I was twenty-one in 1978 when I got my first part-time CPA accounting job while studying at UCLA. The adding machine I used had a crank…really.
Over the last year or so, I have written about apps that help business people run their businesses better. Recently, I came across Artistgrowth that literally puts “organization” in the hands of the artist, manager, and others in the music world.
The app helps you manage your schedule, gigs, and tours. In addition, it helps you and your CPA manage your finances by allowing you to photograph your receipts and attach it to a report. The app also has a portal that connects you to many different informational sources, videos, etc. that discuss such things as promotion, songwriting, and instrument repair.
The Action Packs section helps you implement the knowledge you learned in the informational sources. I thought the business plan pack was very superficial, but at least it displays the basic concept. (These packs are limited depending on your subscription level.)
Before jumping on your phone and buying it, step back and think about what you and your music business lack. The problems with apps is that they offer a whole list of bells and whistles that you may not need.
I have written several times during the last year that now is the best time in the last 100 years to start a business because of all the resources available online. This app seems to be one of those gems that a music professional can leverage. The boundaries that separated CPAs, managers, and even artists are changing. The things that one person used to be responsible for, may no longer exist. If you have the ambition and maturity, you can evolve your role to further your career and maybe save you a lot of money and grief.
I am not saying that you should replace your CPA or manager with this app. However, by assuming some of the lower level responsibilities, you can empower your CPA to provide higher level services that could multiply the financial return of this app.