Everything You Should Know about Going on Tour, Responsibly
In 2018, I played 100 shows on the road as a freelance Bass Player. This is what I learned…
Organize your Tour like a Traveling Business
Designate a Tour Manager
The Tour Manager, or TM, is the director of all of the artist’s business and professional activity. Tour Manager responsibilities include answering the phone, reading contracts, recording income and expenses, logging mileage, resolving crisis on the road, and making sure the band shows up on time. Tour Managers will act as the liaison between the band and all other parties involved in the tour, such as the venue production & hospitality, the Booking Agent, and the Artist Manager.
Google Drive is your new best friend
Personally, I recommend that your Tour Manager operate a Google Drive Account that everyone in the band can access. Google Drive is a widely accepted and cost-effective option for cloud storage that can be immediately accessed by band members and management alike. Any .PDF, .CSV, or .Excel file can be imported and viewed on any phone or computer. I recommend using a G Drive account for things like Day Of Show Itineraries, Driving Schedules, and General Show Data. Additionally, your booking agent (if you have one) will provide the TM with their spreadsheet for booking and routing.
Collect & Consolidate Show Data
Your TM or Manager should be up keeping a Google Sheet to reflect your business expenses and incomes on the road. The example below is hypothetical, but the more data you are able to collect, the easier it will be to see your progress and (hopefully) growth as a band and as a business.
Hypothetical Show Data Example
In the Show Data example above, I have collected data from each date on the tour and included information about the venue, the city, the performance fee & type of Deal, the # of Tickets Sold and the ticket price, as well as general notes. When collecting your own Show Data, you could also keep track of things such as:
Where you are sleeping that night + Contact Info
Expected attendance vs Actual Attendance
Notes about the Performance
Notes about the Hospitality
Merchandise Sales
All other Band Expenses
Create a Driving Schedule:
Driving schedules are not essential, as every band has their preferred driving routines, but creating a driving schedule allows everyone knows how far away the next venue is (and will keep someone sober after the show…). This is just an extra step in being prepared and organized on the road. If you decide to make a driving schedule, here are some things to consider:
How long is the Drive from Point A to Point B?
What time is load-in at the next venue?
Plan on Traffic — Big cities add at least an hour
For every 3 hours it takes in Google Maps, add another hour. (3 hours = 4 hours)
Are there time-zone changes?
Where do we park for Load-In/During the Show?
Perform a Day-Of-Show Advance
Advancing the Show is the process of confirming the details of your performance with the venue or the promoter in advance of the show.
Day of Show Itinerary for Band, The Band! Example
There are two stages in the Show Advance: The first Advance is when you sign the Performance contract. This will be the time to review and negotiate things like the Hospitality Rider and the Performance Contract. The 2nd Advance, or Day-Of-Show Advance is a courtesy from band management to venues and production staff. This is the time to double-check concerns like parking and any last minute hospitality needs. You should use this data to build a Day-Of-Show Itinerary. This is your opportunity to keep the ship sailing as smoothly as possible — so keep everyone on the same page about load-in times & location, parking, doors & soundcheck, set time & length, hospitality such as wi-fi & dinner options, and venue contacts. Of course, you should stay in touch with the next venue on your tour if any thing changes in your timeline, such as being stuck in traffic & arriving late to your Load-In.
Build a Tour Budget
In 2017, my band was scheduled to perform at a wedding, a Friday night headline show in a strong market, and then a music festival along the coast of North Carolina. the day before the first gig, a hurricane came through and forced all three events to cancel or postpone. We lost out on almost 4-grand of profit in one weekend, putting us in the situation of returning home from our 2-week run with no money in our pockets after expenses. the venues legally didn’t have to pay us due to the “Force Majeure (Act of God)” clause in our contracts. And if we hadn’t been financially prepared for this situation as a band on the road, we may not have had the money to buy gas to get us home!
Hurricanes, thunderstorms, car accidents, border crossings, the van breaking down, a band member getting sick… canceling the show for any of these reasons can be detrimental to the financial stability of your tour. Often a promoter or venue will inflate their numbers to encourage artists to make the drive or play on a bad night. They might say “We draw in 80 people on Wednesday for our wing-night!” but only sell 20 tickets at the door. And ya know - you just gotta be prepared for that to happen. The way your band doesn’t get caught off guard and obliterated financially on your first couple tours is by being prepared: making a tour budget and limiting your expenses. Your income will be variable, but that doesn’t mean your expenses have to be!
Don’t forget to include a safety net for things like the van breaking down or a medical emergency. You should download Gas apps for finding cheap gas, sleep on cots in a friend’s house instead of buying a hotel (“Friends who live in X Location” as a Facebook search parameter is a great way to find people that can house you in between shows). Eat as much free food as you can find, and bring a cooler with you for storing leftovers and snacks. In general, try to avoid over-priced anything: Gas Station food, Starbucks coffee, parking fees, party favors, etc. Remember - a dollar saved is greater than a dollar earned. The combined efforts of being frugal on the road will save you and your band hundreds if not thousands of dollars… which leads me to another insanely important point:
Don’t forget to get the money
If you do not have a Tour Manager, make sure the band designates someone who, every night, performs the Settlement process. Settlement is when the Promoter of the show/Venue Owner goes through an itemized list of income and expenses with the Artist and then pays out the remaining balance.
Let’s break down a settlement sheet together:
Hypothetical Settlement Sheet for Band, The Band!
This is a 90% of Door Deal, with a $300 Guarantee for the supporting artist. This settlement sheet is broken into 3 sections: Ticket Sales, Expenses, and Split of Total Net.
For this show, tickets were priced at 3 tiers: Advance ($12), Day of Show ($15), and VIP ($50). Note that the Sales Tax (8.9%) is taken directly out of the Ticket Sales Gross before any expenses are factored in.
Expenses generally include Overhead and Production fees (included here in Room Rental), as well as Marketing, Hospitality, and Police expenses. In this example, the Direct Support has been chosen by the Venue. If the Headlining Artist brings their own support, the $300 guarantee would be taken out of the Artist’s 90% Net instead of listed as a Venue expense.
For the Total Net, the deal is divided up 90% to the Headliner and 10% to the Promoter. If this show did not sell any tickets, the Promoter would be on the hook for covering all venue expenses, including the Direct Support Guarantee and Room Rental. Luckily for this show, everyone walked away with a little bit of money!
If there is a problem with the money, Settlement is the time to address it. Do not email a venue 2 weeks after your show because you were paid less than you are owed because of negligence during Settlement. Lastly, do not take an IOU from the Promoter.
In my travels, I have been approached by a promoter who did not sell enough tickets to recoup the cost of putting on the show and could not pay us. In this situation, remember that they have signed a performance contract that legally obligates them to pay you and not a penny less! If this is a concern of yours, there are many non-profit legal teams that will represent artists in civil cases. Since I live in Georgia, I can recommend the Georgia Lawyer’s for the Arts Organization.
Create a Band Debit Card & Bank Account
This is mostly for accounting purposes at the end of the year. Almost every expense on the road can be written off on your taxes (ESPECIALLY if you are a freelance musician, like I am). Also, being able to look at a list of every expense at the conclusion of a tour will help you build a better budget and see in what areas you need to do better (such as eating out vs buying groceries, hotel expenses, and so much more). On this note, it also means you can deposit cash on the road. You don’t want to have your van broken into or get robbed and lose $4,000 in cold cash sitting in your glove box. Regularly putting money into your bank account reduces the risk that you take by being on the road significantly!
On The Road Necessities
Support the Local Support
It is unlikely that your band will be booked as out-of-town support for a local Headliner. Much more likely, is that you will be an out-of-town headliner with local support. Paying attention to which local band is going to support your headlining bill is a hidden gem that many club-level bands completely ignore. You can essentially co-opt the entire fanbase of a well-picked local support act. This is not only a good strategy for long-term market growth but is also a healthy tit-for-tat in the concert industry. You provide an event just out of reach of the local act to do by themselves, and in turn, they offer you the chance to impress their audience.
Take out a Musicians Insurance Policy
Some homeowner, renters, or automobile insurance policies cover musical items that are taken out of the house, but this is generally not the case. Musicians Insurance covers your instruments, recording gear, sound and light equipment, computer hardware, and various audio accessories. (here is a very detailed article from my friends at Performance Magazine about choosing Musician’s Insurance) Additionally, standard insurance providers might not recognize the actual value of your gear. And in the event of a large claim, like a break-in, car accident, or venue fire, you will hit a per-category limit on your insurance and you might receive much less than what the gear is worth. You can take out a basic policy for up to $12,000 worth of gear for a little over 10$ a month. I’m not going to suggest any particular insurance company, but regardless of who you choose you will need to make an itemized list of all your gear. Definitely do some research and get some insurance. Hopefully you won’t need it but if you do, you will be glad you have it.
Purchase some Cases for your Gear
I know that road cases (I’ve used Georgia Case Company many times — their customer service is exceptional) are expensive, but the cost of the case is usually less than the cost to repair. The road is a vulnerable and dangerous place for your gear. There are a lot of things that can go wrong and protecting your equipment is paramount! Car accidents, trailer problems, sketchy load-in, sketchy neighborhoods, Gear bouncing around and crashing into each other on bumpy roads. Many times you will have to leave your instruments, pedals, and accessories in less than ideal places, like mop closets, dark hallways, or even stacked against a venue wall for extended periods of time. If you are involved in a fast changeover on stage, you might not even be handling your own instrument. Without your gear you have no livelihood. If money is tight, I recommend checking your local pawn shops, who are known for having an excess of musical cases. Also check Ebay for custom sized cases.
Make an Inventory List
An Inventory List may also be helpful so that you don’t accidentally leave your gear or merchandise at the venue. This is especially helpful at soft-ticket events, like music festivals with quick changeovers and stage hands potentially misplacing your gear. It’s no one’s fault in particular, and it happens all the time.
Drums (Hardware, cymbals)
Merchandise Boxes
Guitar cases, pedal boards, and amps
Cables and accessories
Personal belongings
Create and Distribute a Tour AdMat / Poster
Industry standard size for a tour poster (check out this link for 60 gorgeous Tour Posters) is 11 inches by 17 inches. Your tour poster should have all of your dates with your name/logo displayed prominently. Here’s the catch, venues don’t care about other shows on your tour poster, which is why the artist is also expected to prepare advertising materials to the venue. Ad Mat is an abbreviation of Advertising Material and is usually a derivation of your tour poster. Except, instead of all of your tour dates listed, the poster has empty space for the venue to write in their own information. Venues prefer to write all of this in themselves, and that’s a good thing because this way you only have to prepare 1 Ad Mat to send to each venue.
Create An Effective Merchandise Table
Your merch table should function like an in-person marketing funnel (here is an excellent article that breaks down the concept of the Marketing Funnel). When someone walks up to your merch table, that is a pivotal engagement between you and a potential customer! And so you need to make it as easy as possible for your fans to give you their information, make a purchase, or generally connect with your brand.
A couple tips about the Merch Table:
Collect information for whichever platform you are most comfortable with. Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Email marketing. Whatever you choose, make sure you are using their information to your advantage. Invest in some art or decorations for your merch table, such as a fancy price sign, tablecloth, suitcase, etc. You want your merch table to be so beautiful that people take pictures and put it on Pinterest!
Quick transactions! Invest in a POS (Point Of Sale) system that can quickly process debit card transactions and keep track of inventory.
Order at least twice as many mediums and larges as you order smalls, XL’s, and 2XL’s. (In general, be aware of how much you need of what item on the table! Whether this means keeping an inventory log or just using intuition.)
For more tips, check out this DIY Musician Article about Merch Tables!
The secret to selling a shit-load of merch is to understand that the merch table is where consumers buy accessories to the experience. Your consumer often doesn’t really want or need a shirt or as a lighter, or a pair of sunglasses, the consumer wants to take home a piece of the band with them, and so they decide which format of that experience they like the most and then they buy it. Your job as the band is to project the experience of your music into material items that can be manufactured and sold at a 400% margin. You get bonus points if you have things on your merch table that folks actually need, such as ponchos at a rainy outdoor show.
Stay Healthy on the Road
Do some Exercise and Watch What you Eat!
Every time your van stops, get out of the van and stretch. Remaining in stasis (not moving) can be really damaging on your body and mental health. Keeping your blood moving while on a long drive to your next show is actually incredibly important. Don’t be a lazy bum and nap the whole ride. Hop out and do some jumping jacks or do some stretches. 10 years from now, you will thank yourself for it.
Invest in a gym membership for exercise on your off days or some clean showers
Cocaine is a hell of a drug
Beer does not count as a meal (neither does coffee)
Gas Station food is NOT worth it
Group Stretch for morale
Warm up before EVERY show
Bring a Cooler to save food — this lets you stop at grocery stores instead of gas stations
Take care of your teeth
Health Insurance is unlikely in the cards for you, so make sure you are at least taking care of your teeth. (I recommend wrapping your toothbrush in a paper towel in a Ziploc bag so it stays clean on the road!) Dental Hygiene is no joke. Not only is it a form of preventative healthcare but brushing your teeth in the morning and before you go to bed becomes a routine. Consistency can be hard to find on the road, so the act of brushing your teeth is actually a form of commitment to the longevity of your career as a professional musician. And to be honest, if you can’t handle brushing your teeth on the road then you are not going to make it very far in this industry.
I had the pleasure of sitting in on a studio session of some old-time legends… I’m talking like, 70 years old plus doing a special radio set in town. After the show, I asked them all for a piece of advice and their biggest musical regret. One of the guys said “I wish I brushed my teeth” and gave me a big smile full of GNARLY teeth… I’ve been brushing twice a day since!
Sleeping is important!
Sleep in clean underwear
Bring a Clean Pillow
Try to get at least 6 hours of sleep
Cots are significantly better than Air Mattresses
You can always say NO to the after-show party. For the audience — this is their escape night. For you — its a job. Treat it like one!
Bring Extra Earplugs (in case you have some noisy band mates)
Take care of your touring Vehicle
Keep all of your receipts and log your mileage for tax purposes. When you write off your taxes (in the US), you actually get more money back if you log mileage instead of gas charges, so keep a log of mileage at the beginning and end of your tours. You will also need to know mileage to calculate the depreciation of your van at the end of the year (another tax write-off).
Keep a toolbox and some gloves in the van or trailer for any side-of-the-road repairs… it’s gonna happen!
Clean your vehicle before you leave for tour
Always have a spare tire
Change your transmission fluid every 50,000 miles (even when they tell you 100)
Keep a toolbox handy for any side-of-the-road repairs
Create multiple sets of Van Keys
Try your best not to park illegally and get towed/boot
A Few other Tips:
If they don’t give you a limit on your food buyout, order as much as you can
Invest in an Unlimited Data plan for entertainment and work in the van
Perform multiple dummy checks
Things to keep somewhere in the van: Tums, Ibuprofen, Febreeze, Vitamin C, Gold Bond
Be honest with your band mates
That girl is probably not into you, or worth your time
Talk to your fans — they are the reason that you get to play music all over the country
Don’t get arrested in Texas, Florida or Kansas
Don’t forget to have fun
If you like this article, check out the
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Meet Your Teacher:
26 Years Old
Youngest Current Published Author with Mel Bay Publications
Full Time Freelance Touring Musician
Published 3 Books for Bass Guitar
Studio Engineer
Live Engineer (FOH & Monitors)
Venue Bathroom Cleaner
Biased because he’s writing his own “About Me” section
The very best
Josiah Garrett, photo by Cathy Marszalik