Live events & performance

Books and taxes for concert production companies.

A deposit from a promoter, a crew paid a day rate for load-in and load-out, a truck full of rented line array, and a final invoice that lands weeks later. Gus sorts each job apart, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
MayExample month
$16,500
what you made

May cleared $16,500 across five jobs. The new line array purchase from a pro audio dealer is booked as equipment, not gear rental.

  • Promoter deposit, arena showJob deposits
  • Final invoice, festival jobProduction fees
  • Crew day rate, load-in and load-outCrew labor
  • Line array rental, sister companyGear rental
  • Fuel, box truck fleetTrucks and transport
Money in$82,000
Money out$65,500
Set aside for taxes$3,800
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A staging company's books go wrong the same way, job after job.

A generalist sees a deposit and a final payment weeks apart. Your business is a crew paid a day rate, gear rented from another company to cover a busy weekend, a truck fleet on the road most nights, and a promoter who settles the final invoice long after the show is struck.

  1. 1

    A job deposit and its final invoice land in different months

    A promoter often pays half up front to book the date and the balance weeks after the show is done, and split across two months, it is hard to see what one job actually brought in.

    What we doKeeps both halves of a job's payment tied to that job, so the full invoice shows up together against the right event.
  2. 2

    Crew day rates get lumped into one generic labor line

    A crew paid a flat day rate for load-in, show call, and load-out on a rush job can look like one blended cost, hiding how much of a job's budget is really people versus gear.

    What we doKeeps crew labor separate from gear rental, so the true cost of running a job is visible.
  3. 3

    Renting gear from another company gets filed like buying your own

    A line array or a lighting rig rented from a sister company or a competitor to cover a busy weekend is a different cost than equipment you own, and mixed together it is hard to know what the business truly owns versus what it is renting to cover demand.

    What we doKeeps rented gear separate from owned equipment, so you can see what the company actually owns.
  4. 4

    A truck or a rig purchase gets filed as a repair cost

    A box truck, a lighting rig, or a line array can cost as much as a small building, and filed as a maintenance expense it muddles the month and misses a bigger write-off.

    What we doFlags large equipment and vehicle purchases the month they happen, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write them off.
  5. 5

    One blended number instead of a job cost for each show

    A company running forty shows a year that tracks one lump total cannot tell which job was profitable and which one, despite a big invoice, barely broke even after crew and gear.

    What we doTags income and costs to the job they belong to, so each show gets its own bottom line, not just the year's.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a staging company.

Set up once for how a job makes money and where it goes. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Job depositsBooking deposits paid by promoters and venues ahead of the show.
  • Production feesFinal invoices for staging, sound, and lighting services.
  • Gear rental incomeEquipment rented out to other production companies between jobs.
  • Crew staffing feesLabor-only jobs where you supply crew for someone else's gear.

Money out

  • Crew laborDay rates for load-in, show call, and load-out crew.
  • Gear rentalEquipment rented from another company to cover a busy weekend.
  • Trucks and transportFuel, tolls, and maintenance for the truck fleet.
  • Owned equipmentSound, lighting, and staging gear the company owns, logged for write-offs.
  • InsuranceEquipment and general liability coverage for every job.
  • Warehouse and shopStorage, shop rent, and gear maintenance space.
  • Permits and site feesLoad-in permits and venue site fees for larger jobs.
  • Card and financing feesProcessing fees on any card-paid deposits.

What we watch for you

  • Per-job margin

    What each job cleared once crew, rented gear, and transport are paid.

  • Rental-to-owned ratio

    How much of a job's gear is rented versus owned, useful before buying more equipment.

  • Crew cost per job

    Day rates against the invoice, so pricing keeps up with what a job really costs.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number already known.

Ask Gus

Things production company owners ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

We got a deposit in March for a festival job in July. Does that count as March income?

No. I hold that deposit against the July job, so both payments show up together against the show they actually paid for.

We rented a line array from another company to cover a double-booked weekend. How does that get tracked?

As gear rental, separate from equipment you own. That way you can always see what the company actually owns outright.

Should we buy our own line array instead of renting one every busy month?

That is a real budget call above what I settle alone. I put together what renting has cost you this year for the accountant to run the numbers with you.

The tax side

The tax side of running a staging company.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing across a job: a deposit booked too early, a final invoice paid late, and gear that should be depreciated instead of expensed.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Contractor 1099s for freelance crewA freelance stagehand, rigger, or engineer paid $2,000 or more over the year outside payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list job by job.
  • Depreciation of staging, sound, and lighting equipmentLine arrays, lighting rigs, staging, and trucks the company owns can usually be written off up to $2,560,000 under Section 179 in the year bought, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Worker classification for regular crewA crew member who works your schedule, wears your credential, and uses your gear on most jobs is usually an employee, even if paid a day rate rather than a salary.
  • Matching job deposits to the right jobA deposit paid ahead of a show belongs to that job's numbers, not the month the payment landed. Getting the timing right keeps each job's margin honest.

Deductions concert production and staging companies miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Gear rental from other companies
  • Truck fuel and maintenance
  • Cable and connector replacement
  • Rigging hardware inspection
  • Warehouse and shop rent
  • Equipment insurance
  • Crew radios and headsets
  • Load-in permits
  • Tool and case replacement
  • Card processing fees
  • Trade association dues
  • Safety gear and harnesses

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A staging company's year, kept every month.

Jobs book across the calendar with deposits paid months ahead. Gus keeps that timeline lined up against the tax one. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for freelance crew is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Mid-season check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the summer touring and festival run changed the number.

  4. October

    Equipment planning

    Fall is when many companies plan next year's gear purchases. Gus looks at what the year actually cleared before you commit.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for concert production and staging companies. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions production company owners ask first.

We got a deposit months before a job. How is that handled?

Gus holds the deposit against the job it belongs to, so it does not distort the month the payment actually landed.

We rent gear from other companies to cover busy stretches. Does that complicate the books?

No. Rented gear gets its own category, separate from equipment you own, so both stay clear on the books.

Do our freelance crew members need 1099s?

If you pay one $2,000 or more over the year and they are not on payroll, yes, by January 31, even for a single job.

How do we know if a job actually made money?

Gus tags every deposit, invoice, and cost to the job it belongs to, so you get a real margin per job, not just a yearly total.

We're deciding whether to buy a line array or keep renting. Can Gus help with that?

Gus keeps the numbers on what renting has cost you, and the accountant can help weigh that against ownership and depreciation.

Our books are behind from a packed touring season. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send the bank statements and job invoices you have, and Gus sorts them job by job. Most owners know where they stand inside a week.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

More in live events & performance

We keep books for the business next door too.

What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever