# Music Business Plan Template

A fill-in business plan for a music venture — an artist project, a management roster, a label, or an events brand. Work through each section in order. Keep answers concrete: numbers, names, and dates beat adjectives. Revisit and update quarterly.

**Venture name:** ______________________
**Owner(s):** ______________________
**Date / version:** ______________________
**Type of venture:** [ ] Artist project  [ ] Management company  [ ] Label  [ ] Events/brand  [ ] Other: ______

---

## 1. Vision & Mission

> What are you building, and why does it deserve to exist?

- **One-sentence vision** (where this goes in 3–5 years):
  ______________________________________________
- **Mission** (what you do, for whom, and the change you create):
  ______________________________________________
- **Why now / why you** (your unfair advantage — relationships, lane, skill, audience):
  ______________________________________________
- **Definition of success** (specific, measurable — what does "winning" look like in 12 months?):
  ______________________________________________

---

## 2. Artist / Brand Positioning

> What is the identity, and how is it different?

- **Name & one-line description:**
  ______________________________________________
- **Genre / lane** (e.g., house, tech-house, melodic techno):
  ______________________________________________
- **The point of difference** (what makes this ownable vs. everyone else in the lane?):
  ______________________________________________
- **Brand personality** (3–5 adjectives):
  ______________________________________________
- **Visual & sonic identity** (look, palette, signature sound elements):
  ______________________________________________
- **Comparable artists/brands** ("for fans of…"):
  ______________________________________________
- **The story** (the narrative fans connect to):
  ______________________________________________

---

## 3. Market & Audience

> Who is this for, and where do they live?

- **Primary audience** (age, location, scene, behaviors):
  ______________________________________________
- **Secondary audiences:**
  ______________________________________________
- **Where they discover music** (TikTok, Beatport, playlists, clubs, radio, word of mouth):
  ______________________________________________
- **Where they hang out** (platforms, communities, cities, venues):
  ______________________________________________
- **Market size / trend** (is this lane growing? any tailwinds?):
  ______________________________________________
- **Current audience snapshot** (followers, monthly listeners, email/Laylo list, avg engagement):
  ______________________________________________

---

## 4. Competitive Landscape

> Who are you up against, and what's the gap?

| Competitor / comp artist | What they do well | Where they're weak | What we can take / do differently |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |

- **The whitespace** (the opening in the market we can own):
  ______________________________________________

*(For deeper analysis, complete the separate Competition Analysis Worksheet.)*

---

## 5. Products & Revenue Streams

> How does this make money? List every stream and an estimate.

| Revenue stream | Description | Est. annual revenue (Yr 1) | Notes / status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded music / streaming | | | |
| Live performance / DJ bookings | | | |
| Publishing / sync | | | |
| Merchandise | | | |
| Brand deals / sponsorships | | | |
| Events / ticketing | | | |
| Fan support (memberships, Patreon, etc.) | | | |
| Other: | | | |
| **TOTAL (Yr 1 target)** | | | |

- **Primary revenue driver** (where most money will come from this year):
  ______________________________________________
- **Pricing** (show fee range, merch margins, ticket prices, etc.):
  ______________________________________________

---

## 6. Marketing & Growth Strategy

> How will people find out and become fans?

- **Core message / hook:**
  ______________________________________________
- **Content strategy** (formats, platforms, cadence — e.g., 3 Reels/wk, weekly mix):
  ______________________________________________
- **Release strategy** (singles vs. EP, frequency, rollout windows):
  ______________________________________________
- **Audience capture** (how you convert viewers to owned list — Laylo, email, Discord):
  ______________________________________________
- **Paid vs. organic** (any ad budget? what for?):
  ______________________________________________
- **Partnerships & PR** (playlists, blogs, labels, collabs, press):
  ______________________________________________
- **Key growth metrics to watch:**
  ______________________________________________

---

## 7. Operations & Team

> Who does what?

- **Core team & roles** (manager, agent, publicist, content, business manager):
  ______________________________________________
- **Tools & systems** (project board, CRM, distributor, drive, vault):
  ______________________________________________
- **Key partners / vendors:**
  ______________________________________________
- **Gaps to fill** (roles you need but don't have yet):
  ______________________________________________

---

## 8. Milestones & Goals (next 12 months)

> Concrete, dated, measurable.

| Timeframe | Goal / milestone | Metric | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | | | |
| 90 days | | | |
| 6 months | | | |
| 12 months | | | |

- **The one metric that matters most this year:**
  ______________________________________________

---

## 9. Budget & Financials

> What does it cost, and where does the money go?

| Category | Est. cost (Yr 1) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Production (studio, mixing, mastering) | | |
| Visuals (artwork, photo, video) | | |
| Marketing / ads / PR | | |
| Distribution / software / tools | | |
| Touring / travel | | |
| Legal / accounting | | |
| Other | | |
| **TOTAL EXPENSES** | | |

- **Projected revenue (from §5):** ______________
- **Projected net (revenue − expenses):** ______________
- **Funding source / runway** (savings, advance, reinvested income — how many months?):
  ______________________________________________
- **Break-even point** (when revenue covers costs):
  ______________________________________________

---

## 10. Risks & Mitigation

| Risk | Likelihood (L/M/H) | Impact (L/M/H) | How we reduce it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slow audience growth | | | |
| Income concentration (too reliant on one stream) | | | |
| Platform/algorithm change | | | |
| Key-person dependency | | | |
| Cash runway runs out | | | |
| Other: | | | |

---

## 11. One-Page Summary (fill in last)

- **What we're building:** ______________________
- **For whom:** ______________________
- **Why it wins:** ______________________
- **How we make money:** ______________________
- **12-month target:** ______________________
- **What we need to get there:** ______________________

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*Living document — review and revise every quarter against actual results.*
