TOURING STRATEGIES

Are You Filling the Calendar or Building a Career?

– Posted in: TOURING STRATEGIES

Have you ever felt frantic about getting more dates on the calendar? So often, I find that many artists are fixated with filling up their calendars with any gig that comes their way. Depending on your goals, that may be exactly the thing to do. For those of you attempting to create a long lasting career, that has some momentum and progresses from one level up to the next, I would like to help you examine the types of gigs you are booking.As you begin to book your act, it is important to play as much as possible, build a fan base and create interest in the act. It is…

Touring Strategies: Renting Tour Vehicles

– Posted in: TOURING STRATEGIES

When you are in the start-up phases of establishing a new group, you may not want to make an investment in a touring vehicle. Instead, more pressing items require investment dollars such as promotional packages, photos, and recordings. Rather than increasing the wear and tear on one of the group's own vehicles, renting a touring vehicle may be the best method of getting around.In these early stages, the tours may not be more than one or two weeks long, sometimes even four or five days each. These are the perfect situations for renting. I offer some strategies to make your rental experience become more fluid and hassle free.Before making calls…

Dynamics for Success

– Posted in: TOURING STRATEGIES

We can discuss booking strategies and marketing plans forever, but until your group has established a working group dynamic, success may be elusive. One of my first concerns when I worked with any group, is to see how the group worked together and interacted with each other away from the music. I've seen situations when a band can make incredible music together, and as soon as the rehearsal or the gig is over, everyone disappears into their own world just so they don't have to interact with one another. There is so much more to creating a successful band than just playing the music. I want to know that the…

How To Find the Right Venue for Your Live Show

– Posted in: TOURING STRATEGIES

Yes, it is so important to play as often as possible. It is also just as important to make sure you play rooms that help move your career forward. Once again this topic requires you to review your long-term goals and keep them in mind as you tackle every new aspect of your career. In this case, selecting appropriate venues can be challenging but rewarding. The challenge lies in that there are a finite number of venues where one may play and an infinite number of other acts competing for those venues. The reward is realized when you begin to qualify the venues you choose to play, in order to…

How Your Band Can Break Into the (Lucrative) College Market

– Posted in: TOURING STRATEGIES

School's in session! I thought I would lend some insights into playing the college market as you begin the fall touring season. For some artists, the college market is a gold mine and for others it simply offers frustration. Many acts successfully use the colleges as a point from which to launch their careers while others have found it leading to a dead end. There are a number of drawbacks to playing this arena as well as benefits. As we explore both ends of the spectrum, keep an open mind about how this market might fit into your booking plans.Colleges and Universities offer a variety of performing opportunities. Many campuses…

What to Do When Your Live Act Outgrows A Venue

– Posted in: TOURING STRATEGIES

As emerging artists, it's often hard to find promoters or venues that will take a chance on an untested artist. When a promoter finally catches on to your act and gives you a chance, it is important that you recognize that promoter's efforts. If success finds you, make sure you return the favor to those who have invested their time, belief and money on you back when first started. As a musician building a career, you need adventurous promoters willing to risk a night in their venue with possible low ticket and/or bar sales. You need to play that venue numerous times as you build an audience. When your audience…

Day-Of-Show – Staying in Control

– Posted in: TOURING STRATEGIES

Whether you are on a tour or simply doing a single date, the day of the show is filled with last minute details begging for attention. Dealing with the final logistics of each performance date has the potential of creating a day fraught with frustrations or one which runs like clockwork leaving you calm and in control. I opt for the second. In order for you to experience that sense of control, here is a template of suggestions to help you plan your day-of-show and keep on top of the details.Any show day might include travel if you hadn’t scheduled an overnight drive or arrival the previous night. I will…

Advancing the Date

– Posted in: TOURING STRATEGIES

There is nothing more satisfying for a touring musician than to arrive at the venue and everything is in order. All of the requested equipment is set up and ready for a sound check, the publicity has been done, posters are hanging in the window and there is someone to meet you as you load in. Was it an accident that this occurred? Not likely, probably all can be attributed to good planning and someone spending some time advancing the date. The term means to call ahead to the venue and all other associated contacts prior to the play date and confirm all the necessary arrangements with the appropriate personnel.If you have…

Developing A Home Base of Support to Build National Success: Part 2

– Posted in: TOURING STRATEGIES

In Part 1 of "Developing A Home Base," we examined the benefits of building a solid home base foundation before venturing out to tour beyond your local area. Now, I'd like to help you determine just how much of a home base you have already developed and what you might do to build upon some of your successes.First, it is important to take a realistic look at your current position within your community or wherever you have decided to call your home base. I've provided a questionnaire below to help you do just that. Once you complete the questionnaire, you will have a concrete assessment of your current situation and…

Developing A Home Base of Support to Build National Success: Part 1

– Posted in: TOURING STRATEGIES

There is a great advantage to concentrating the majority of your development in your hometown as you plan for future tours to new territories. I have always been a believer in starting your career in a central place, like your hometown or a town nearby that would be conducive to your career development. Then, expand outward systematically from that central point. I picture a stone dropped into a pool of water—ripples cascade outward from the center where the stone landed. This approach helps you build your fan base and business skills in a step-by-step strategic manner. Let's examine some of the benefits of developing a home base of support. Build…