General Music Chat

Today I sent an email to what I thought WERE my BRETHREN! I tried to be strategic.
As I have done for YEARS a certain booking agency books our band. There has never been a problem. They tell us when where and conditions we show up and play. They 1099 ME every year. I have NEVER had a problem telling my fellow musicians, These HIGH paying gigs come with the result of a 1099 in my name! I have made this clear BEGINNING! Today I sent an email to what I thought were my friends it went something like this; Hey guys it will soon be that dreaded time of year. (said booking agent) will send me a 1099 to which I need your SS# so I can in turn 1099 you. This is the END of Mission Imposter! Insane because I asked for the same info as always! I got a response that I sucked at the Vegas Performance! The bottom line is the DRUMMER flipped out when his wife recognized a guy she went to high school with. The drummer was so Insecure that he shut us down early. His reply to my request for his SSI number so I don't have to pay his taxes are that I sucked! All I want is for my friends or so I thought to except responsibility for their fair share of the profits! Sad thing is this ASSHOLE well I'll just pay his Taxes!

was he a band member in a prior year? if so then don't you have his SSN from the prior year filing? If not, then the lesson here would be that no one gets paid until they provide you with their SSN. Since the 1099 is being issued to you then that means that the check is being issued in your name as well and then you are paying the rest of the band members. The correct way to handle this, if someone refuses to give you their SSN, is to withhold "backup withholding" from the amount they are owed. I believe the current withholding rate is a flat 28%. You then report that to the IRS on form 945. You can get more information on this topic by reading IRS Publication 1281. Hope that helps. If you paid them with a check and have proof that you paid them, then I would take that as a deduction from the income you are reporting regardless of whether you have his SSN. If you are audited, you would have the cancelled check to support the deduction and at worst, you'd get a $50 penalty for not issuing the required 1099-MISC.

Listening to Wheel in the Sky - you definitely didn't suck!

The agent was the same one I used while running a band called Cruise Control. I disbanded that band when the 4th base player quit in 2009. I subsequently joined this band Mission Imposter and I am not the leader of this band. Earlier this year I hooked the leader up with the agency. They mail your check to you. When it was time to get paid for some reason they mailed the check to me. I suspect it was because I have a repore with them. I told the guys what my intensions are from the beginning. They took their pay and NEVER said a word. In my opinion if they didn't want to be 1099'd they should have told me from the start so I could have withheld their taxes. This drummer has ALWAYS been difficult. Agreed to learn songs then turned around and said "sorry guys I'm just not feeling it on this one" In the middle of a set on stage says "skip the next 2 songs NO BEATLES" Shuts the band down early at a 10k dollar gig, gets drunk on stage OFTEN one time to the point of not even being able to play OR LOAD HIS OWN DRUMS! It goes on and on. I am so burned out for dealing with assholes like that I am really feeling like giving this live band playing bull!

Mike said it best "Wheel in the sky keeps on turning"
"I don't know where I'll be tomorrow"
"Wheel in the sky keeps on turning"
"ohhh...." lol

Your booking agent does your taxes?
Wow.
I always booked my own gigs and never made enough money in music for it to matter.

I always had to declare our wages because most club owners around here used to send us the forms. Since they sent it in, we had to file ours.

Fortunately we always managed to have enough expenses to cancel it out since we deducted all expenses and musical gear. It was kinda like having a way to get new toys without getting hit over the head with a frying pan while you slept.

That's what most agents do Slack. He sends a form (1099) to the IRS as a result I have to declare it. Since we split the money equally that means each member should split the taxes equally. In order to do this you have to have names addresses and SSI numbers. After receiving an equal split the drummer said I am NOT giving you my SSI and I am quitting the band! When I confronted him about his chickenshit ways he then threw out the old classic insult to hurt "you suck" classy eh! My biggest fault in life is that I am too nice and trusting of people I try to see the best in them. When they screw me like this I get mad as HELL and become an @sshole for a while until I work thru the emotions. After all is said and done I probably won't be as trusting. The scumbags I have run across in this business have taken a toll I REALLY want to just give up the band thing. My wife reminds me that I have been thru far worse and come out of it fine!

Here is an idea Jeff . . . use an Assumed Name
( I think it cost me a Jackson to file it with the county )
Deposit all proceeds / deduct all expenses in / from a free business banking account.
(Austin Bank has free accounts suitable to said purpose)
Pay everyone after taxes at the end of the year.
If they cannot fly a year . . . they got no feathers on their ass to start with.

Here is an idea Jeff . . . use an Assumed Name
( I think it cost me a Jackson to file it with the county )
Deposit all proceeds / deduct all expenses in / from a free business banking account.
(Austin Bank has free accounts suitable to said purpose)
Pay everyone after taxes at the end of the year.
If they cannot fly a year . . . they got no feathers on their ass to start with.

Banks around here (New England) won't let you open an account without a SSN or FID taxpayer number.

Here is an idea Jeff . . . use an Assumed Name
( I think it cost me a Jackson to file it with the county )
Deposit all proceeds / deduct all expenses in / from a free business banking account.
(Austin Bank has free accounts suitable to said purpose)
Pay everyone after taxes at the end of the year.
If they cannot fly a year . . . they got no feathers on their ass to start with.

Banks around here (New England) won't let you open an account without a SSN or FID taxpayer number.

Geeze. In some circles you get called racist just for requiring a photo ID.

That's what most agents do Slack. He sends a form (1099) to the IRS as a result I have to declare it. Since we split the money equally that means each member should split the taxes equally. In order to do this you have to have names addresses and SSI numbers. After receiving an equal split the drummer said I am NOT giving you my SSI and I am quitting the band! When I confronted him about his chickenshit ways he then threw out the old classic insult to hurt "you suck" classy eh! My biggest fault in life is that I am too nice and trusting of people I try to see the best in them. When they screw me like this I get mad as HELL and become an @sshole for a while until I work thru the emotions. After all is said and done I probably won't be as trusting. The scumbags I have run across in this business have taken a toll I REALLY want to just give up the band thing. My wife reminds me that I have been thru far worse and come out of it fine!

I usually get all the 1099s for our gigs and file a sched 'C' listing all the musicians as independent contractors, their income amounts w/1099, and their SSN. If they refuse to give their SSN and accept a 1099, no problem. I just make a note to that effect listing their full name, address, email, cel phone # and shoe size. The IRS just LOVES those guys!

I also expense all travel costs, strings, cords, website costs, promotional materials, office supplies, and other expendable items so I pay taxes on a realistic net income and not total gross receipts. Musicians don't really make very much money when you add it all up for Uncle Sam to get his fair share.

Here is an idea Jeff . . . use an Assumed Name
( I think it cost me a Jackson to file it with the county )
Deposit all proceeds / deduct all expenses in / from a free business banking account.
(Austin Bank has free accounts suitable to said purpose)
Pay everyone after taxes at the end of the year.
If they cannot fly a year . . . they got no feathers on their ass to start with.

Banks around here (New England) won't let you open an account without a SSN or FID taxpayer number.

Nor anywhere else . . . the assumed name is so that checks can be written to the band.
Of course you have to use your SSN.
I thought that was a given ?

Yeah assumed name, when somebody asks me for my name, like a bar owner, I usually go with Keith Richards 1st (I know dreaming).

I wanna be big lie Elvis without the tassels, hire 8 bodyguards that like to beat up assholes, hey hey I wanna be a rockstar.

You lose money in one business to make up for what you made in another business, I didn't make the rules, I just push the grey areas.

When one files for an assumed he can have all the other members SSN listed as well.
One, a few or all can be required as signature for an account.

Band membership fluctuates so . . . I feel it's better to have the GM in control of the accounts . . . and open books alleviates any questions as to integrity.