Going on tour...

Your band's sorted, now you've got to start touring! Going on a tour is the ideal way to entertain existing fans and to gain new ones, from all around the world. The essential aim of a tour is to promote your music, but keep in mind that you've also got to have a great time doing it!




How do you go about organising tour?
First, set a budget. This needs to take into account the costs of promotion, accomodation, transport/petrol, merchandise, equipment hire and insurance, and pay for everyone helping out (eg. promoter, someone on the merchandise stand, driver, etc.) The average tour length for most bands is about 2 weeks. The length and scale (national or international) of the tour will depend on your budget.




Book venues about a year in advance, choosing ones which suit your style of music and expected interest.
Contact the venue manager and sort out a method of payment: you can often either hire the hall and take all money made from ticket sales or your can get the venue to promote and pay you to play, but they will take a large cut of the ticket sales.
When booking, remember to check what equipment the venue provides, arrange for a sound check before your performance and organise a merchandise stand (get a friend to be in charge of this).
You'll also want to send posters/flyers to the venue in advance, so local people know you're coming!




Get everything insured before touring! You'll need to insure equipment, public liability, etc. A good start is to join the Musicians' Union. There's more about this on the other side of this page.




Promote your tour well, it'll mean you make maximum profits.
A good way to do this is to have a website, which will tell your fans when and where you're touring.
Once you've got your website, don't forget to put the address on all your merchandise, CD covers, posters, flyers, etc - this is an effective way to let people know about your site, without having to spend loads on getting it onto search engines.




Final few words of advice: book cheap accomodation, don't leave equipment in your van overnight and most of all have a great time!

    Advice articles for bands:

    > Starting a band
    > Getting known
    > Recording
    > Going on tour
    > Features


    Useful links for bands:

    - Recording Studios
    - Rehearsal Studios
    - Band websites
    - Music Videos
    - Music Equipment
    - Promoters
    - Photographers
    - Transport
    - Agencies
    - Artwork
    - CD duplicators

    Musicians' Union:
   
    It's a good idea to join the
    Musicians' Union. Contact Bob
    Bennett, the District
    Organiser for the Midlands at:
   
    Benson House,
    Lombard Street,
    Birmingham,
    B12 0QN.
    t: 0121 622 3870
    f: 0121 622 5361
    Or go to
    www.musiciansunion.org.uk