Ask any artist trying to eke out a living in music and you will hear the same refrain: “The future," they'll tell you, “is in live music. I can't expect to sell a lotta records anymore, even if I'm signed to a good label. But live music will always be important to people, and I can thrive on touring--connecting to my fans one-on-one."
I am not here to refute that supposition. I too am a wide-eyed optimist in the face of crushingly long music-industry odds. I too like to believe in the inalienable value of live music, and I share the belief that as society becomes further twitterized (i.e., socially detached and fragmented) people will appreciate and indeed rely more and more on genuine human connections, connections that can never be undermined by the latest technological phenomenon, connections like the ones that live music provides. Like most artists and label executives, I have noticed that the old music-business model of touring in order to sell your album has indeed been inverted, and nowadays artists put out albums in order to nourish their touring career.
So, touring is now your bread and butter. OK. The problem of course is that just because it's harder to sell records nowadays doesn't mean that it's any easier to make money from touring. To tour profitably on any scale short of amphitheaters and sports stadiums is a tremendous challenge. It's exhausting, uncomfortable, stressful, and all too often--if you aren't well prepared, with all the details and contingencies worked out before you hit the road--it's not profitable. If you expect to be able to tour for a few weeks and have any bread to show for it, you had better be overly prepared, tireless, and crafty. Most importantly you'd better work hard.
My touring experience is mainly with foreign artists in the U.S., but these tips apply universally, whether you're touring a 12-piece Brazilian samba squad or an aspiring sing-songwriter from Minnesota. Touring a foreign artist multiplies the risks and obstacles inherent in any tour. Foreign artists don't have the same rights and recourses as American musicians, nor do they have the same cultural understanding, worldview or even language. Suffice it to say, pulling off a profitable tour with any artist but especially a foreign one in the U.S. is a lofty accomplishment. Here are some tips to help get you there:
Visas--Understand What You Need and Get it Early
Foreign citizens entering the U.S. often require visas. If they are coming here to tour, they always need visas. The type of visa depends on the type of tour they are coming for, how long they will be here, and other factors. This is your first logistical step towards pulling off the tour. One resource that hundreds of artists have found to be a huge help is Tamizdat, run by Mathew Covey. Mr. Covey is well versed in virtually any immigration problem that you might come up against, and can either help you directly through his not-for-profit organization or direct you to an appropriate immigration lawyer. This should all be done and the visas applied for months before the tour begins.
Get the Insurance, Stupid!
Luck favors the prepared. The universe has sense of humor enough to keep your van safe if you've bought your insurance, and to send it hurtling into a ditch if you don't. Always get the insurance--for flights, vans, even equipment--anything whose sudden failure or departure could cost you dearly. For those inclined to cut corners to stay in the black, look at it this way: You will know in advance how much the insurance will set you back, but you cannot know how much a lack of insurance will. If you're in the music touring business, you're taking plenty of risk as it is. Don't be a moron.
Supporting Artists: Quantity over Quality
The local opening band can be a great ally for you. In selecting one, pick the group that's enthusiastic and/or has a proven draw over the one whose sound better matches yours. Chances are the former type of supporting act will be far more psyched to be sharing a stage with your artist, and will hustle to bring out all their friends and family to share in their special evening. This means more money in your pocket. The promoter may weigh in on who a good opening act may be--trust him. He knows his market better than you do. This is a question of numbers, not art. To the spectator, the opening act is there to warm them up--get them in the mood. To you, the opening act is there to bring people in and boost the cash you take from the door split at the end of the night. Remember that.
Milk Your Presenters
A foreign artist--assuming that she has some sort of fan base in this country (and if she doesn't, she wont have a prayer at touring profitably)--should insist on a minimum guarantee from any venue. Clubs will look to protect themselves by lowering the guarantee and offering a high split at the door. Unless you know you're going to sell your tour out, don't take the bait. Go for as high a guarantee as possible. When the presenter starts whining about how he can't afford it, you retort by whining about your daily touring expenses and how in order to take on any new date a certain minimum must be met. If presenters can't meet your quote then try to milk them elsewhere. Ask that they cover the hotel if they aren't doing so already. If they are taking a high commission on your merch sales, ask them to lower it. Cry poor at every opportunity--it puts you in a better negotiating position. Chances are you aren't exaggerating your poverty anyways.
Next week we'll be presenting part two of this article, which deals with things like tax forms, travel agents, and promoters. Watch our homepage, or check back here for a link.
