One of the things I’ve had to learn as a freelance musician is that playing the music is only part of the job.
Between recording sessions, gigs, touring, teaching, and everything else, there’s a lot to keep track of. Who have I worked for? Which lessons have I taught? Have I been paid for that gig yet? How much did I make this month?
When I first started freelancing, I started with a very basic google sheets spreadsheet. Over time, I started building it out little by little to fit my needs and help me stay organized. I’ve been using and refining it for the past six years, and it’s become a pretty simple but useful part of how I manage my music career.
Keeping different kinds of work organized
One challenge with freelancing is that your income can come from a lot of different places. I might have a week with several recording sessions, a wedding, a few students, and a concert. The next week might look completely different.
I wanted a way to keep my teaching income separate from my gigging income while still being able to see the bigger picture. I also wanted to be able to look back at previous months or quarters without having to dig through old messages, invoices, and bank statements.
Having everything in one place makes it easier to see what I’ve been doing and keep track of payments.
A simple system I actually use
The spreadsheet I built lets me organize gigs, students, and professional contacts, track lessons and payments with checkboxes, and automatically summarize income by employer, month, and quarter.
I also made it easy to update from my phone using Google Sheets. When I finish a lesson or receive a payment, I can check it off without needing to sit down at my computer.
It’s not a complicated business management system, and that’s part of why I like it. I wanted something practical that I would actually keep using.
You don't necessarily need an elaborate system. You just need something that helps you keep track of your work, your income, and the details that are easy to forget.
I've made my spreadsheet available for other musicians to use, too. If you're looking for a simple way to organize your freelance music work, you can check it out here:
https://www.calebyangmusic.com/store/p/freelance-musician-tracker
