Original band: shows, streaming and merch

Fans buying tickets, merch and music; venues and festival promoters paying performance fees; streaming and licensing services; arts funding bodies.

Show fees or door splits, merchandise sales, small streaming and download payments, licensing of songs and occasional arts grants. Income is usually modest at first and builds slowly.

• Songwriting and performing
• Basic recording and production, or the budget to hire it
• Social media and fan engagement
• Booking shows and managing the band's finances

• Agree who owns the songs and how royalties are split between members, ideally in writing
• Consider registering your songs with a performing rights organization such as SOCAN, and check how it works
• Streaming income is typically small, so don't rely on it early on
• Touring costs such as fuel, accommodation and winter driving can quickly outweigh show income
• Check whether you need to register for GST/HST once revenue grows, and keep records of income and expenses for tax

Startup costs are typically around $1,500 to $8,000, depending on instruments, recording and production, and merch. These are estimates, so decide whether you will record yourselves or hire help before setting a budget.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $200 to $1,500, depending on shows, merch and releases. Streaming income is typically small, and touring costs such as fuel and winter driving can outweigh show income.

Agree in writing who owns the songs and how royalties are split between members. Consider registering songs with a performing rights organization such as SOCAN, and check GST/HST registration once revenue grows, keeping income and expense records.