An Exclusive Interview With Paul Amorese (Melo Groove)
Written by: MELOGROOVEADMIN
Can you provide an overview of Buddisystems and its primary purpose in the music industry?
Buddisystems is an online platform that helps music companies and bandleaders hire, pay and report taxes for gig economy workers so they can spend more time on projects and less time dealing with the complexities of hiring freelancers.
How does Buddisystems differ from other platforms in terms of its focus and target audience?
The biggest differentiator is that it focuses on musicians becoming better at running their business. The payments can be made through a digital wallet (like Venmo and Zelle) and it doesn’t have restraining limits. Another perk is that the price is catered to musicians at a low enough rate so they can get a massive benefit without paying a lot of money per year. There is no platform out there helping musicians organize their gigs, pay instantly and automatically report 1099s for them at the end of the year.
Could you elaborate on the specific features that make Buddisystems a game-changer for musicians and bandleaders?
The first and most distinct feature is the digital wallet. It works exactly like Venmo or Zelle and doesn’t give payment restrictions for businesses. This allows for musicians to be paid instantly and without hassle.
The other feature that is appealing is the Buddi Feed.
Looking for work? The Buddi Feed acts as a place for musicians to post about their availability, post about musicians needed for gigs and you can even sell gear. The feed is open to the entire Buddisystems community and is focused so if you are looking for work or to hire for professional gigs, this is the place for you. Reaching out to posts is direct and private. There are no comments or “Like”s as found in traditional social media so you can stay focused on work.
The automated booking system is highlighted as a groundbreaking feature. How does this system work, and how does it enhance the booking process for musicians?
The booking system is one of a kind and takes a lot of the complexity out of getting people booked. Here is how it works:
Buddisystems sends out booking memos that give details all about the gig including date, time, location and pay, plus you can customize the memo to fit your needs and even save your progress to use on future jobs. You have the ability to send memos to your favorite musicians and based on their availability, the platform will send memos out to musicians until the gig is booked automatically. You only need to enter the information once and it will take care of the rest. For example, if your 1st choice bassist isn’t available, you can enter your 2nd and 3rd choice players and depending on availability, the system will automatically confirm them for you. You no longer have to worry about going back and forth between phone, text, email or 3rd party apps.
The concept of secure digital wallets for musicians is intriguing. Could you explain how these wallets function and how they benefit musicians’ financial management?
The wallet functions similarly to Zelle, Venmo and Cashapp. The only difference, it’s for business. Once musicians go through our secure portal and are verified, they can link as many bank accounts as they wish to the wallet and can send money instantly between wallets. The tracking has excellent accounting organization so bandleaders and music venues can pay musicians and track them by gig and there are no limits for transfers. The wallet is designed for musicians so they can receive payments quickly and securely and when transferring to their bank accounts it only takes a day to two (depending on the bank)
The automated tax reporting feature seems to be a significant advantage for both musicians and bandleaders. Can you walk us through the process of how this feature works and how it simplifies tax reporting?
Tax reporting is even easier on our system. Because all of the gig info is stored in your account, you can opt to have the system automatically report taxes for you. Each freelancer who works for you has a W9 connected to their account securely and there is a mechanism that tracks all of the jobs and payments for the calendar year so the bandleader doesn’t have to worry about it. The system sends out a couple of emails verifying that the information is correct and then Buddisystems will send a copy of 1099s to the government along with sending to the freelancers you booked. All with one click.
The Buddi Feed is described as a marketplace connecting musicians, vendors, and those looking to hire talent. Could you provide more details about how this feature operates and its benefits?
The Buddi Feed is free and can be accessed by anyone signed up for Buddisystems. Through their quick signup process, freelancers can join the marketplace and post about availability, upcoming gigs or even sell gear on the site. Without all of the noise of traditional social media platforms, musicians can directly reach out to one another about gigs. All members on Buddisystems are encouraged to fill out their profile so they can easily provide information and be hired for more work. With thousands of users, Buddisystems gives musicians the opportunity to work more and get paid faster.
How has Paul Amorese’s nearly three decades of experience in the music industry influenced the development and vision of Buddisystems?
Paul has performed, recorded and managed several artists in his career. From performing with artists such as Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull to writing with the likes of Wyclef Jean and even managing up and coming artists in the New York area, he has amassed a skillset that has truly been useful when helping to streamline some of the things musicians really hate doing. Business. Beyond performing, Paul spent years booking, tour managing and promoting groups and realized there needed to be a better way. That is what helped birth Buddisystems for the music community.
For those interested in exploring Buddisystems, how can they sign up for a free account and learn more about the platform’s solutions? The easiest way is to check out the site but for a more customized experience, you can schedule a demo and get a tour of how Buddisystems can work for you.
In terms of security and privacy, how does Buddisystems ensure the safety of musicians’ financial information and tax documents?
Buddisystems has invested a lot of time and money with several development firms and partners to secure this information. For starters, they use Plaid for all account linking which is the same as Venmo and Plaid doesn’t allow any visibility into sensitive account information. For identity verification, we use standard practices of KYC (Know Your Customer) and KYB (Know Your Business) and these practices help ensure that our customers aren’t exposed to fraudulent activities. Tax documentation is securely encrypted and cannot be accessed by anyone outside of Buddisystems except the company hiring the freelancer for accounting purposes.
As the business landscape continually evolves, what plans does Buddisystems have to adapt and stay relevant in the music industry? We have a pretty impressive road map that we are in the process of implementing and our plan is to make things even easier for musicians to run their business, manage their gigs and get paid. Stay tuned for more on that.. We’ll have updates coming before the end of the year!
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