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Unit 3 preview · 9 lessons

Money Between Gigs

Nine lessons on the money: the slow season, the books, the real cost, cash flow, clean records. General information, not advice. Here is how every lesson opens, and the first real call you make. Pick any one lesson and play the whole thing free, no card.

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Lesson 3.1 · about 20 minutes

Saving for the Slow Season

Bank the busy months so January doesn't decide your rate.

December pays. January doesn't. Bank the one so the other can't set your rate.

Skill: Bank the Season
Lesson 3.1 Saving for the Slow Season: the first call in the game, played on a phone or laptop
The first call, as you see it in the game. Your act's name goes where it says Your Act.
Your first call
The holiday season settles up. A company party pays Your Act $1,500 by check tonight. The eight bar and private nights since Thanksgiving paid $2,500, already sitting in checking. $4,000 for the season. Rent is paid through December. January has one gig on it.
  • ADeposit it tonight and move 20% of the $1,500 check: $300. The eight nights already got spent on December.
  • BDeposit it tonight and move 20% of the whole $4,000 season to the gig account: $800.
  • CDeposit it tonight and leave all $4,000 in checking. January has one gig, so you'll want it close.

Every option is something a working player really does. Which one would you pick? The game shows you what each one costs or earns.

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Lesson 3.2 · about 20 minutes

Gear on Credit

When a payment plan helps and when it buries you.

Your speaker dies on a Thursday. The payment plan is right there. Here's when it helps and when it buries you.

Skill: Buy It Right
Lesson 3.2 Gear on Credit: the first call in the game, played on a phone or laptop
The first call, as you see it in the game. Your act's name goes where it says Your Act.
Your first call
Your main speaker is dead, for real this time. Nothing on the calendar for three weeks. Same model new: $700. The store has the better one at $1,400, no interest until a date in spring. Bank: $900.
  • APost in the local musicians group for a used one, and test it at full volume before you pay.
  • BThe better one on the store plan. No interest until spring, and spring is when the wedding inquiries come in.
  • CSame model, $700 from the bank today. No debt, no stranger's used gear, whole again by dinner.

Every option is something a working player really does. Which one would you pick? The game shows you what each one costs or earns.

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Lesson 3.3 · about 20 minutes

The Shoebox

Turn a bag of receipts into books you can read in ten minutes.

A month of slips in a gig bag. Ten minutes a week turns them into books you can read.

Skill: Keep the Books
Lesson 3.3 The Shoebox: the first call in the game, played on a phone or laptop
The first call, as you see it in the game. Your act's name goes where it says Your Act.
How it opens
March is over. The gig bag's front pocket goes on the table.
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Lesson 3.4 · about 20 minutes

The Real Cost of a Gig

Strip a $500 gig down to what you really made per hour.

The tag says $500 for three hours. Strip it down to what you really made per hour.

Skill: Know Your Real Rate
Lesson 3.4 The Real Cost of a Gig: the first call in the game, played on a phone or laptop
The first call, as you see it in the game. Your act's name goes where it says Your Act.
How it opens
$500 for three hours. Find everything else it took.
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Lesson 3.5 · about 20 minutes

Fund the Rig

Savings, a loan, a card or the crowd: pay for the big stuff the right way.

Savings, a card, a loan, the crowd or a partner. The big stuff gets paid for somehow. Pick the way that doesn't cost you the season, or the act.

Skill: Fund It Right
Lesson 3.5 Fund the Rig: the first call in the game, played on a phone or laptop
The first call, as you see it in the game. Your act's name goes where it says Your Act.
How it opens
Eight booked outdoor dates, and no PA that can do them.
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Lesson 3.6 · about 20 minutes

One Page, One Year

Your gig year on one page, and the three leaks in it.

92 gigs and the account still looks thin. Put the year on one page and the leaks show up on their own.

Skill: Read Your Year
Lesson 3.6 One Page, One Year: the first call in the game, played on a phone or laptop
The first call, as you see it in the game. Your act's name goes where it says Your Act.
How it opens
The year opens. Tap each item onto its line before the clock runs out.
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Lesson 3.7 · about 20 minutes

The Gear Vault

What your act owns, what it owes, and what that makes you worth.

$14,000 of gear in the van. A bank, a buyer and your future self all say you're not worth $14,000. Find out what you are.

Skill: Know Your Worth
Lesson 3.7 The Gear Vault: the first call in the game, played on a phone or laptop
The first call, as you see it in the game. Your act's name goes where it says Your Act.
How it opens
Eleven things, one at a time, on a clock. Own, owe, both, or not on the sheet?
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Lesson 3.8 · about 20 minutes

The Deposit Gap

Get through rent day when the big client pays in 30 days.

Your best month ever, on paper. Then rent day comes and the money isn't there yet. Learn to see the gap before it opens.

Skill: Mind the Gap
Lesson 3.8 The Deposit Gap: the first call in the game, played on a phone or laptop
The first call, as you see it in the game. Your act's name goes where it says Your Act.
Your first call
The Hills book Your Act for a May 23 wedding, $2,000. They're friends of friends, and nice. May is already packed: a company party on the 9th, a speaker on sale on the 20th, and players to pay on every gig night.
  • ANo deposit. They're friends of friends. They'll send it all after the honeymoon.
  • B$500 to hold the date. The balance is due a week before the wedding.
  • C$500 to hold the date. The balance on the wedding night.

Every option is something a working player really does. Which one would you pick? The game shows you what each one costs or earns.

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Lesson 3.9 · about 20 minutes

Clean Books

Cash gigs, paying players and the mileage log: keep it honest.

Cash nights, paying players, the mileage log. Every shortcut is quiet for months. Then somebody reads your books.

Skill: Keep It Clean
Lesson 3.9 Clean Books: the first call in the game, played on a phone or laptop
The first call, as you see it in the game. Your act's name goes where it says Your Act.
Your first call
Your Act plays three hours at the brewery on 5th. The owner hands you an envelope with $400 cash: "Cash okay? Easier for us." No invoice. No paper. Nobody would know.
  • ATake tonight's, but tell the owner you only take checks or app payments from now on, so there's always a paper trail.
  • BTake it. Log it tonight (date, venue, $400, cash) and deposit it in the gig account tomorrow.
  • CTake it and keep it out of the gig account. He asked for cash, and $400 in an envelope is spending money.

Every option is something a working player really does. Which one would you pick? The game shows you what each one costs or earns.

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Unit 3 · Money Between Gigs

All 9 lessons, each one ending with your own checklist. One time, no subscription. 30-day refund, no questions.

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