Mobile DJ"ing - The Legailities & The Things You Need To Know
It's a generally accepted fact the 'mobile DJ' isn't perceived in the same way as other 'trades' and professions, but that is's likely due to a number of factors which can not entirely be addressed in one article alone!
What I am going to cover in this article is 'legality' of the operating mobile DJ, and how it is a much better option than operating 'illegally'.
Tax
There is little worse than the bite of the Tax Man as I was once told! When they dig their teeth and claws into your private life, they're tough to shake off.
But what attracts the Tax man in the first place?
If there are a collection of dead ends, discrepancies in bureaucracy or 'odd figures' on file - all these gain the attention of the income investigative arm to start off with!
the clear course of action would be to change bad business practice and make it good.
Nobody announced a sole trading DJ needed to be a great accountant! There are easy steps that may be followed in business practice that can help even the most fretful or frightened individual when it comes to dealing with cash or figures.
in truth, if you have got a business checking account, you can set up an account that offsets cash into another account which really gives a little interest!
This cash can be employed to pay off any Tax that you can owe at the end of the year, and is worth discussing with your bank confidant or manager at the earliest opportunity.
So by example, if you deposit £100 into the account which are earnings from the disco service, a % can be offset into the other account.
This account might be referred to a 'Business Call Account'.
The figure you offset can be organized to be a fixed amount or a percentage. Ideally, you will need to talk about this in finer detail with the bank confidant who will work with you to ascertain an agreeable figure based on the level of revenue into your account, spending via Direct Debits, etc .
Something else worth considering about Tax is when you're needed to sign bureaucracy by the paying location or company client who then have to submit the paperwork to their accounts and 'perusal' by the Tax man!
Competition
Competition is good for any line of business but in the DJ profession, it can be terribly cut-throat!
From as far back as the early 1990's, there were reports of DJs being reported to the Tax man for avoidance of paying their way - by envious or upset DJ competition!
Although not a very good idea to talk about your turnover and money standing overtly, there are those that have not learned the art of pro subtlety or what amounts to having a good business sense!
Music Piracy
It's not just avoiding to pay Tax that pulls attention. Music piracy is not doing the industry any good, so measures have been brought to put pressure on people who select to exploit the artists, singers, composers, song writers and musicians by not purchasing music, who instead pirate music.
unfortunately , whilst the majority of professional DJ services in the United Kingdom would opt to use good sound quality recordings of music, there are numerous avowed 'professionals' using low quality mass produced bootlegged material.
The music licensing companies have introduced a license for people that wish to convert their tracks from one media format to another ( ProDub Licence ) however [*COMMA] this is levied on quantities of tracks vs the particular tracks copied, and so questions if the license is nothing less than a money generating exercise than an honest to goodness reward for the composer and artist of the track/s 'format shifted'.
the base line, if you legally download music from a UK source ( if you need mp3 format ) then you don't need the license. If you buy music CDs from the shops or online thru UK sources, you do not need the license.
now, under UK law, you are required to purchase the ProDub license if you format shift your music. Your details will be kept on the music licensing corporations database, and you sign consent for a home visit / inspection of your PC kit at your home.
The cards also have the general public liability details and will shortly include more info such as movable Appliance Test expiry and registrations to 3rd party organisations, including those that need ProDub.
eventually, the choice is yours. In my opinion, operating legally is the best option as the fines imposed on someone caught avoiding Tax or using pirated music isn't a nice choice at all!
.
What I am going to cover in this article is 'legality' of the operating mobile DJ, and how it is a much better option than operating 'illegally'.
Tax
There is little worse than the bite of the Tax Man as I was once told! When they dig their teeth and claws into your private life, they're tough to shake off.
But what attracts the Tax man in the first place?
If there are a collection of dead ends, discrepancies in bureaucracy or 'odd figures' on file - all these gain the attention of the income investigative arm to start off with!
the clear course of action would be to change bad business practice and make it good.
Nobody announced a sole trading DJ needed to be a great accountant! There are easy steps that may be followed in business practice that can help even the most fretful or frightened individual when it comes to dealing with cash or figures.
in truth, if you have got a business checking account, you can set up an account that offsets cash into another account which really gives a little interest!
This cash can be employed to pay off any Tax that you can owe at the end of the year, and is worth discussing with your bank confidant or manager at the earliest opportunity.
So by example, if you deposit £100 into the account which are earnings from the disco service, a % can be offset into the other account.
This account might be referred to a 'Business Call Account'.
The figure you offset can be organized to be a fixed amount or a percentage. Ideally, you will need to talk about this in finer detail with the bank confidant who will work with you to ascertain an agreeable figure based on the level of revenue into your account, spending via Direct Debits, etc .
Something else worth considering about Tax is when you're needed to sign bureaucracy by the paying location or company client who then have to submit the paperwork to their accounts and 'perusal' by the Tax man!
Competition
Competition is good for any line of business but in the DJ profession, it can be terribly cut-throat!
From as far back as the early 1990's, there were reports of DJs being reported to the Tax man for avoidance of paying their way - by envious or upset DJ competition!
Although not a very good idea to talk about your turnover and money standing overtly, there are those that have not learned the art of pro subtlety or what amounts to having a good business sense!
Music Piracy
It's not just avoiding to pay Tax that pulls attention. Music piracy is not doing the industry any good, so measures have been brought to put pressure on people who select to exploit the artists, singers, composers, song writers and musicians by not purchasing music, who instead pirate music.
unfortunately , whilst the majority of professional DJ services in the United Kingdom would opt to use good sound quality recordings of music, there are numerous avowed 'professionals' using low quality mass produced bootlegged material.
The music licensing companies have introduced a license for people that wish to convert their tracks from one media format to another ( ProDub Licence ) however [*COMMA] this is levied on quantities of tracks vs the particular tracks copied, and so questions if the license is nothing less than a money generating exercise than an honest to goodness reward for the composer and artist of the track/s 'format shifted'.
the base line, if you legally download music from a UK source ( if you need mp3 format ) then you don't need the license. If you buy music CDs from the shops or online thru UK sources, you do not need the license.
now, under UK law, you are required to purchase the ProDub license if you format shift your music. Your details will be kept on the music licensing corporations database, and you sign consent for a home visit / inspection of your PC kit at your home.
The cards also have the general public liability details and will shortly include more info such as movable Appliance Test expiry and registrations to 3rd party organisations, including those that need ProDub.
eventually, the choice is yours. In my opinion, operating legally is the best option as the fines imposed on someone caught avoiding Tax or using pirated music isn't a nice choice at all!
.
Source...