How To Set Up A Music Tour

How to Book a DIY Tour Like a Pro

Posted by Lee Duck on Jul 23, 2022 02:19 PM

Image via Interstate-viii

Information technology's no surreptitious that in today'south industry, musicians are much more than musicians. Oft we take to be our own booking agents, publicists, marketing teams, merch coordinators, and a myriad of other tasks that are often disregarded: chef, auditor, driver, babysitter, and much more than.

Then, when an creative person decides to go tour, juggling all of these roles can be incredibly daunting.

During the early stages of touring with my band Sky Eats Aeroplane, I often served equally a de facto tour manager and booking agent. That being said, I've had my own fair share of touring experiences that range from smooth sailing to shady venues (and even shadier promoters).

Merely put: While touring, you can't rule anything out and you accept to expect the unexpected. Nosotros spent many nights crashing at random people's houses, dealing with breakdowns and break-ins, and taking last-minute gigs to stash more coin for the road. However, at the end of it all, we likewise made lots of amazing friends, met fans, and honed our craft equally artists.

I'thou frequently asked to share my communication on how an creative person can programme their own tour, so I figured I would put pen to paper and share some of the things that I've learned on the road. These tips will allow y'all to maintain a tour that's non merely in your complete creative control, but besides one that maintains the same professionalism that y'all would find from any major artist on the route.

1. Get your EPK ready

Before y'all commence on your tour, y'all're going to need to make sure everything is pretty and shiny. Make certain y'all have your electronic press kit (EPK) polished to submit to venues, and that you have all of your social channels consistent and your website up-to-date. I'd recommend Sonicbids' EPK for building your kit, and I'd too recommend using a social media scheduler such as HootSuite that will allow you to schedule your band'due south social media posts in advance so y'all don't accept to worry well-nigh posting while you're on the road.

If you have yet to make an EPK, go to forming one. Your EPK can firm your music, videos, bio, photos, press, performance history, and more – basically anything you desire promoters and booking staff to see. You may want to tweak it on occasion depending on whom you're sending it to, but ensure yous have everything formatted in a way that's easy for promoters and venue staff to access. Check out this article to find out exactly what promoters expect for in your EPK.

ii. Map out your tour

It's a given, but it'south a big ane. Y'all should plan your tour at least six months (even a year) in advance. Not only will this requite you jerk room logistically for any problems, but information technology will give yous time to take hold of venue booking calendars well in advance. It will also allow you to showtime planning your marketing calendar in advance – scheduling social media posts, getting on customs calendars, so forth. (More on this after in the article.)

In "industry speak," folks oftentimes divide markets up in A, B, and C markets. A markets are the large music markets such every bit Houston, Chicago, and New York. B markets tend to be less dense areas, merely all the same with decent fine art scenes, such as college towns. C markets are typically in less populated areas. While A markets are obviously dandy for exposure, B and C markets are generally itching for entertainment. Some of our best shows were in the hands of eager promoters in a B or C market. They may be hot, sweaty, and not have the best PA systems, but if you work on these markets you will accept yourself a defended fanbase.

3. Exercise your research

While developing your itinerary, be certain to hone in on your research skills to let yous to make informed decisions. Before striking the road on your bout, it's never a bad thought to poll your fans! Yous can do this through your social media outlets, website, and email blasts. Ask fans where they want yous to perform, what some key venues in certain markets are, and so along.

Once you map out which cities yous're going to striking, brainstorm researching popular venues in those areas. A simple search on Google tin assistance y'all out a lot. Is their website upward and running? Does it have a calendar? Which acts have played in that location in the past? How are their Yelp reviews? You can also check out their Facebook page to get some insight as to how agile they are at marketing their shows, and how engaged fans of the venue are. With a little inquiry, yous'll be able to judge venues pretty accurately to ensure that you're ending upwards in the right places.

Also, whenever possible, discover out what you may be up against on the dates you're looking to country. If y'all find out there will be huge mainstream human action or a local favorite playing the same weekend that y'all desire to play (or even a sporting event, finals week for a college town, etc.), y'all'll exist able to act accordingly and look into other dates.

In one case y'all get a listing of venues in the markets you want to hit, begin contacting them with your EPK and start solidifying your route. Again, six-12 months in accelerate is the all-time time to commencement doing this.

4. Plan out all of your itinerary

Don't just programme the venues! Where will you crash? Eat? How will you lot get from city to city? Map information technology all out to stay on rails. One big bonus of planning things out this way is that you tin can schedule in gratis fourth dimension throughout your bout to brand sure y'all don't burn out. 1 of the best things about touring is that you can explore what different cities have to offer, then go check out the best museums, restaurants, amusement, and parks in your reanimation – all in betwixt playing the music you dear! The better prepared you are, the more yous'll be able to explore and truly brand the near of the time y'all spend on tour.

v. Heighten funds and budget

Some other good reason to starting time planning your tour far in accelerate is that you can allow yourself time to enhance the coin y'all'll need for your tour. Y'all need to calculate mileage, hotel stays, food, emergency cash, and enough cushion to go yous across your markets comfortably. Start saving up from local gigs, or fifty-fifty launch a crowdfunding campaign to try to raise the advisable funds.

six. Achieve out to local artists

Ane constructive way to gain exposure and add a bit of a safe internet to your gigs is by reaching out to locally known artists and have them serve as an opening act (or even main act) for your performance. This way you'll get that local draw for fans that may not know you, while also giving them a chip of familiarity.

7. Stay consistent online

Before and during your tour, ensure that yous're keeping fans up to speed through your social media outlets. Be certain to reach out to local newspapers, entertainment websites, and blogs to let them know you're coming to town. Y'all should even consider giving out a few press passes to influential writers and bloggers in the area for maximum printing reach.

8. Advance the shows

Make certain to follow upward with the show coordinator quondam between a month and a week before your performance engagement. Not but will this reflect professionalism with the venue and promoter, but information technology will help the show run smoothly for both your fans and your bandmates. When are the fix times? What time practice doors open up? What time can nosotros load in? Is at that place a sound guy? Are there monitors? Is there a catering budget? Is there a runner for the bear witness? If your fans are younger, is there a curfew to worry virtually? Finding out all of these things volition end up saving you time and money, and will allow you to focus on the nearly important part: your operation.

9. Build solid cred

After tours, be sure to keep in bear on with the venue managers and booking agents. Send thank you letters and check in on occasion. These relationships will thing majorly throughout your career. You lot would be surprised as to how much a genuine "thank you" tin can practise.

Touring can be a monster to tackle, only the feeling of planning a successful tour on your own is one of the best feelings a musician can get. By following these pointers, yous'll be prepared, organized, and ready to stone!

Lee Duck is a professional person musician, producer, and lighting designer. In 2004, Lee founded Sky Eats Plane, a heavy electronica band that performed using a estimator. Lee currently designs automated light shows for bands and DJs that perform with backing tracks. You can learn more than about his services at www.ducklights.com.