Category - Entrepreneurship

1
What Is a Brand and Is Yours a Good One-Some Definitions
2
Impressive Conservatory Program (s)
3
How to Miss the Titanic
4
Tax Time-1099s and W2s
5
Tax Time–Musical Instruments and Depreciation
6
Tax Time – Musician's Office in Home
7
Arts Entrepreneurship — Policy Opportunity?
8
Arts Entrepreneurship — Third Dimension
9
Don’t Make Money the Number One Objective—Learn To Wait
10
Act Like a Business

What Is a Brand and Is Yours a Good One-Some Definitions

The next several “lessons” will center around the professional musician as a business—a store—where clients can get musical expertise. If you buy into the idea that musicians are small businesses, you can take it a step further. Companies spend a good deal of time and money thinking about, developing and protecting their brands, and there […]

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Impressive Conservatory Program (s)

I recently returned from a trip in the Netherlands, where I had been invited to experience and comment on programs and research being conducted in a Dutch Lectorate (research group) within the Prince Claus Conservatoire in the Hanze University in Groni…

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How to Miss the Titanic

[This is the second in a series of posts in which I will talk about the current, troubled, state of professional musicmaking and offer some glimpses of possible solutions for the future.] The first time I heard the London Symphony … Continue reading

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Tax Time-1099s and W2s

Let’s assume that anyone reading this knows that the sum total of all the money an individual earns is called the gross. It is reported by your employer to the Federal Government in the form of a wage and tax statement called a W-2, and a copy is sent to you each January for the […]

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Tax Time–Musical Instruments and Depreciation

Musical Instruments When a musician buys an instrument or equipment that has a useful life of longer than one year, he or she can depreciate it over the tax life of the item—usually seven years. This has the effect of spreading out the deduction over time. An alternate course would be to expense the purchase […]

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Tax Time – Musician's Office in Home

Office in Home In our homes or apartments, musicians all have a room in which they practice or teach, but for that room to be considered a home office and deducted on our taxes, it must meet certain requirements established by the IRS. For example, that part of your home must be used regularly and […]

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Arts Entrepreneurship — Policy Opportunity?

I don’t think anyone would argue that we’re in a period of policy transition in the arts and culture sector.  I would even characterize it as the most significant period of policy reexamination since the 1960’s.  The difference is huge, of co…

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Arts Entrepreneurship — Third Dimension

After digesting the many superb responses, both published here and private, to last week’s blog entry, I spent a lot of time pondering what is really bothering me about the arts entrepreneurship “movement.”  I realized that I have been hoping for …

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Don’t Make Money the Number One Objective—Learn To Wait

Presumably you’ve chosen music because you love it and can’t imagine yourself doing anything else. But, on the off chance that you are in music for the money, you’ve chosen the wrong profession. Sure, there are certain celebrity artists who make big, big money, but there is no doubt that the rank and file musician […]

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Act Like a Business

You, Inc. is a business, so you need to act like one. You should look as professional as possible. This includes everything from business cards to websites. I was just out of college and someone recommended me to do a little arrangement of a pop song. Not only did I have to arrange it for […]

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