How to Set up a Tour

As an independent artist, there is so much to consider before you set up your first tour. Do you have enough music material? Production? Venues? Merch? It can get overwhelming pretty quickly. Here are a few important aspects for you to consider before setting up your first music tour.

Setting up a Tour

Firstly, give yourself enough time. You need enough time to plan your route. Anywhere from 4-6 months, even longer if you need to. Next thing to consider is location. What cities or states are you looking to go to? With great resources online like Google Maps, you can calculate your destinations and timeframes accordingly. Choose cities and routes close to each other and find other venues close by that might be interested in booking you.

How many people are traveling with you? Do you have a band? Do you need one? Use sites like SoundBetter where you can hire instrumentalists like guitarists, bassists, and other musicians. This site is also useful if you’re looking for mixing and mastering engineers, producers, songwriters, and beatmakers. NExt thing to consider are your finances. Your budget for everything! Like gas, hotels or airbnbs, food, and other unexpected expenses. Consider setting up a crowdfunding campaign, you can offer free tickets or tour merch to those that support. Always have a backup plan, sometimes you can get last-minute cancellations from venues, or technical difficulties so being prepared for anything becomes very useful. Most importantly, don’t stress, enjoy the process and the journey.

Set up a Tour by Networking

Networking might be overlooked sometimes, yet it is one of the most important aspects of your music career. Doing research on the venues, research on the crowd, the city. Connecting with other promoters and bands/musicians can be really helpful. Creating a great business relationship can expand your network and bring you more opportunities in the future. Showing up on time, respecting others, and being professional are much appreciated in the industry.

To avoid any unnecessary issues make sure you know exactly what the deal is before performing. Are you charging a set fee for the show? Are you getting a percentage of the door or ticket sales? Have you read and signed the contract? Is there a link to the tickets where you can promote them online or on your social media? Follow up with the promoter/venue before arriving to make sure you are all on the same page aswell. Provide any useful information on you or your band, like website, social media, and Youtube links. These might seem like small details, but they all come together and add to the whole experience and production of the show.

Planning a Setlist

Going on the road, especially for the first time, you want to give people just enough music material to make them want to hear more. The right balance between your best music arranged in a perfect order that will make the show come alive. Many artists might add a cover of a known song, especially if they are running low on material, to keep the crowd excited. Many artists might have great music, but their stage presence isn’t as great. Making sure the sound is great and you have the energy and the right interaction with the crowd is crucial when on tour and performing live.

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However, the most important part is to let go, have fun and do what you do and love best. The music industry can be very unpredictable and chaotic at times. Even when you have done your best, and made sure things go smoothly, things can still go sideways. So don’t beat yourself up, enjoy the opportunity, remain calm, and leave a professional and lasting impression on those around you. Most importantly have fun!