Are you a sound engineer? Do you hate taxes? As sound engineers, taxes can be really complicated. We often have multiple sources of income, business expenses, and lots of paperwork. I'm not an expert and I make mistakes every year. In fact, this year I accidentally submitted erroneous information, so now I'm waiting for my 2013 return to get kicked back to me so I can submit it again. Hooray. Don't do what I did. Use TurboTax to make the process easier on yourself. Follow these … [Read more...]
Save $500 On Your Taxes This Year
Are you leaving $500 on the table? You might be. In my recent interview with Stephen Fishman, I asked him about the most common tax deductions that independent contractors get wrong. He said, "One great deduction that people don't take or are afraid to take is the home office deduction, which if you are a renter can be worth a great deal because ordinarily you can't deduct your rent at all. If you live in an expensive area like the bay area, that can be a lot of money." So let's take a look … [Read more...]
10 Critical Tax Questions Answered For Sound Engineers
Subscribe on iTunes or SoundCloud. Being self-employed can be both a dream and a nightmare. In this episode of the Sound Design Live podcast I speak with Stephen Fishman, attorney and author of Working For Yourself: Law & Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers & Consultants. We answer the following questions: What are the pros and cons of being a freelance sound engineer (independent contractor)? How do I choose a business structure (sole proprietorship, LLC)? How … [Read more...]
The Five Most Popular Posts of 2013
2013 was a big year around these parts. Besides publishing the Sound Design Live eBook, I created a Google+ page, a YouTube channel, and even made the podcast available as a BitTorrent! I also expanded the site to include reviews of pro audio books and hardware, as well as sound engineering tutorials and articles. Wonder what topics people were most interested in this year? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Sound Design Live's most popular podcast interviews and pro audio tutorials and articles … [Read more...]
The State Of Sound Engineering In Greece
Dimitris Sotiropoulos is a Greek sound engineer who has appeared on Sound Design Live in How To Use Plugins with an Analog Console And Wireless Control, How Much Do Live Sound Engineers Make?, and Sound Design Live Podcast Greatest Hits Volume 1. He is a good friend, a great engineer, and I really appreciate his views on business, audio, and life. In this post he describes the prerequisites for being a successful sound engineer and gives us a detailed look into how the ongoing economic crisis … [Read more...]