
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A great article explaining the IRS/ Creative Artist situation is at the Chicago Artists Resource web site.
Songwriters are America’s Smallest Small Business: Nashville Songwriters Association
HINT – Start Here…
Did you know 44% of working musicians have NO health insurance? (Yes, that shocks me too. Next thing you know, someone will say folks aren’t paying for music…)
But there is hope. The good people at the Future of Music Coalition are always watching out for musicians, and they’ve written a seven step path to getting insurance.
HINT – Read about the help you need here…
Howdy -
If you are an indie musician, you REALLY should attend this conference to find out what the shakers and movers in the music industry are talking about. Yes, it is a policy conference…don’t think it doesn’t have an impact on your career.
Musicians – apply for a scholarship and attend for only $20. Held at Georgetown University in DC.
