QUOTE

is there any way i can copywrite etc?

QUOTE

You can register it at company's house as a registered trademark I think...

These quotes are from DJ SBD's 'name' thread.
It got me thinking; I wonder how many dj's do actually copyright their stage show name?
Anyone on here actually done it?

i just use my name so would be pretty hard to copyright....

as i business man once said " i proud of what i offer so i put my name on it"

You can register a company name with companies House however it is not as straight forward as it appears and it isn't just a matter of submitting your name and a fee

First of all if you do register, you'll need to make sure that your business is 100% legit - that means registering with the Inland Revenue, and ensuring that you have professional documentation - i.e letterheads.

In order to register a name and get a company reg no you'll need to apply for a certificate of incorporation. Even as a small business or sole trader you'll need a named Director (You) and a Company Secretary (The Director and Secretary Cannot be the same person!) so you'll need to ask your Missus or Mum to be named on your companies behalf!.

More info can be found HERE, but I doubt you'll find it is worth the effort!.

Here in Norway ,i have my name registered as a self employed entertainer`\artiste ( Hold the sarki comments eskie!) and i was given a company registration nr .This is highly useful when playing clubs as they do not deduct tax and i have the possibility of deducting nearly all expenses (cd,gear,travel,stage clothes,haircuts etc etc) on my tax returns.I am not sure if this is possible in the uk. When i worked in the uk in the 80s we registered with the actors\entertainers union Equity and this gave good protection of ones name\stage name,perhaps this is still possible?

QUOTE

i have my name registered as a self employed entertainer`\artiste ( Hold the sarki comments eskie!)

eh! who me?, sarki!, u got the wrong geezer son; I would never stoop so low
...BTW; u did mean pi$$ artiste there didn't u!?

I have a really strong picture of that chehire cats grin of yours in my head at this moment ! You knew what i meant, but then again gooners arent exactly known for their iq !

i really cant be bothered with all that malarky - as long as the other dynamite discos doesnt turn up 2 streets along from me and do rubboish discos its ok. from what ive seen there pretty good - its quite spooky tho :

i live in 2 yew tree cottages, ockham, surrey
and shortly after i started promoting myself as dynamite discos i saw an ad in yellow pages for Dynamite disco, [ADDRESS REMOVED BY ADMIN] - bit crazy huh!


also about the inland revenue etc - if im blatently way under the threshold do i still need to register?

EDITED BY ADMIN - PLEASE DON'T POST OTHER PEOPLES' ADDRESSES ON A PUBLIC FORUM WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION!!!

QUOTE

but then again gooners arent exactly known for their iq !

no m8, reckon it's best to keep footie away from ere... an' u REALLY don't want me 2 get started on Spertz; jeez there's enough material to last me years

QUOTE

also about the inland revenue etc - if im blatently way under the threshold do i still need to register?

Yes! - If your disco is a 2nd occupation (i.e you have a full time Job) then you'll pay tax on every Penny you earn from the Disco less expenses so if you only earn £400 a year profit on the Disco you'll still be taxed a percentage of that! . I think it works out at around £23.00 for every £100 profit you earn - Ian will advise you more - or better still use his accountancy services .

Better register with the Revenue now - if they catch up with you in the future then you'll get a bill for what they THINK you have earned! and this can run into £1000's of pounds plus a fine and interest.

QUOTE

(Dynamite) - i live in 2 ***** *****, ******, surrey

In view of what you have just posted do you really think it is wise to post your FULL address Dynamite . I only edit this sort of information myself for members under 16 for safety reasons, and since you are an Adult i'll leave it. But considering you may have expensive gear at this address - coupled with the fact that you have just led the revenue to your door - do you think posting personal your personal info on the internet is wise?.

Just a word of Caution Dynamite it's not only D.J's who can access and read this forum!

thats a very censored version of my address - as was the other one - the house doesnt even have a name / no. displayed and nor does the road - even when you tell the people the full address (delivery peeps etc they cant find it).
Thanks for the concearn anyway. I dont have a full time job - djing is my only source of income - i asked my father about it last night and he works in the city as financial controller for a company so he does all the tax and stuff and he said that its not necessary for me - its something i shall look into tho.
thanks
Steve

QUOTE (Dynamite Discos @ Jun 16 2003, 11:43 PM)

also about the inland revenue etc - if im blatently way under the threshold do i still need to register?

If you are trading and earning money, the taxman has to know about it, even if there is no tax to be paid.

Being a DJ is a very public occupation and if you don't tell the tax (wo)man he/she will soon find out. (note how politically correct I'm being)
When that guest comes up at the end of the night to thank you and ask for your card how do you know that they're not a tax inspector??
In 1992 I was 'invited' to the inland revenue to discuss my latest tax return and believe me they don't do things by halves. In fact they don't believe anything you say unless you can also prove it with paperwork. (When I told him it was raining he had to go to the window to check for himself!)
Before going to the interview I double checked all my invoices etc, had to fill in extra forms about personal expenditure (which included how much do you spend on things like newspapers each week), supply copies of all my business & personal bank statements, in fact give them my life story for the year in question.
Apart from a bit of bartering about the percentage of vehicle, phone & utilities to divide between personal & business use the TI was satisfied that I was legit, but it is not something I would like to repeat The hours spent checking & double checking everything before the interview and filling out the additional forms was time I could have spent doing other things. I estimate that the cost to my time was over £300 and the only thing I could claim back was the cost of the car park fee whilst in the tax office.
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU AS WELL!!!!! when (not if) they catch up with you, as Chris has pointed out, there's not only back tax to pay but fines & interest as well.
Is it worth the risk? A friend of mine lost half his house (the other half belonged to his wife) and ended up divorced and back living with his parents at age 50 because he thought he could pull one over the tax & C&E. (He did for 8 years but when they caught up with him they took the lot)
Something to think about over the morning coffee

The thing with the Inland Revenue is that they only charge you a percentage of what you earn as clear profit. So provided that you can prove that you earn zero profit, or are currently trading at a loss, or that your D.J'ing as a sole income falls below a certain threshold (I think that to be around £4600) then you simply submit your self assessment and you won't owe them anything.

If you are making a profit, however small, and your D.J'ing is a second occupation then you will have to pay tax on your earnings. However this is a percentage of your PROFIT. So if you made £8000 profit after taking into consideration your expenditure then you would pay a tax bill of around £1840 (This is just a rough estimate).

Again a good accountant will tell you what you can and can't claim back, they will also fill in the paperwork and liase with the Revenue on your behalf.

National Insurance contributions is another area that becomes payable above a certain profit threshold (Again I believe around £4600).

Customs and Excise handle VAT registration and collection, and I doubt that a Mobile D.J will ever need to concern themselves with this area, since it only becomes an issue if your TURNOVER exceeds £56,000 in any 12 month period.

Better to be straight with the Revenue, then you won't be looking over your shoulder everytime the post comes, or you place an Advert in the Paper.

there is no point in hiding to much income, because when they investigate, and believe me every one will be they want to know what you spend your money on, ir mortgage, car loans, cloths food etc, and if you don't earn enough to support this they know you are on the "nelson".

i know of a guy who got caught when he bought a house, he bought a house far in excess of his declared income so investigated him, he lost that house.

how did they know, well you pay stamp duty, where does this stamp duty go ......... yes you guessed it the inland revenue.

so be careful, never asume, and own up. one day you may need to show this income.

QUOTE

Again a good accountant will tell you what you can and can't claim back, they will also fill in the paperwork and liase with the Revenue on your behalf.

looks like daddy had a busy weekend ahead - id better go cut the grass or something to put him in a good mood lol
Thanks for that advice guys

Or you can employ a good (& chaep accountant(

ME

FOR ALL YOU GUYS ONLY £150.00 ALL IN

And of course that is a tax deductable item aswell!!!

of course

Hey Dynomite, if your who i think you are, you rang me about a week ago. Give me a bell and we can talk through some of the do's and dont's.

QUOTE

(& chaep accountant(

Good job it figures and not spelling

QUOTE

they know you are on the "nelson".

Why Nelson, been thinking but just can't get it !

QUOTE

Why Nelson, been thinking but just can't get it !

"Nelson Riddle" = Fiddle

Nelson Riddle, who was he ?

I was thinking Mandela, Trafaglar but never Riddle.

Yeah mikee i am - i aint forgotten about you - im just gettin me exams over and done with before i do anything else at the mo.
Speaking of which - better go do some revision - got 2 chem modules tmorrow and aint started revision - nothing like working under pressure lol.

Just been reading the bits about letting Inland Revenue in on your disco's.
OH Yes!
Keep all records of earnings, just write them down in a note book along with the date and disco etc. DO THIS EVERY WEEK.
Then keep all your receipts for equipment. Even if you don't want to tell them, this will give you the information they need if they catch you & will stop them digging in and estimating what you owe! There will be a small tax bill and a possible fine depending if you have been careless or just gullible.

I do my tax regularly and made a few cockups years ago that resulted in them having a closer look and it gets very ugly, so do it right from the start. If you earn next to nothing you will pay next to nothing, If you earn loads and claim for everything you will still only pay about £2500 tax a year on about £26,000 turnover.

You claim for EVERYTHING ALLOWABLE. Car or van, fuel, road tax, telephone, advertising, paperwork & stamps etc, clothing, equipment & repairs, cd's, subscriptions, P.L.I. and P.A.T. testing costs (these you must have or you are an idiot who should not be working with the public these days!) Claim everything and take off about a fifth for private use on the parts that are not soley for the disco.
IF PEOPLE SEE YOUR ADVERTS THEN SO DO THE TAX OFFICE. Anything you don't understand, ring them up and these days they are very helpful and they understand that we are not all brain surgeons and may need telling a few times how to get it sorted.

By the way get your Public Liability Insurance from Country Mutual Insurance Brokers 01952 641321. At the mo it's about £100 a year for 2 mill. cover. £150 for 5 mill.