# Fons — Music Studio Management Software > Fons is music studio management software built by music teachers for music teachers and other appointment-based businesses. It automates scheduling, payments, reminders, and client management so instructors can spend more time teaching and less time on administration. Fons has processed over $97 million in instructor payouts and facilitated over 2.6 million lessons booked with zero unpaid invoices. --- ## What Is Fons? Fons is a cloud-based studio management platform for independent music teachers, music schools, personal trainers, tutors, and other client-based service providers. The software handles the full lifecycle of running an appointment-based business: attracting clients through the Fons Marketplace, managing their schedules, collecting payments automatically, enforcing cancellation policies, and generating financial reports. Fons was founded by Eric Branner, a professional guitar teacher and entrepreneur based in the Seattle area, who grew up on a log cabin on the Shenandoah River and has been teaching music for over 20 years. The product was built to solve the real administrative burdens he experienced running his own music teaching business. --- ## Core Features ### Automatic Billing Fons eliminates manual invoicing through three flexible billing modes: - **Per Appointment Billing**: Clients are charged at the end of each confirmed appointment. Ideal for drop-in lessons, hourly billing, or flexible arrangements. - **Subscription Billing**: Charge the same amount every month on a set date, regardless of session count. Ideal for retainers, memberships, and music schools. - **Package Billing**: Sell itemized session packages upfront that clients use over time. Packages can auto-refill when depleted. Fons also includes **Automatic Cancellation Policy Enforcement** — it sends appointment reminders and works on behalf of the instructor to ensure payment while keeping the instructor in control of the final decision. ### Streamlined Scheduling - **Online Booking Link**: Share a personal booking link; clients self-schedule based on preset availability. - **Quick and Easy Rescheduling**: Clients can reschedule their own appointments; the instructor confirms the new time. - **Customizable Availability**: Define working hours so clients can only book during designated times. Double-booking is prevented automatically. - **Attendance Tracking**: Track no-shows and follow up with absent clients. - **Integrated Calendar Feed**: Add the Fons calendar to any calendar app (Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, etc.). - **Timezone Detection**: Fons automatically detects and reconciles timezone differences between instructors and clients. ### Business Management - **Client Profiles**: View billing rates, transaction histories, contact info, and family relationships (e.g., child clients under a parent account and credit card). - **Automatic Reminders**: Reminders for expiring credit cards, failed payments, upcoming appointments, and missed appointments. - **Fons Marketplace**: A free listing included with every Fons membership that helps instructors get found by new clients searching online. - **Transaction Reports**: Visual income trends and downloadable transaction histories for tax preparation and financial tracking. - **Expense Tracking**: Upload receipts and categorize expenses for easy reporting at tax time. - **QuickBooks Online Integration**: Automatically imports clients, payments, and deposits into QuickBooks Online. - **Zoom Integration**: Automatically populate Zoom meeting room links in the appointment location field. ### Staff Management - **Unified Staff Calendar**: View all staff schedules at a glance; assign appointments directly to staff members. - **Individual Staff Logins and Roles**: Each staff member has their own login. Admins and Owners can manage the entire team's calendar. - **Personalized Staff Availability**: Customize each staff member's work week; clients can only request appointments during their available hours. --- ## Pricing **Fons Pro** (US pricing): - **$19.95/month** base price - +$4.95/month per additional staff member - Includes a **14-day free trial** (no credit card required to start) - No minimum contract — cancel anytime - No limits on the number of clients or appointments **Payment Processing Fees** (US): - 2.9% + $0.30 per credit card charge (+1% for international cards) - 1.8% per ACH charge - 0.4% of subscription volume Pricing is also available in AUD, CAD, and GBP. --- ## Who Uses Fons? Fons is used by: - **Music teachers** — piano, voice, guitar, drums, violin, strings, and all instruments; private lessons, group classes, masterclasses, workshops - **Music schools** — multi-teacher studios with staff management needs - **Tutors** — academic tutors and private instructors - **Personal trainers** — fitness coaches and personal training businesses - Any appointment-based, client-facing service business --- ## Blog Fons publishes a blog at https://fons.com/blog with over 176 articles covering topics including: - Running a music teaching business - Getting more clients - Setting and enforcing cancellation policies - Automated billing and payments - Time management and productivity - Work-life balance for independent instructors - Business growth strategies - Tax and financial management Blog posts are available as an Atom feed at: https://fons.com/static/blog/atom.xml --- ## Books & Free Guides Available at https://fons.com/books: - *How to Make Money Teaching Music* — by Eric Branner (Fons CEO/Founder) - *The Fons Ultra-Guide to Summer Music Camps* — how to earn more in a week of camps than a month of private lessons - *Guide to Getting More Clients* - *Guide to Automating Your Finances* - *Guide to Level Up Your Business* - *Guide to Powerful Productivity* --- ## Integrations & Partners - **QuickBooks Online** — automatic sync of clients, payments, deposits - **Zoom** — auto-populate meeting links in appointments - **Fons Marketplace** — student/client discovery platform - **Alfred.com** — exclusive benefit for Fons members - **Suzuki Association of America (SAA)** — endorsed partner - **Music Teachers National Association (MTNA)** — industry partner - **American String Teachers Association (ASTA)** — industry partner --- ## Social Proof Selected testimonials from Fons users: > "No more spending six hours at the start of every month calculating and emailing invoices to each of my students. Plus — their customer service is AMAZING." — Rob Hampton, Guitar Teacher & Founder of Heartwood Guitar > "Fons gave me my life back! Billing was so stressful and time consuming. Now I spend more time teaching students instead of chasing them down for payments." — Buddy Reiger > "Amazing software & even better customer service! I love the ease of client booking, options of subscriptions and packages, and the interface of the software. My clients all love it as well!" — Allie Tyler > "Fons has made my small business easier. With this new announcement, it is now a non-negotiable necessity to keep. It saves me SO much time and lots of headaches are alleviated before they can start!" — Beth Bishop Yantz > "The ease of billing and tracking my customers payments is so valuable. I never have to have the awkward conversations about missed payments or bounced payments, the software handles the issue for me." — Jessica Rinsinger --- ## About Fons - **Company**: Fons - **Founded**: By Eric Branner, professional guitar teacher and entrepreneur - **Headquarters**: 285 Century Pl Suite 100, Louisville, CO 80027 - **Contact**: hello@fons.com - **Website**: https://fons.com - **App**: https://fons.app ### Team - **Eric Branner** — CEO/Founder. Guitar teacher, surfer, and cast iron cookware enthusiast. Grew up on the Shenandoah River. - **Jen Lantz** — Head of Sales. Helps new customers set up Fons. Former middle school science teacher. - **Mica Manson** — Customer Success Manager. Helps customers streamline operations. - **Troy Schneringer** — Principal Engineer. Keeps the Fons platform running smoothly. - **Kyle Kamperschroer** — Senior Engineer. Builds and maintains the Fons platform. ### Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fonsfamily - Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/getfons - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getfons - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgnn2AV3mkLELMvuYkMi8zA --- ## Key URLs - Home: https://fons.com - What's Included (Features): https://fons.com/whats-included - Pricing: https://fons.com/pricing - Blog: https://fons.com/blog - Blog Atom Feed: https://fons.com/static/blog/atom.xml - Books & Guides: https://fons.com/books - Marketplace: https://fons.app/marketplace - Help Center: https://help.fons.com - QuickBooks Integration: https://fons.com/integrations/quickbooks - Music Teachers: https://fons.com/music - Tutors: https://fons.com/tutors - Personal Trainers: https://fons.com/personal-trainers - Scholarship: https://fons.com/scholarship - Referral Program: https://fons.com/referral - Newsletter: https://fons.com/subscribe/newsletter - Start Free Trial: https://fons.com/signup - Login: https://fons.app - Terms of Use: https://fons.com/legal/tos - Privacy Policy: https://fons.com/legal/privacy