MONEY MANAGEMENT · ISSUE 003

The gig check isn’t a paycheck.

A big deposit can feel like a green light to spend. For a working musician, it’s often the start of a few different jobs for that money.

When a session fee, licensing payment, or packed weekend of gigs lands in your account, it can look like a single number. But that deposit may need to cover taxes, upcoming expenses, and the weeks when the calendar gets quiet.

Start by giving each payment a short pause. Move the tax portion to a separate place, cover the costs that keep your work running, and set aside a baseline for your personal monthly needs. What remains is easier to understand as spendable income.

The percentages will depend on your location, work, and situation. The useful habit is the separation itself: money for obligations stops competing with money for today.

A simple account setup can do much of the remembering for you. One place for incoming work, one for taxes, and one for regular spending can make an irregular income stream feel more legible.

You don’t need to build a perfect system in one sitting. Try it with the next payment, notice what you wish you had set aside, then adjust the mix for the next one.

Keep the good work going,
The Income Composer