Two ways to pay musicians.
Both built into Rhapsody.
Pay independent contractors on 1099 through Rhapsody Payroll, or run W-2, union-compliant payroll through our sister company Reverie Payroll. Either way it starts from the same Budget & Payroll sheet — and ends with one click.
Rhapsody Payroll
For orchestras and contractors who pay musicians as independent contractors — substitutes, soloists, production teams, and more. We handle the invoices, the tax paperwork, and the payments.
W-9 collection & 1099 tax reporting
PDF invoices — for you and for each musician
Direct deposit via ACH
One-time musician onboarding per tax year
Our sister company Reverie Payroll is the W-2 employer of record for AFM-covered dates — film & TV scoring, sound recording, and live work under union agreements — and the only music payroll company built into Rhapsody.
W-2 employer of record — filings & liability sit with Reverie
AFM scale with pension & health & welfare, remitted to the funds
B-forms & session reporting
Work dues withheld & remitted to the local
Which one is right for you?
It comes down to how the musicians on your date are employed.
Rhapsody Payroll 1099 contractors | Reverie Payroll W-2 · union compliant | |
|---|---|---|
Musicians are paid as | Independent contractors (1099) | W-2 employees |
Employer of record | Your organization | Reverie Payroll |
Tax paperwork | W-9 collection, 1099 filing | W-4 & I-9 onboarding, W-2 filings |
AFM pension & health / welfare | — | Calculated & remitted to the funds |
Union session reporting (B-forms) | — | |
Work dues to the local | — | |
Direct deposit (ACH) | ||
Submitted from your Budget & Payroll sheet | One click | One click |
Both paths start in the same place
Your roster, sessions, and budget are already in Rhapsody — payroll is just the last click.
1
Build the project
Set the work sessions and instrumentation, hire your musicians, confirm the calls — the way you already do in Rhapsody.
2
Set the numbers
The Budget & Payroll sheet handles scales, overscale, doubling, cartage, mileage, and adjustments — with mass edit to go fast.
3
Hit submit
Choose the rails: 1099 through Rhapsody Payroll, or W-2 union-compliant through Reverie. No export, no re-keying.
Rhapsody Payroll, in depth
You are in control
Use our Budget & Payroll sheet to quickly set how much each musician receives, with a range of powerful features that streamline the entire process:
Overscale
Doubling
Adjustments
Cartage per instrument
Mileage reimbursement & calculation
Welfare & Pension
A simple process
Once the numbers look good, just click “Submit” — that’s it!
We send the invoice to the customer and await payment
We send individual invoices to musicians
Musicians complete a one-time onboarding to provide tax & bank information
Musicians receive payment via ACH
Musician onboarding
It only takes a few minutes for a musician to get set up with Rhapsody Payroll. They only need to do it once at the beginning of each tax year.
Provide tax information
Link a bank account
Sign a W-9
... That's it!
When the date calls for union payroll
Reverie Payroll runs W-2 payroll for AFM-covered music work — scoring, sound recording, video game & trailer scores, commercials, and live dates. Submit straight from Rhapsody: the payroll you already built comes across in one click.
W-2 employer of record
Reverie employs the musicians on your date, so the filings and the employment liability sit with Reverie — not with your organization.
AFM scale, calculated properly
Session rates under the applicable agreement, with doubling, overdubbing, overscale, cartage, premiums, and overtime worked out the way the agreement reads.
Pension, health & welfare
Employer contributions calculated on the correct wage base and remitted to the AFM funds on schedule, with reporting the funds accept.
Session reporting
B-forms and session reports generated from the same data that ran the payroll, so what you file and what you paid always agree.
Copyright © 2026 Rhapsody Solutions LLC.