“Do I Need This?” Decision Guide

Before diving into each category, use this quick decision guide to figure out which professionals are worth your investment at your campaign’s scale:

1. Entertainment Lawyers

What They Do:

• Review and draft contracts (producer agreements, session musician work-for-hire, licensing deals)
• Handle copyright and trademark registration and disputes
• Advise on intellectual property protection
• Navigate equity crowdfunding securities law (Reg CF, Reg D)
• Handle disputes with collaborators, labels, or publishers

Typical Cost Range:

When to Hire One:

• You are running an equity crowdfunding campaign (mandatory).
• You have co-writers or collaborators and need clear ownership agreements.
• You are signing any deal worth more than $5,000.
• Someone is infringing on your copyright or trademark.
• You have a dispute with a collaborator, platform, or business partner.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring:

1. “Do you specialize in entertainment or music law?”
2. “Have you worked with independent musicians or crowdfunding campaigns before?”
3. “Do you offer flat-fee pricing for standard services like contract review?”
4. “Can you provide references from other musicians you have worked with?”
5. “What is your turnaround time for contract review?”

2. CPAs and Tax Accountants

What They Do:

• Prepare your annual tax return (Schedule C for self-employment income)
• Calculate and file quarterly estimated tax payments
• Identify all deductible expenses to minimize your tax bill
• Handle 1099-K reporting and reconciliation
• Advise on business entity structure (sole proprietorship vs. LLC vs. S-Corp)
• Navigate state sales tax obligations for physical rewards
• Issue 1099-NEC forms to contractors you paid $600 or more

Typical Cost Range:

When to Hire One:

• Your campaign raises more than $5,000.
• You have multiple income streams (gigs, streaming, licensing, day job, crowdfunding).
• You are shipping physical products across state lines (sales tax complexity).
• You want to make sure you are not overpaying on taxes.
• You are confused by any tax-related topic in this course.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring:

1. “Do you have experience with self-employed musicians or creative professionals?”
2. “Are you familiar with crowdfunding income and 1099-K reporting?”
3. “Do you charge a flat fee or hourly?”
4. “Can you help me set up quarterly estimated payments?”
5. “Do you handle state sales tax compliance?”

3. Crowdfunding Consultants

What They Do:

• Help you plan your campaign strategy (goal setting, tier design, timeline)
• Review and optimize your campaign page before launch
• Create marketing plans and outreach strategies
• Provide guidance on backer communication and community building
• Share insights from running or advising on many previous campaigns

Typical Cost Range:

When to Hire One:

• Your campaign goal is over $25,000 and you have never run a crowdfunding campaign before.
• You have tried a campaign before and it did not reach its goal.
• You want expert eyes on your campaign page before you launch.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring:

1. “Can you share examples of music campaigns you have worked on and their results?”
2. “What is your fee structure? Flat fee, hourly, or percentage of funds raised?”
3. “What specific deliverables will I receive?”
4. “How involved are you during the live campaign versus just pre-launch?”
5. “What is your track record? What percentage of campaigns you consult on reach their goal?”

4. Video Producers

What They Do:

• Film and edit your campaign video
• Help develop your video script and storyboard
• Provide professional lighting, audio, and camera equipment
• Handle color grading, sound mixing, and post-production
• Create additional video content (social media clips, update videos)

Typical Cost Range:

When to Hire One:

• You have tried filming yourself and the results do not meet your standards.
• Your campaign goal is over $15,000 and video is a priority.
• You want professional quality but do not have filmmaker friends to barter with.

Alternative: Before hiring a video producer, check with local film schools. Students often need portfolio pieces and will film your video for free or at a steep discount.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring:

1. “Can I see examples of crowdfunding or music videos you have produced?”
2. “What is included in your price? (Filming, editing, revisions, music licensing?)”
3. “How many revision rounds are included?”
4. “What is your turnaround time?”
5. “Do you provide raw footage files?”

5. Graphic Designers

What They Do:

• Design your campaign header image and visual assets
• Create reward mockups (album art on vinyl, t-shirt designs)
• Design social media graphics for campaign promotion
• Create infographics (budget breakdown, timeline, tier comparison)
• Design your album artwork, merch, and packaging

Typical Cost Range:

When to Hire One:

• Your visual design skills are limited and your campaign needs to look professional.
• You are already overwhelmed with other campaign preparation tasks.
• You do not have album artwork yet and need it for campaign visuals.

Alternative: Canva (free) can produce surprisingly professional results if you use their templates. If budget is tight, invest your design dollars in album artwork (which you need anyway) and use Canva for campaign graphics.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring:

1. “Can I see your portfolio, specifically any music or crowdfunding projects?”
2. “What file formats will you deliver? (Need print-ready and web-optimized versions)”
3. “How many revision rounds are included?”
4. “Do I own the final artwork, or do you retain rights?”
5. “Can you create templates I can modify myself for future social media posts?”

6. PR and Publicity Firms

What They Do:

• Write and distribute press releases about your campaign
• Pitch your story to music journalists, bloggers, and podcasters
• Secure media coverage (interviews, reviews, features)
• Manage your public image and messaging
• Coordinate with influencers for campaign promotion

Typical Cost Range:

When to Hire One:

• Your campaign goal is over $25,000 and you need significant reach beyond your existing network.
• You have a compelling story that would interest media (unique angle, notable collaborators, community impact).
• You have already exhausted your personal and social media networks.

Important: Most small to mid-size campaigns do not need a PR firm. Your personal social media outreach, email list, and direct asks to friends and fans are usually more effective per dollar spent.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring:

1. “What music outlets and journalists do you have relationships with?”
2. “Can you provide examples of coverage you have secured for similar artists?”
3. “Do you guarantee a certain number of placements, or is coverage best-effort?”
4. “How do you measure success?”
5. “What information do you need from me to get started?”

7. Fulfillment Services

What They Do:

• Store your physical rewards (vinyl, CDs, merch) in a warehouse
• Pack and ship individual orders to backers
• Handle address verification and shipping label generation
• Manage returns and address corrections
• Provide tracking numbers and delivery confirmation

Typical Cost Range:

When to Hire One:

• You have more than 200 physical rewards to ship.
• You are shipping internationally and do not want to deal with customs forms.
• You would rather spend your time making music than packing boxes.
• You do not have space to store and ship from your home.

Alternative: For campaigns under 200 backers with physical rewards, many musicians handle fulfillment themselves. It is time-consuming but saves money. Host a packing party with friends and make it fun.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring:

1. “Do you have experience with crowdfunding fulfillment specifically?”
2. “What is your all-in cost per unit for domestic and international shipments?”
3. “How do you handle damaged or returned shipments?”
4. “What is your turnaround time from receiving inventory to shipping?”
5. “Can you handle custom packaging or inserts?”

8. Music Distributors

What They Do:

• Distribute your digital music to streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, etc.)
• Handle digital rights management and royalty collection
• Provide ISRC codes for your tracks and UPC codes for your album
• Some offer physical distribution to record stores
• Provide analytics on streams and downloads

Typical Cost Range:

When to Use One:

• Always. If your campaign is funding an album or EP, you need a distributor to get your music on streaming platforms after it is finished.
• Set up your distributor account early so you can plan your release date and pre-save campaigns.
• Many backers will also want to stream your music, so digital distribution complements physical rewards.

Questions to Ask Before Choosing:

1. “What percentage of royalties do you keep?”
2. “How quickly do you pay out royalties?”
3. “Do you provide ISRC and UPC codes, or do I need to obtain my own?”
4. “Can I set a pre-save or pre-order date on streaming platforms?”
5. “What happens to my music if I cancel my account?”

General Tips for Hiring Professionals

• Get recommendations from other musicians. Ask in your local music community, online forums, or social media groups. Personal referrals are more reliable than Google searches.
• Always get a written agreement. Even for small jobs, put the scope, cost, timeline, and deliverables in writing. Email is fine for small engagements.
• Start with a small project. Before hiring someone for a $5,000 package, try them on a smaller $200 to $500 task to see if you work well together.
• Negotiate. Many professionals, especially those who love music, will offer discounts for independent artists. It never hurts to ask.
• Factor professional fees into your campaign budget. If you plan to hire a CPA ($500) and a graphic designer ($500), include those costs in your funding goal.
• Barter when possible. Musicians have a valuable skill. Offering to perform at a photographer’s event in exchange for product photos, or composing music for a videographer’s demo reel, can save you real money.