As your music career grows, in often times so does your expenses. The better you get makes you want to upgrade and continue to purchase better quality instruments and plugins. If you are not careful as an artist, careless spending can come back to bit you in the ass. You being able to keep track of your spending for your career can make or break you. Without solid spending habits you will most certainly have to take a job that you most likely will hate in order to make up for the damage that you have done.
What Are Your Expenses?
Here is a list of common expenses from any level of music creator:
Computer
Instruments
Speakers (Monitors)
Headphones
DAW (Digital Audio Workspace)
Microphone
Sound Proofing Equipment
Stands
Pop Filter
Software Plugins
Other Technical Equipment
Subscriptions (Splice & Other Online Stores)
Distribution
Publishing
Touring
Management
Public Relations
Marketing
Consulting
Advertising
Vocal Coach
Graphic Design
How Do You Manage Them?
Track It
Game Plan
No Bad Debt
Make Due With What You Have
Discipline
1. Track It
You keep track of where your money is coming in and where your money is going out. If you have more money going out then coming in, it means your overall balance is decreasing. If you have more money coming in then going out, you are increasing your balance. Where is your money coming in from? Where is it going out to? and how can you start to control the money going out and increase the money coming in?
2. Game Plan
A game plan on what you want your money to look like. Asking questions around what you want your money to look like and how you can get there. Create this plan and work towards the small steps you can take to increase what is working and decrease what is burning a hole in your pocket. Write down a list of all the things that give you money and all that doesn't. Next to each item write the amount. Now see which ones can be eliminated or cut back and which can be increased. Explore new ways to help you increase the money coming in.
3. No Bad Debt
Bad debt is any amount of money that you borrow that does not make more money for you. An example of bad debt is taking a loan from the bank to buy an expensive guitar. If you are not making enough money from playing that expensive guitar to pay for the guitar and make you more money. This is considered bad debt. On the other hand if you buy an expensive guitar and create a song that gives you more money than the cost of the guitar than that is an investment into your career. There is a grey area when it comes to this , but you will know the difference when faced with this decision on where you are at in your career.
4. Make Due With What You Have
Having a professional studio setup with all the bells and whistles sounds nice doesn't it? Until then you should look at making the most of what you currently have. Can you spruce up some old equipment or take it to a friend who can make it good as new? Because in order to get to a point of having all these nice things you may have to make the most of the equipment you currently have.
5. Discipline
Controlling your finances when it comes to purchasing items requires discipline. The discipline to refrain yourself from making an impulsive purchase. In the moment it feels great to buy things you love and want. In the long run it may cause you stress and anxiety because of the hole it left you in. To make matters worse, when you try to sell equipment back it decreases in value because you have used it already and you can only sell it for less than what you paid for it.
Conclusion
Having control of your spending before it gets overwhelming can only help your career. Because of your controlled spending you have time to decide on where this money will best be used for your career and life. You work hard for your money, choose wise ways for it to grow for you and your career!