Artists Corporation

An Artist Corporation (A-Corp) is a proposed new legal and corporate structure designed specifically to empower artists and creators by turning them from "1099 gig workers" into owners. The A-Corp aims to provide creative people with the economic infrastructure needed to build collective wealth and achieve financial stability.

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  • The A-Corp initiative is currently seeking to pass pilot legislation, with an initial focus on the state of Colorado. The implementation strategy follows the state-by-state model used for Public Benefit Corporations (PBCs), with an initial goal of launching a pilot program limited to 250 entities to test and refine the structure

  • A-Corps provide a novel new set of benefits to artists and other producers of creative content. Whether allowing creators to pool income, share equity, capitalize intellectual property, or fund work by combining investment and donations under one structure A Corps provide owners with a set of necessary functions that aren’t addressed by current business entity structures:

    • Built-in Ownership Sharing: The framework facilitates easy revenue and equity sharing among peers and collaborators.
    • Resource Pooling: Multiple A-Corps could pool their income and resources to access collective benefits that are typically difficult for independent workers to obtain, such as health insurance, retirement benefits, or shared studio space.
    • Reduced Administrative Burden: A Corps seeks to simplify the administrative, structural, and bureaucratic burdens that often hinder artists from effectively running their businesses.

  • The proposal for the Artist Corporation (A-Corp) faces several significant legal, fiscal, and regulatory hurdles as we seek adoption from state governments and the IRS. Key challenges include:

    1. Government Administrative Costs: One of the primary challenges is the financial burden placed on state governments to regulate a new entity type.

    2. Regulatory Oversight: Establishing a new business structure requires involvement from the state's Secretary of State and taxing authorities. Creating and enforcing these statutory rules are complex and expensive.

    3. Legislative Motivation: “What’s in it for my district?” Proponents must convince state legislators to sponsor and vote for such bills in a majority of the states.

    4. Federal Adoption and IRS Pushback: The hybrid nature of the A-Corp (for-profit but allowing non-profit-style funding) creates unique tax risks. Enrolled Agents, USTCPs and tax attorneys can help by contributing to policy frameworks that address these challenges.

    5. Adoption and Awareness: Even when the legislation is passed, the initiative faces a "go-to-market" challenge. How do we ensure that artists actually know the structure exists and understand how to use it.

    Designing tax-compliant frameworks and scalable oversight will be critical to legislative success.

  • Join the movement to build the Creative Century. Subscribe for updates, share your story, engage lawmakers, and advocate for pilot legislation in your state. Grassroots participation is essential to passing the first A-Corp law and expanding nationwide.

  • "Artists don't need pity. Artists need power."

    -Yancey Strickler

  • A new type of profit motive

    Unlike traditional structures that force a choice between for-profit and non-profit, an A-Corp could receive both commercial revenue (investments) and non-profit funding (grants and donations) under a single legal entity.

  • Equity and Generational Wealth

    Creators could issue shares to collaborators or investors rather than merely selling the rights to their work. This allows them to benefit from the long-term valuation and "collective wealth" of their projects.