If you are filing your taxes as a self-employed musician then you are probably already estimating your quarterly tax and working with a CPA to file accordingly.
If you are NOT already filing self-employed (or do not plan to)—then I’m leaning towards saying no, you are not likely to be able to deduct the capital expense amortization of a new computer.
If you are filing as self-employed and as a musician (that is, your income is entirely or mostly derived from your work as a musician) then you can claim some portions of the computer’s cost when you itemize your capital expenditures.
Be aware you will also have to itemize how much of the computer’s usage is for professional vs. personal use. Each year there is depreciation to be calculated and itemized as well.
If you aren’t already itemizing it seems hardly worth it for you to go to extra trouble and expense of having to file a 1040 Schedule C and Form 4562 with the proper amortization and depreciation.
Also, bear in mind the deduction you’d get for this capital purchase is rather small and pro-rated over the years (along with the depreciation)—and will certainly be something you realize only months (or longer) after you purchase it.
So, as much as you may realllllly want a MacBook to help you with your music…unless you are filing as a professional musician and itemizing your capital expenses… then I’m afraid you’re probably falling in the category as most of us who just buy a computer and don’t get to write it off on our taxes.
(FWIW, my husband and I are small business owners. For what it costs us to work with our CPA to file itemized and pay our self-employment taxes we could buy a whole lotta MacBooks.)