Significant and Critical Accounting Policies and Practices

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Significant And Critical Accounting Policies And Practices

Note 2 - Significant and Critical Accounting Policies and Practices

Principles of Consolidation

The Company consolidates all wholly owned and majority-owned subsidiaries in which the Company’s power to control exists. The Company consolidates the following subsidiaries and/or entities:

Name of consolidated subsidiary or Entity	State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization	Date of incorporation or formation (date of acquisition/ disposition, if applicable)	Attributable interest
Vnue Inc. (formerly TGRI)	The State of Nevada	April 4, 2006 (May 29, 2015)		100	%
Vnue Inc. (Vnue Washington)	The State of Washington	October 16, 2014		100	%
Vnue LLC	The State of Washington	August 1, 2013 (December 3, 2014)		100	%
Vnue Technology Inc.	The State of Washington	October 16, 2014		90	%
Vnue Media Inc.	The State of Washington	October 16, 2014		89	%

Vnue Technology, Inc. and Vnue Media, Inc. were inactive corporations at December 31, 2015 and 2014. Inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated.

Use of Estimates and Assumptions and Critical Accounting Estimates and Assumptions

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Critical accounting estimates are estimates for which (a) the nature of the estimate is material due to the levels of subjectivity and judgment necessary to account for highly uncertain matters or the susceptibility of such matters to change and (b) the impact of the estimate on financial condition or operating performance is material. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various assumptions that are believed to be reasonable in relation to the financial statements taken as a whole under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Management regularly evaluates the key factors and assumptions used to develop the estimates utilizing currently available information, changes in facts and circumstances, historical experience and reasonable assumptions. After such evaluations, if deemed appropriate, those estimates are adjusted accordingly. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Internal Software Development Costs

Development costs incurred in the research and development of new software products and enhancements to existing software products are expensed as incurred until technological feasibility has been established. The Company considers technological feasibility to be established when all planning, designing, coding and testing has been completed according to design specifications. After technological feasibility is established, any additional costs are capitalized. Through December 31, 2015, technological feasibility of the Company’s software had not been established; and, accordingly, no costs have been capitalized to date.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company follows the FASB Accounting Standards Codification for disclosures about fair value of its financial instruments and to measure the fair value of its financial instruments. The FASB Accounting Standards Codification establishes a fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three broad levels. The three levels of fair value hierarchy are described below:

Level 1	Quoted market prices available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date.
Level 2	Pricing inputs other than quoted prices in active markets included in Level 1, which are either directly or indirectly observable reporting date. as of the end of the period.
Level 3	Pricing inputs that are generally observable inputs and not corroborated by market data.

Financial assets are considered Level 3 when their fair values are determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies or similar techniques and at least one significant model assumption or input is unobservable.

The carrying amounts of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities, including cash, prepaid expenses, accounts payable, accrued expenses, and other current liabilities, approximate their fair values because of the short maturity of these instruments.

The fair value of the derivative liabilities of $249,246 and $215,748 at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, were valued using Level 2 inputs.

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value and is then re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the condensed consolidated statements of operations. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative instrument liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement of the derivative instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date.

Carrying Value, Recoverability and Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

An impairment loss will be recognized only if the carrying amount of a long-lived asset (asset group) is not recoverable and exceeds its fair value. The carrying amount of a long-lived asset (asset group) is not recoverable if it exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the asset (asset group). That assessment is based on the carrying amount of the asset (asset group) at the date it is tested for recoverability. An impairment loss is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of a long-lived asset (asset group) exceeds its fair value. If an impairment loss is recognized, the adjusted carrying amount of a long-lived asset will be its new cost basis. For a depreciable long-lived asset, the new cost basis will be depreciated (amortized) over the remaining useful life of that asset. Restoring a previously recognized impairment loss is prohibited.

The Company’s long-lived asset (asset group) is tested for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that its carrying amount may not be recoverable. The Company tests its long-lived assets for potential impairment indicators at least annually and more frequently upon the occurrence of such events. The long lived asset was determined to be impaired at December 31, 2015 and a loss of $265,500 was recorded for the year ended December 31, 2015.

Concentrations of Credit Risk

Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, consist of cash and cash equivalents. The Company places its cash with high quality financial institutions and at times may exceed the FDIC $250,000 insurance limit. The Company does not anticipate incurring any losses related to these credit risks. The Company extends credit based on an evaluation of the customer's financial condition, generally without collateral. Exposure to losses on receivables is principally dependent on each customer's financial condition. The Company monitors its exposure for credit losses and intends to maintain allowances for anticipated losses, as required.

Loss per Common Share

Basic earnings (loss) per share are computed by dividing the net income (loss) applicable to Common Stockholders by the weighted average number of shares of Common Stock outstanding during the year. Diluted earnings (loss) per share is computed by dividing the net income (loss) applicable to Common Stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus the number of additional common shares that would have been outstanding if all dilutive potential common shares had been issued, using the treasury stock method. Potential common shares are excluded from the computation as their effect is antidilutive.

For the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, the calculations of basic and diluted loss per share are the same because potential dilutive securities would have an anti-dilutive effect. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, we excluded the outstanding securities summarized below, which entitle the holders thereof to acquire shares of common stock, from our calculation of earnings per share, as their effect would have been anti-dilutive.

	December 31,
	2015		2014
Convertible Notes Payable		4,700,603		4,714,783

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company periodically issues stock options and warrants to employees and non-employees in non-capital raising transactions for services and for financing costs. The Company accounts for stock option and warrant grants issued and vesting to employees based on the authoritative guidance provided by FASB where the value of the award is measured on the date of grant and recognized as compensation expense on the straight-line basis over the vesting period. The Company accounts for stock option and warrant grants issued and vesting to non-employees in accordance with the authoritative guidance of the FASB where the value of the stock compensation is based upon the measurement date as determined at either a) the date at which a performance commitment is reached, or b) at the date at which the necessary performance to earn the equity instruments is complete. Options granted to non-employees are revalued each reporting period to determine the amount to be recorded as an expense in the respective period. As the options vest, they are valued on each vesting date and an adjustment is recorded for the difference between the value already recorded and the then current value on the date of vesting. In certain circumstances where there are no future performance requirements by the non-employee, option grants are immediately vested and the total stock-based compensation charge is recorded in the period of the measurement date.

The fair value of the Company's stock option and warrant grants are estimated using the Black-Scholes-Merton Option Pricing model, which uses certain assumptions related to risk-free interest rates, expected volatility, expected life of the stock options or warrants, and future dividends. Compensation expense is recorded based upon the value derived from the Black-Scholes-Merton Option Pricing model, and based on actual experience. The assumptions used in the Black-Scholes-Merton Option Pricing model could materially affect compensation expense recorded in future periods.

Income Taxes

The Company follows the asset and liability method which requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements or tax returns. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are based on the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance to the extent management concludes it is more likely than not that the assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the Statements of Operations in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company may recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such a position should be measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than fifty percent (50%) likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. 

The estimated future tax effects of temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities are reported in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, as well as tax credit carry-backs and carry-forwards. The Company periodically reviews the recoverability of deferred tax assets recorded on its consolidated balance sheets and provides valuation allowances as management deems necessary.

Management makes judgments as to the interpretation of the tax laws that might be challenged upon an audit and cause changes to previous estimates of tax liability. In addition, the Company operates within multiple taxing jurisdictions and is subject to audit in these jurisdictions. In management’s opinion, adequate provisions for income taxes have been made for all years. If actual taxable income by tax jurisdiction varies from estimates, additional allowances or reversals of reserves may be necessary. The Company’s tax years 2011 to 2015 remain subject to examination by major tax jurisdictions.

Pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code Section 382 (“Section 382”), certain ownership changes may subject the NOL’s to annual limitations which could reduce or defer the NOL. Section 382 imposes limitations on a corporation’s ability to utilize NOLs if it experiences an “ownership change.” In general terms, an ownership change may result from transactions increasing the ownership of certain stockholders in the stock of a corporation by more than 50 percentage points over a three-year period. In the event of an ownership change, utilization of the NOLs would be subject to an annual limitation under Section 382 determined by multiplying the value of its stock at the time of the ownership change by the applicable long-term tax-exempt rate. Any unused annual limitation may be carried over to later years. The imposition of this limitation on its ability to use the NOLs to offset future taxable income could cause the Company to pay U.S. federal income taxes earlier than if such limitation were not in effect and could cause such NOLs to expire unused, reducing or eliminating the benefit of such NOLs.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASU 2014-09 is a comprehensive revenue recognition standard that will supersede nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under current U.S. GAAP and replace it with a principle based approach for determining revenue recognition. ASU 2014-09 will require that companies recognize revenue based on the value of transferred goods or services as they occur in the contract. The ASU also will require additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract. ASU 2014-09 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted only in annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods therein. Entities will be able to transition to the standard either retrospectively or as a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of ASU 2014-09 on the Company's financial statements and disclosures.

In August, 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity's Ability to Continue as a Going Concern, which provides guidance on determining when and how to disclose going-concern uncertainties in the financial statements. The new standard requires management to perform interim and annual assessments of an entity's ability to continue as a going concern within one year of the date the financial statements are issued. An entity must provide certain disclosures if conditions or events raise substantial doubt about the entity's ability to continue as a going concern. The ASU applies to all entities and is effective for annual periods ending after December 15, 2016, and interim periods thereafter, with early adoption permitted.

In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-02, Leases. ASU 2016-02 requires a lessee to record a right of use asset and a corresponding lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. ASU 2016-02 is effective for all interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. A modified retrospective transition approach is required for lessees for capital and operating leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, with certain practical expedients available. The Company is currently evaluating the expected impact that the standard could have on its financial statements and related disclosures.

In March 2016, the FASB issued the ASU 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The amendments in this ASU require, among other things, that all income tax effects of awards be recognized in the income statement when the awards vest or are settled. The ASU also allows for an employer to repurchase more of an employee's shares than it can today for tax withholding purposes without triggering liability accounting and allows for a policy election to account for forfeitures as they occur. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for any entity in any interim or annual period. The Company is currently evaluating the expected impact that the standard could have on its financial statements and related disclosures.

Other recent accounting pronouncements issued by the FASB, including its Emerging Issues Task Force, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Securities and Exchange Commission did not or are not believed by management to have a material impact on the Company's present or future consolidated financial statement presentation or disclosures.