Music, art & performing arts businesses
Books and taxes for cover bands and entertainment agencies.
A wedding deposit taken a year out, band members paid their split after every gig, a booking agency's cut on placed acts, and a van that needs new tires every summer. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June came in at $8,700. Four weddings played this month, but two of those deposits actually came in back in January, so I kept the timing straight.
- Wedding balance, Carter eventGig fees
- Booking agency placementAgency-placed gigs
- Band member pay, splitMusician pay
- Discount Tire, vanVehicle and travel
- GigSalad listing feeBooking site fees
Why your books are different
Cover band and agency books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees gig payments and calls it revenue. Wedding bands take deposits a year before the event, split pay among several musicians who each need their own tax paperwork, and sometimes book through an agency that keeps a cut. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell what a gig actually pays the band.
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1
Wedding deposits get counted a year before the gig
A couple books their June wedding and pays a deposit in the fall of the year before. Counted as income the day it clears, the fall looks stronger than it is and June shows nothing for a gig that actually happened.
What we doHolds wedding deposits as money owed until the performance date, then moves it to income the month the gig actually happens. -
2
Band member splits get paid without a clear paper trail
A $2,000 wedding gig gets split five ways in cash the night of the show, with no record of who got what. Come January, nobody can say for sure who crossed the $2,000 threshold for a 1099.
What we doTracks each musician's pay by name across the year, so the 1099 list is accurate and nobody gets missed or double-counted. -
3
An agency's cut gets mixed into the gig fee
A booking agency places a gig for $3,000 but pays the band $2,400 after its commission. Booked as a $3,000 gig with no note of the agency fee, the books overstate what the band actually earned.
What we doBooks the full gig fee as income and the agency's commission as a cost, so what the band actually kept is clear. -
4
The van and gear blur into general expenses
Fuel, tolls, tire replacements, and a new PA speaker all get paid from the same account without being tied to specific gigs, making it hard to see what travel actually costs against what a gig pays.
What we doKeeps vehicle and gear costs in their own lines, so travel expense is visible against gig income, not buried in one pile.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a cover band or entertainment agency.
Set up once for how gigs get booked and what it costs to show up and play. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Gig feesDirect wedding, corporate, and venue bookings paid to the band.
- Agency-placed gigsBookings made through a booking agency, net of their commission.
- Deposits heldPayments for future dates, tracked apart from earned gig income.
- Merchandise salesCDs, shirts, or other items sold at shows.
Money out
- Musician payEach band member's split, tracked by name for 1099 purposes.
- Vehicle and travelFuel, tolls, and maintenance for the band van or trailer.
- Sound and gearPA systems, instruments, and repairs owned by the band.
- Booking site feesListing and commission fees from GigSalad, The Bash, or a similar site.
- Marketing and demo reelsWebsite, video reels, and photos used to book new gigs.
- InsuranceLiability coverage required by many venues and event spaces.
What we watch for you
- Deposits held
Money paid for future gigs but not yet earned, so income lines up with performances actually played.
- Per-member pay share
What each musician's split adds up to across the year, to keep the 1099 list accurate.
- Agency commission cost
What booking agencies keep on placed gigs, to see if direct bookings are worth chasing more.
- The set-aside
What you will owe in taxes, tracked against gig fees every month, so filing season is no surprise.
Ask Gus
Things cover band and agency 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.
Not yet. I hold it as owed-but-not-earned until the gig actually happens, so the income lands in the month you play the wedding, not when the deposit cleared.
Tell me who got what after each gig, and I keep a running total by name. If anyone crosses $2,000 for the year, they get a 1099 by January 31.
It counts as a cost, not against you. I book the full gig fee as income and the agency's cut as a business expense, so your real earnings are clear.
The tax side
The tax side of a cover band or entertainment agency.
Most of what goes wrong here is deposit timing and getting each musician's pay on the 1099 list before January 31.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Contractor 1099s for band membersAny musician not on payroll who is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that running total all year.
- Self-employment taxA bandleader or agency owner running as a sole proprietor owes 15.3 percent self-employment tax on net profit, on top of income tax.
- Deposit income timingA deposit for a future gig is usually not fully earned until the performance happens, which affects which month it should count as income.
- The pass-through deductionMost band leaders and agency owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions cover bands and entertainment agencies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Instruments and PA equipment
- Vehicle fuel and maintenance
- Booking site fees
- Liability insurance
- Demo reels and photography
- Website and social media promotion
- Stage wardrobe
- Rehearsal space rental
- Sound engineer or crew pay
- Instrument and gear repairs
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 cover band and agency year, kept every month.
Wedding season runs hard for a few months and quiet for others. Your taxes come on a schedule, and your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
The gig year begins
Last year's return gets started, every musician's 1099 is compiled, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed, gigs settled
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because every gig fee since January has been feeding the set-aside.
- July
Midyear gig check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether peak wedding season delivered what was booked.
- October
Before booking season
Couples often book next year's weddings in the fall. Gus looks at gear worth replacing before December while the schedule slows.
What you get
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 cover bands and entertainment agencies. 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 cover band and agency owners ask first.
How do you handle a wedding deposit taken a year before the event?
It is held as money owed until the gig actually happens. Income moves over the month you play, so a deposit taken early does not distort either year's numbers.
Do all five band members need their own 1099?
Only those paid $2,000 or more in the year who are not on payroll. Gus tracks each member's total pay so the right ones get one by January 31.
We book some gigs direct and some through an agency. Does that need separate tracking?
Yes, it helps to see which is more profitable. Gus books the full fee as income either way and the agency's commission as a cost when one applies.
Can I deduct a new PA system the band bought this year?
Usually yes, in the year you buy it. Gus logs it as equipment and flags it so the accountant confirms the best way to write it off.
Some gigs pay in cash the night of the show. Is that a problem?
No, as long as it is recorded. Tell Gus what came in and who was paid, and it gets booked the same as any other gig payment.
Our records from last wedding season are a mess. Can you still take this over?
Yes. Send the bank statements and any notes on band pay you have. Gus sorts it, the accountant checks it, and 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.
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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