The Business of DJing

SummaryThe episode features a conversation between Jamie Selects and Christian Putnam, a CPA, discussing DJ taxes, business structures, and financial operations. They cover topics such as business structures for DJs, including sole proprietorships, LLCs, and S corporations, as well as income, expenses, and sales tax considerations for DJ businesses. The conversation covers tax considerations for DJs, including sales tax, expenses, travel deductions, home studio deductions, estimated taxes, record-keeping, and hiring considerations. Christian P provides insights on tax deductions, self-employment tax, and the importance of tracking income and expenses. He also emphasizes the need for estimated tax payments and proper documentation. Christian P's website is www.auger.cpa.Key TakeawaysBusiness structures for DJs include sole proprietorships, LLCs, and S corporations.Income for DJ businesses includes performance fees, merch sales, and event ticket sales.Sales tax considerations for DJ businesses depend on the location of sales and the volume of orders. Sales tax rules vary by stateExpenses can be categorized as current or capital expensesHome studio deductions require regular and exclusive useEstimated tax payments are essential for self-employed individualsProper record-keeping and documentation are crucial for tax reportingHiring considerations include 1099 filing requirementsChapters00:00 Introduction and DJExpenseTracker.com05:02 S Corporation Election and Tax Savings13:49 Financial Order of Operations21:52 Income and Sales Tax Considerations27:03 Sales Tax Considerations34:30 Travel and Meal Deductions41:35 Home Studio Deductions47:48 Estimated Taxes and Hiring Considerations

In this episode I welcome Stockton legend, DJ Frank G, founder and owner of Exclusive DJ. We talk about his intro to DJing the music industry, what it was like digging for music in the early days, why and how he built a mobile DJing business, simple and effective mobile marketing strategies. I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do too! Note: some timestamps may vary by platform. 0:00 - Gumroad store announcement 2:14 - Intro to Frank 3:55 - Early events in Stockton, CA 8:25 - Frank’s intro to music and DJing 22:12 - Getting into radio 25:07 - Discovery of music in the vinyl era 30:00 - The value of finding a rare gem 34:00 - Starting Exclusive DJ 37:47 - Marketing at bridal shows 40:13 - Building a long term business 43:42 - How customer acquisition strategy changes over time 46:36 - Different styles of DJs 52:17 - Software tools to run a DJ business 54:35 - Recognizing where your money is coming from 59:34 - Advice for young DJs 1:06:49 - DJ Style: Music taste and library organization Links jamieselects.gumroad.com Follow DJ Frank G Instagram: @exclusivedjgroup Website: ⁠exclusivedj.net Follow Jamie Selects Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jamie_selects⁠ Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/jamie_selects⁠ Website: ⁠https://www.jamieselects.com

In this episode I welcome Bay Area native Baywav. We talk about building residencies, how to break out of your city, building a brand, managing a rebrand, content creation, and much more! This was a great conversation and it was cool to connect with someone else who is helping DJs build their businesses. 0:31 - How did you get into djing? 2:11 - Transaction from practicing to real gigs 5:06 - The process of getting the residency 8:39 - Lessons learned from swapping gigs. 12:16 - Navigating difficult conversations with DJs you book 14:24 - Building Cornerstone post pandemic 19:40 - Optimizing for health 24:00 - Rebrand to Baywav 27:00 - Online presence 28:27 - Building out a team 30:45 - Gumroad and selling digital products 33:33 - The problem with committing to one style of content 36:13 - Strategy for content creation and video editing tips 42:55 - Goals for this year 46:34 - What’s your music style? 49:46 - Library organization Links Capcut video editor Follow Baywav Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baywav/ Website: baywav.com Follow Jamie Selects Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamie_selects Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamie_selects Website: https://www.jamieselects.com

In this episode I welcome my long time best friend and music industry expert, Alán Hensley, aka Soul7. We go way back to our college days at Pacific and talk about how he came to study music business, learned to DJ, took a leap of faith going across the world to Berkeley College of Music, building EMPIRE Latino, and how DJs can market themselves professionally. I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do too! 0:00 - Intro 2:10 - The early days, finding a love for music 5:00 - Finding Pacific for studying music business 7:30 - Being music bro and getting the first DJ controller 9:50 - The Getdown days 15:10 - Marketing The Getdowns 20:10 - Utilizing a street team 22:10 - Getting stuck post grad and finding new opportunities 26:00 - Finding Berkeley College of Music and taking a leap of faith 30:10 - Arriving in Spain 32:10 - If you want to work in music business, do this... 33:55 - Find a DJ group chat 34:30 - Favorite guest speaker 35:45 - Getting DJ gigs in Spain 43:05 - Finding a job post Berkeley 47:00 - Transition to EMPIRE 50:40 - Preparing for the interview 53:00 - Leveling up from the position you're hired for 56:00 - What is the role of a Product Manager at a label? 58:40 - How to pitch music to a label? 1:02:34 - What can DJs learn from artists to promote themselves? 1:06:05 - Pro tips DJs can take away from the music industry 1:12:20 - Selecta Style, DJ taste and library organization Follow Soul7 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soul7beats Twitter: https://twitter.com/soul7beats Sound Cloud: https://soundcloud.com/crate-gems Follow Jamie Selects Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamie_selects Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jamie_selects Website: https://www.jamieselects.com

In this episode I welcome DJ Fishfonics from San Diego, CA. He has been the main reason I've been able to gig since I moved to San Diego, so super grateful to him! In this conversation we talk about how he became a top booking manager with a bunch of venues in SD, how you can get booked as a new DJ, maintaining professionalism, negotiating rates, and more. 0:00 - Intro 1:03 - Start to DJing 3:37 - Transition to full time DJing 5:37 - Twitch phase 7:35 - How did you start doing the bookings? 10:25 - How can new DJs lock in their first gig? 15:00 - Gig swaps 16:22 - Maintaining professional relationships with venue staff 20:13 - Making sure your computer works with gear at new venues 22:30 - Facilitating gear purchases with venues 26:06 - How not to ask for a gig 27:00 - Negotiating rates 31:54 - Fish's style of DJing 33:22 - What do you listen to when you're off? 39:40 - Library organization Follow DJ Fishfonics Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djfishfonics Twitter: https://twitter.com/djfishfonics Website: https://fishfonics.com/ Follow Jamie Selects Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamie_selects Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jamie_selects Website: https://www.jamieselects.com

In this episode I welcome DJ KenZo from Stockton, CA. He is a member of the Plural Music family and has been killing it in the Bay Area and is a DJ for the Stockton Kings and Cal Bears. We talk about how he came to DJ full time, what it's like DJing for Don Quez, and much more! 0:00 - Intro 3:50 - Love for learning 14:00 - Plural Music and the importance of community 18:45 - Transition to being a full time DJ 25:30 - Organizing gigs and filling up your calendar 28:40 - Locking in the Stockton Kings and Cal Bears 37:20 - Starting to pursue making your own music 45:20 - Opening for YG 48:20 - Where do you see yourself in five years? 52:00 - DJ style and library organization Follow DJ KenZo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djken_z_o/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DJKen_Z_0 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMoWt4o71I_bSxaUtLQd9_Q Follow Jamie Selects Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamie_selects Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jamie_selects Website: https://www.jamieselects.com

*NOTE* This podcast is for entertainment purposes only does not offer constitute financial advice. In this episode we cover tips for filing your taxes as a DJ. It's split into three sections: 1) tax basics for DJs, 2) filing current year taxes, and 3) how to prepare for next year's tax filing. Check out these time stamps if you want to jump around: 0:00 - Intro 1:32 - Tax Basics / Business Structure 7:41 - Current Year Taxes 25:50 - Next Year Taxes

In this episode of The Business of DJing I interview the cofounder of Plural Music, Selecta MC. We talk about the history of the company, how to go from being a bedroom DJ to owning your own production business, how we navigated the pandemic, and much more! Follow Selecta MC and Plural Music @selecta_mc and @pluralmusic.

Five rules of Networking for DJs. Learn how I connected with one of my favorite DJs in the world, Miles Medina, and more.

In this episode Jamie Selects covers five financial tips for DJs that can be implemented immediately to improve your DJ business and financial situation. For more information and access to DJ Tools head to www.jamieselects.com/djtools.