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To Tour Or Not To
Tour…That Is The Question!
By Sheena Metal
It’s every musician’s fantasy.
The tour bus rolls up to the arena (full of groupies, beer and
pizza). Fans are crowded out front hoping to catch a glimpse
of America’s hottest band. The group is escorted to their
dressing room (full of more groupies, beer and pizza). They
enjoy the various pleasures of stardom while roadies set up
the stage. It’s show time. The artists take the stage.
The crowd is screaming. The lights are glaring. The amps are
humming. The drummer clicks off the first song and…
You wake up in the back of your PT Cruiser.
Your bass player’s elbow is in your ear and the drummer’s
asleep on your foot. You’ve eaten nothing for the last
week but corn dogs and frozen burritos. This is not the tour
you imagined. This is not your Lilith Faire. This is not your
Lollapalooza. This is not your Warped Tour. This...sucks.
Every musician dreams of touring. Getting
out of their same boring town. Trying their tunes out on new
crowds, in new areas, for fresh faces. Bonding on road, writing
new tunes in the motel room, free food, free drinks, getting
paid, getting laid…living the life.
But the music biz is full of touring
horror stories. Bands stuck on the road with no money to come
home. Musicians not eating for days. Clubs canceling gigs the
night of with no warning. Negative reactions from bar patrons
and local bands. The list goes on.
So, how do you make sure that your touring
experience is a positive one? What can you, as musicians do,
to eliminate potentially negative experiences and create positive
ones.
The following are a few tips that add
success to your touring experience:
1.) Don’t Plan A Tour Because You’re
Unhappy At Home---Just as an affair will not fix the problems
in a marriage, a tour is not the cure for: problems within the
band, problems in the band members’ lives, or a general
malaise for your local scene. A tour is strain and stress and
loads of work. You should be excited, and enthusiastic and positive
when planning.
2.) Over Prepare Before You Leave---You
can never plan too much or take too many precautions. At home
is the time to rethink ever scenario and arrange accordingly.
Get the van tuned up. Pack extra emergency money. Bring a list
of additional clubs in the area in case your gigs fall through.
Pack extra strings and sticks. Bring a backup guitar. Pack extra
merchandise. Bring emergency food/water. Pack extra batteries
and power cords. Bring cell phones.
3.) Be Humble And Thankful---You’re
in a strange town and a new club, act like a guest. Nothing
ticks off a club owner/promoter who’s taken a chance on
an unknown band more than out-of-towners swaggering into a club
like Paris Hilton in an episode of “The Simple Life.”
No matter how cool you are in your own town, this is unproven
ground and your first impression is important. Ask, don’t
demand. Set up quickly. Play at an appropriate volume. Clean
up after yourselves. Be friendly and courteous. Say “please”
and “thank you”. Unless you’re booking in
Jerkville USA, this positive attitude could set you well on
your way to a repeat booking with better perks and more local
support.
4.) Seize Every Opportunity---If you’re
going to take the time away from work, family, and the buzz
you’ve built in your own music community to head out into
the great beyond and conquer unknown lands…you might as
well come back with something other than lovely memories and
an out-of-state parking ticket. You’re in a new place
and the possibilities are endless. Sell CDs. Sell T-shirts.
Get new names on your mailing list. Solicit local reviews, interviews,
and radio. Introduce yourself to other club owners for future
bookings. Find out who books local festivals. Play an impromptu
house party after your gig. Make new friends that can street
team for you next time. Think of something I haven’t even
written here and do it!
Don’t Expect To Conquer The World
In One Tour---Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will
your touring empire be. Have fun. Enjoy each trip and using
it as a building block to make each tour to that particular
place better and more elaborate. Play your cards right, and
after a few trips you may be making terrific money, have secured
lodging (either new friends let you crash or a club pays for
a motel), get food and drinks comped, and guaranteed press and
radio coverage.
In short, touring can be the best thing
that ever happened to your band if you work hard, play it smart,
and follow through correctly. But no matter how much you love
to tour, always remember to keep your foot in the door locally.
It’s the great work that you do at home that makes other
clubs excited about you bringing your show to their town.
Sheena Metal is a radio host, producer, promoter, music supervisor,
consultant, columnist, journalist and musician. Her syndicated
radio program, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 700 affiliates
to more than 126 million listeners. Her musicians’ assistance
program, Music Highway, boasts over 10,000 members. She currently
promotes numerous live shows weekly in the Los Angeles Area,
where she resides. For more info: http://www.sheena-metal.com.
Past Column's by Sheena
Every Song
Fan Etiquette
To Tour or Not to Tour
Leave Your Drama At Home
Burning Bridges
Radio Play
Opening Acts!
Managers
Show Me the CD
Be Committed
Scandalous Behavior
Create A Buzz
Green Eyed Monster
It's All Good
The Winner Is
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