Comments on: Freelance Musician Excel Spreadsheet

By: Amy Saari

Amy Saari — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:44:04 +0000

Awesome; thanks for sharing this tool!

By: Angie O

Angie O — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:24:25 +0000

Thank you so much for sharing this!! My husband is a freelancing violinist and I have been struggling to find a way to keep our personal finances organized. This will be a huge help and prevent me from having to ‘re-invent’ the wheel. It is also going to save me so much time. Thanks again!

By: Joan Cartwright

Joan Cartwright — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:20:05 +0000

David,
Your analysis is brilliant. As a vocalist that has been self-employed in the music business for three decades I find your spreadsheet to be revealing. I direct a non-profit Women in Jazz South Florida, Inc. and use spreadsheets to pay my performers through grants. For my personal gigs, I never really kept tabs on the income and this will give me a more structured method of keeping an account of my income.

The problem I am seeing is that government officials from city to county to state and federal levels are beginning to dictate how much musicians should make for community performances. Of course, grants are structured and limited but I pay my musicians a minimum of $150 and up to $300 or $400, depending on the amount of the grant and venue.

The gatekeepers of these grants want to tell me how much money I’m supposed to make. As a veteran of 30+ years, I find this insulting and, after submitting and receiving several grants amounting to thousands of dollars, I’m weary from being told that I must limit the amount of money I can make.

As you state in your previous discussion, the average income in the U.S. I $55,000 but musicians’ usual income is $30,000, putting us far below the medium income level. Of course, we must supplement our income with teaching, royalties, etc., but it is a real challenge, when government regulates culture.

What are your thoughts on this? How can we as musicians make governmental staffers understand that our art is WORK not just a hobby and that we deserve to be paid for what we do?

By: jenna

jenna — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:10:25 +0000

thanks!!

By: Karen Addie

Karen Addie — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 03:49:50 +0000

Dear David,
I am trying to open this spreadsheet you have created and can’t seem to make that happen. Any special instruction?
Thank You, Karen Addie

By: David J. Hahn

David J. Hahn — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:50:20 +0000

Hi Hailey –

Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. But I’m not sure what you mean?

By: hailey

hailey — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:59:35 +0000

AS a highschool student and soon to be graduating i ask what would be the employee beifits?
alo the employee costs

Thanks!

By: Rich

Rich — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:08:19 +0000

Might I suggest using it as a Google Docs spreadsheet? That way you can get to it whenever/wherever and sync it up with a personal contacts spreadsheet instead of having to wait until you get home and in front of your computer.

By: Edgar

Edgar — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 04:18:47 +0000

thanks!!!

By: Average Income of a Musician by David J. Hahn

Average Income of a Musician by David J. Hahn — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:17:59 +0000

[...] For help keeping track of freelance music income, see also Freelance Musician Excel Spreadsheet. [...]