By Jim Edmonson, CEO of Harmony Street Society
Playing for cash tips can make it hard to understand what you owe when Tax Day rolls around on April 15. But one area nonprofit is helping performers file on time and with confidence by offering year-round education and support.
“So many of our city’s performers are classified as 1099 contractors, and they often don’t know the rules around what they can write off and what they owe,” says Alison Edmonson, who co-founded the Harmony Street Society Foundation with her husband, Jim, in 2021. “It’s a complicated system, and the musicians we help are primarily focused on playing music and making a living.”
But that living can get complicated when a musician fails to file taxes. Some find themselves caught between multiple government agencies—dealing with revoked driver’s licenses, garnished accounts, or worse. In the most serious cases, musicians owe tens of thousands of dollars in back taxes or become ineligible for subsidy programs and retirement benefits.
Many tell Harmony Street that the stress of tax issues leads to mental health decline and physical illness.
“Until now, [the musicians we serve] had nowhere to turn for help with these really serious issues. They couldn’t see their way through,” adds Jim Edmonson.
When the Edmonsons launched Harmony Street, they partnered with local organizations to help musicians access COVID stimulus funds. Since then, the operation has grown into a stand-alone nonprofit offering year-round tax education in partnership with groups like The New Orleans Jazz Museum, ELLA, and the Trombone Shorty Foundation, as well as national organizations.
For musicians with more complex needs, sponsors like MusiCares, the Jazz Foundation of America, and individual donors help cover the cost of one-on-one support from Harmony Street’s CPA team.
“It’s a joy to provide this education to large groups of musicians, and then to work one-on-one with more serious, long-term cases that require a professional CPA,” says Alison, a full-time CPA with 20 years of experience. “The musicians we help never thought relief was possible, so they kept avoiding it. In the process, we’re also helping them review contracts and begin financial planning, so they can feel validated that their career path can lay the foundation for a full and rich life.”
Some of Harmony Street’s clients have even reached personal milestones they once thought were out of reach.
“With Alison’s help, I was able to purchase my first home—something that was impossible until now,” says drummer A.J.
“It’s like losing 50 pounds of spirit burden,” adds vocalist Leslie Smith in her testimonial. “I have more lung capacity when I breathe in. Unreal. Being completely underwater financially is no joke.”
Now, Harmony Street is aiming to expand, attracting funding and corporate partnerships to bring more CPAs and enrolled agents into the fold—professionals who want to make a difference in the lives of local musicians.
To learn more, sign up for their newsletter, or make a donation, visit HarmonyStreetSociety.org.
