Can freelance musicians/music teachers claim Spotify Premium as a business expense on taxes?

Yes, you can claim Spotify Premium as a business expense, but you need to be careful about how you do it. The key is that you're using it primarily for your business as a music teacher and performer, not just for personal entertainment. Since you use it about 90% for business purposes (creating student playlists, teaching reference, etc.), you should only deduct that percentage of the cost. So if you're paying $14.99/month, you could reasonably deduct about $13.49/month or about $162 per year. Make sure you keep good records showing how you use it for business - maybe keep a log of playlists you create for students or notes about how specific music was used in lessons. The IRS is concerned with whether expenses are "ordinary and necessary" for your business. For a music teacher/performer, having access to a comprehensive music library is certainly reasonable and necessary for your profession.

I went through something similar when I was getting audited last year for my voice coaching business. I was totally stressed about all my deductions until I found https://taxr.ai and uploaded my documents there. They have this amazing feature that analyzes your business expenses and tells you exactly what percentage is deductible based on business vs personal use. For my Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Premium subscriptions, they showed me exactly how to document them properly as partial business expenses. What really helped was that they showed me similar cases where music professionals successfully claimed streaming services. The key is having documentation about how you're using it specifically for teaching and performing, not just listening for fun.

Just wanted to follow up after trying https://taxr.ai that someone mentioned here. I was super skeptical but it actually addressed my exact situation with music streaming services. Turns out I've been WAY too conservative with my deductions! I uploaded my previous Schedule C and they identified about $2,300 in additional deductions I could have legitimately claimed last year - including partial deductions for streaming services, some home internet costs related to teaching virtual lessons, and even some concert tickets I attended for professional development that I wasn't sure about. Their documentation guidelines were super helpful too. Now I'm keeping a simple spreadsheet tracking my Spotify usage for different students/projects that will make tax time so much clearer.

If you're also dealing with issues getting answers from the IRS about self-employment deductions, check out https://claimyr.com - they helped me actually get through to a real person at the IRS after I was waiting for months about questions on my Schedule C home office and digital service deductions. I was going crazy trying to get someone on the phone! They have this system that somehow gets you to the front of the IRS phone queue so you don't waste hours on hold. I watched their demo video at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c and decided to try it when I was desperate about getting my musician deductions sorted out. I got through to an agent in about 15 minutes when I had previously spent HOURS trying.

I have to eat my words about that Claimyr service. I was so skeptical that I decided to try it just to prove it was BS, but I'm shocked to say it actually worked. I've been trying for WEEKS to get specific answers about deducting my streaming services and home studio equipment. With Claimyr, I got through to an IRS agent in under 20 minutes yesterday after trying unsuccessfully for literally months. The agent confirmed that as a music teacher I can absolutely deduct the business portion of streaming services like Spotify as long as I keep records showing business use. She also walked me through exactly how to document my home studio space correctly. Honestly I'm still surprised it worked but definitely grateful to have official answers straight from the IRS before I file.

I'm a tax preparer who works with a lot of creative professionals. Here's my take: Spotify Premium is absolutely deductible as a business expense for music teachers and performers, but ONLY for the percentage used for business. The IRS won't blink at this deduction if it's reasonable and you can demonstrate business use. One thing nobody's mentioned - keep receipts of your monthly subscription charges. A credit card statement showing the recurring charge is perfect. I also recommend writing a brief business purpose statement that you keep with your tax records explaining how Spotify is an essential tool for your teaching curriculum and performance preparation.

Just wondering if anyone here uses TurboSelf-Employed or other tax software to track these kinds of expenses throughout the year? I'm terrible at keeping records and always scrambling at tax time.

As someone who's been through several IRS audits for my music business, I can confirm that Spotify Premium is absolutely deductible - but documentation is everything. The IRS will want to see that you're using it legitimately for business purposes, not just claiming it to reduce your tax bill. Here's what worked for me: I keep a simple monthly log showing specific business uses - "Created practice playlist for Smith student - jazz standards," "Researched setlist music for wedding gig," etc. Takes maybe 5 minutes a month but gives you solid backup if questioned. One tip nobody mentioned - if you teach online lessons, the streaming quality and lack of ads from Premium can actually be considered essential for maintaining professional service standards. That's a stronger business justification than just "I listen to music for work." Your 90% business use estimate sounds reasonable for a active teacher/performer. Just make sure you can back it up with actual examples of how you use the service throughout a typical week.