Creators, coaches & info products

Books and taxes for independent music artists.

Streaming royalties that pay pennies at a time, a sync placement that pays thousands at once, door money from a show, and a co-writer owed their share. Your own bookkeeper sorts all of it, 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
JuneExample month
$5,400
what you made

June came in at $5,400. The sync placement fee for the coffee brand ad made up most of it, so I flagged it as a one-time deal, not the new normal.

  • DistroKid streaming payoutStreaming royalties
  • Sync licensing feeSync licensing
  • Door money, club showLive show income
  • Studio time, mixing engineerRecording costs
  • Co-writer split payoutSongwriting splits
Money in$9,200
Money out$3,800
Set aside for taxes$1,400
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A musician's books go wrong in a few specific spots.

A generalist sees a deposit and calls it revenue. Yours is really streaming royalties that pay fractions of a cent per play, a sync fee that pays thousands at once for a single placement, and door money handed over in cash after a show, each needing its own kind of record.

  1. 1

    A sync placement skews the whole year

    A single song placed in a commercial or a show can pay more in one check than a year of streaming royalties, and without flagging it as a one-time deal, the artist can end up budgeting as if that money will repeat.

    What we doKeeps sync and licensing fees in their own line, separate from streaming royalties, so the recurring part of the income stands out from the windfall.
  2. 2

    Streaming royalties arrive months late and hard to trace

    A distributor payout covering Spotify, Apple Music, and a dozen other services often lands two or three months after the plays happened, in one lump sum that does not say which song or which service earned it.

    What we doBooks the distributor payout as streaming revenue for the month it arrives, and keeps the underlying reports on file so the accountant can dig in if a question ever comes up.
  3. 3

    Door money and merch cash never make it to the bank

    Cash handed over after a club show for the door split or a merch table sale is easy to spend directly on gas or food without ever recording it, which understates real income and can make the tax picture look worse than a healthy year actually was.

    What we doHas the artist log cash income from shows the same week it happens, so nothing earned on the road gets left off the books.
  4. 4

    A co-writer's share never gets paid out cleanly

    A song with two or three writers means royalties technically owed to a collaborator often just sit in the main artist's account instead of being split and paid out, which understates the collaborator's income and overstates the artist's own.

    What we doKeeps a co-writer's share visible as a cost the month it is owed, so the split gets paid and the books reflect only what the artist actually kept.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a music business.

Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend on. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Streaming royaltiesDistributor payouts from DistroKid, TuneCore, or CD Baby.
  • Sync licensingFees for placements in ads, film, TV, or games.
  • Live show incomeDoor splits, guarantees, and merch sold at shows.
  • Performance royaltiesPayments from a performing rights group like ASCAP or BMI.

Money out

  • Recording costsStudio time, mixing, and mastering engineers.
  • Songwriting splitsRoyalties owed and paid out to co-writers.
  • Session musiciansMusicians paid to play on a recording or a show.
  • Touring costsGas, lodging, and van rental for shows on the road.
  • Merch productionPrinting and stocking merch to sell at shows.

What we watch for you

  • Recurring share

    How much of the year came from steady streaming royalties against one-time sync deals.

  • Cost per show

    What touring costs against what door money and merch actually brought in.

  • Split obligations

    How much is currently owed to co-writers, so it does not get treated as the artist's own income.

  • The set-aside

    What will be owed, tracked every month, so a sync payment does not turn into a surprise bill.

Ask Gus

Things musicians 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.

A sync deal just paid me $6,000 for one song. Should I expect that every year?

I flagged it as a one-time placement, not a recurring number, so your regular planning stays based on your actual streaming income.

I got paid in cash after a show and just used it for gas on the way home. Is that a problem?

It just needs to be logged either way. Send me the amount when it happens, and I will record it as income, even if it was already spent on the road.

My co-writer is owed a third of the royalties on one song. How does that work in my books?

I keep her share as a cost owed the month the royalty comes in, so once she is paid, your books only show what you actually kept.

The tax side

The tax side of running a music business.

Most of what trips people up here is cash income from the road that never makes it to a bank, and royalty splits that are easy to skip tracking.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Paying a co-writer or musician $2,000 or moreA session musician or co-writer not on payroll, paid $2,000 or more in 2026, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus tracks that running total.
  • Self-employment taxAn artist not on payroll owes 15.3 percent in self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
  • Cash income from showsDoor money and merch cash are taxable the same as any other income, whether or not a form ever documents it. Gus logs it from what the artist reports.
  • The pass-through deductionMost music businesses can take up to 20 percent of profit off their taxable income. Above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint, the accountant checks how much applies.

Deductions independent music artists miss

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

  • Studio time and engineers
  • Instruments and gear
  • Session musician pay
  • Touring gas and lodging
  • Merch printing costs
  • Distributor and PRO fees
  • Rehearsal space rental
  • Business phone and internet
  • Business liability insurance
  • Accounting and legal fees

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 music business's year, kept every month.

Royalties, shows, and sync deals land on no fixed schedule at all. Your team keeps the books closed every month regardless. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the touring calendar

    Last year's return gets started, session musician 1099s are prepared, and a monthly set-aside is planned so April is no scramble.

  2. April

    Filed between shows

    Filed and signed between shows, with no scramble for cash since a share of every royalty and door split has been set aside since January.

  3. July

    Mid-year royalty check

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

  4. October

    Before year-end sync opportunities

    Sync licensing for holiday campaigns often books in the fall. Gus looks at what is in the pipeline and anything worth doing before December.

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 independent music artists. 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 independent musicians ask first.

Do I owe tax on cash I make at shows if there's no record from the venue?

Yes. All income is taxable whether or not anyone else reports it. Gus logs what you tell him from each show so it is counted honestly.

My streaming payout is one lump sum covering a dozen services. Can Gus break that down?

He books it as streaming revenue for the month it lands, and keeps your distributor reports on file in case the accountant needs the detail behind it.

I write songs with different collaborators on different tracks. Does that get complicated?

Gus keeps each split visible as a cost the month it is owed, so your books reflect your actual share no matter how many different collaborators you work with.

I got paid an advance from a sync licensing company before the placement even aired. Is that taxable now?

Generally yes, in the year received. Gus flags advance payments so the accountant can confirm how they should be reported.

My royalties, show income, and expenses have never been tracked together. Can Gus start now?

Yes. Send the bank and distributor statements you have. Gus sorts them by source, the accountant checks it, and most artists 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