Being ‘on Tour’ is a crucial step in any musician’s or group’s growth. However, it’s not possible to manage a tour without the support of a major label or independent label.
As with many other roles, such as booking agent, social media manager and accountant, being your tour manager can also be done independently to minimize costs and maximize the contributions of each member.
What is the best time to tour? Considerations for your career stage and the time of year.
This is a great point, to begin with, as it should be the first question that any artist asks. It’s not an easy question, especially if you don’t know where you stand concerning others who have done it. Many bands never do an interstate tour, and fewer make it to the other side.
Planning a Tour: Where do you start? How to plan your tours, whether they are local or international
There are two things you should consider when planning a tour. The package is the person you want to tour with and the length of the tour. People won’t be annoyed by the uninteresting music or out-of-tune guitars. You can increase the energy and change the band’s style throughout the night. Not every brand needs to play the same style. They need great music and a great show. You’re performing a show for people, so make sure the night is enjoyable for them.
How do you book venues beyond your home area? What should you look for when choosing a venue?
Multiple venues and tours have turned us down because they don’t meet the production standards that CH demands. If you charge $10 per ticket, you won’t see a show with a $10k budget for lighting, LED screens for visuals, and 10 crew members. This does not suggest that this is the right place, but it is to state that we have expectations to deliver the best show possible for our audience.
Answering the question is that it’s best to search outside your home area to find/book venues. Look for brands similar to yours and check out what they’re doing. You can search hashtags to find venues and browse the social media pages of bands and venues. Keep up to date with the movements and progress of others.
How to manage your budget. How to use your budget to inform decisions. How to stay within your budget
Remember to always look at the bottom line, as I mentioned earlier. If you are a serious musician and want your band to make money, you must reinvest any money the band makes. The band should pay the majority of the costs, especially early on. This will ensure that the band, as an entity, is always in good financial health. This is one of the best ways to grow your fund.
How can you cut costs and maximize efficiency while on tour? Being multi-disciplined and calling on family/friends for help/accomm.
Yes, multiskilling is a useful skill in these times. In the 2000s and 2010s, audio engineering knowledge was a highly sought-after bonus skill. Social media has made it clear that bands now need media and content. Many artists could benefit from this assistance, so get a camera and learn how to edit EPK videos. You might even be able to capture stills and have potential endorsers consider you a worthy investment.
It’s time to start planning!
Since the Corona virus epidemic, the viability of touring in Australia or abroad as a musician has been severely compromised. Venues around the globe have been affected by tight border restrictions and social distancing laws, making it more difficult to get exposure and make a living from live performances. There is a silver lining.
Australian musicians have an opportunity to think ahead and set goals to return to live music. In a post-COVID world, acts from the top of charts to the youngest performers have been negatively affected by the loss of live performances. As a result, the demand for live music entertainment has been somewhat disappointed. It may seem paradoxical, but now is a good time to plan a tour or perform your next show, as venues are getting full.