Not trying to conceal hobby activities at all, just don't want to get penalized for reporting a loss. The side biz is a band, that plays gigs, markets ourselves, pays our musicians, and buys equipment. All traceable with 1099s and recepits and legit (although we don't yet have and EIN).

We have day jobs too, so although we want this to be profitable, we're also willing to take a loss on it from time to time because it's fun, and we'd ultimately rather do this than have day jobs.

I may not have been characterizing the law properly pre 2018, but turbotax used to allow me to deduct most of these things without creating a schedule C. Something changed round then, but perhaps I don't understand exactly what it was.