This article covers a discussion panel with four artists and entrepreneurs who were successful in the music industry. These music specialists include Damien Ritter, le’Roy Benros, Reid Clow, and Pure Power. In this panel, these music specialists gave their insight and expertise on how to become successful in touring as an independent music artist. Some of their advice included how to keep in contact with venues and promoters, how to budget, and how to manage the ticket price. Overall, this panel was extremely helpful to potential music artists who wish to boost their career by touring. To learn more about how to tour as an independent music artist, click the link here: https://vocal.media/beat/preparing-to-go-on-tour-as-an-independent-artist
Damien Ritter’s perspective on artists going on tour intrigued me because it’s always something I’ve had trouble wrapping my head around. The idea of having to share a bathroom with someone makes my stomach hurt, but these artists travel with an entire crew and are going to completely unknown places. Touring can be stressful, and artists can wear their voice with back to back shows. In order for an artist to be successful during and after tour, rest is essential during chaotic schedules and travel time.
This article was a wonderful amalgamation of different perspectives in the touring process. I think that in any negotiation, the most successful way to find the best outcome for both parties is to understand the other person’s perspective. When booking any gig, you need to know what you have to offer and what the venue has to offer, and you can move from there to decide if you can come to an agreement on what the venue should provide for you in return for your gig. In a way that seems counter-intuitive, I am almost encouraged that many artists consider a first tour that simply breaks even to be a success. I did find myself wishing that there was more discussion on the logistics of what you need in order to be prepared for a tour. I found this article from Tune Core that talks about things that are a little closer to what I would have liked to hear from the first article: https://www.tunecore.com/blog/2019/05/avoid-dead-ends-6-tips-for-successful-touring-as-an-independent-artist.html
Kalyn Randolph
This article shows the kind of the reality of an independent artist and the truths of touring for them. For some independent artist touring is still a struggle, but they know if they continue touring around and performing for people it will soon pay off even if it takes years, but for most artist touring can be bad; this article is a good way to give aspiring independent artist a chance to get a little insight on the reality and the truths of really being an independent artist, especially when it comes to touring.
Here is a link of the ways to set up a successful tour for an independent artist https://www.stopthebreaks.com/touring/how-to-plan-tour-for-independent-hip-hop-artists/
Lynn Nguyen
This article gives us an insight on how independent artists get their gigs. My opinion is that independent artist are like normal people. “Digging through venues on Facebook, finding some good fits, having an email drafted.” When I need to obtain information I basically do what the quote states. Independent artist do have to struggle more to obtain more rather than have an A&R rep doing everything.
Here is more information about the ups and downs of being an independent artist: https://www.complex.com/music/2017/09/the-ups-and-downs-of-working-as-an-independent-artist
Ruben Saenz
We always assume as fans that touring is a simple thing to do when in reality it is one of the biggest headaches in the music performance industry ESPECIALLY for new indie artist. This article which is a Q and A style gives us an excellent inside look at what its really like for this artist that are on the road touring. What really is an eye opener was the section where they mention how if you’re just starting out touring for the first time that you shouldn’t expect to get paid much or get paid at all. Touring isn’t cheap having to pay for a tour bus, equipment, and even gas so, just image coming out of a tour having net no money at all. Another aspect I enjoyed was actually the first question about the biggest misconception about touring. The artist would mention that the way for them to make money is by fans actually purchasing hard tickets since it shows your true value and also, newer artist tend to forget that this just isn’t all fun and games but a lot of hard work.
Here is an article that talks about an indie band and how much a tour cost compared to how much money they actually made! https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2014/11/25/band-just-finished-28-day-tour-made-much/
Devin A. Saucedo-Rivera
This article paints the picture for me of what the life of what touring is like for an indie artist. Having to share restrooms, the amount of money that they put in from their own pockets. It just confirms to me that there is more than meets the eye and that the artist have many hands working besides their own and every individual involved in this process goes through similar struggles. This article would be beneficial to anyone who is barely starting out and would like to tour their music. Curious about other touring experiences I came across this article from 2016 that talks about the “23 hours spent off stage”
Touring is a difficult scene. Especially for those who are just starting out in the business. It takes a lot of time and money. It is easy for us to look at some musicians and think that they are living the dream while pursuing theirs, but it is not that simple. You really have to start at the bottom to get where you can be and it is definitely not an overnight thing.
This article definitely doesn’t beat around the bush, this is very insightful for especially smaller artists. It gives you first hand experience and also bluntly explains the expenses coming out of your pocket.
Here’s a site on the average cost of touring and other expenses: https://www.royaltyexchange.com/blog/costs-of-touring#sthash.AduN3YIa.dpbs
Sydnie Gudson
This article provided a really good insight into the pure hassle of touring can be for an artist, especially for individuals who are doing the work with little to no professional assistance. Like the article discussed, touring has intense inner workings that people often tend to gloss over. I think the thing I agree with the most is the fact that ultimately touring is a goal oriented job, and not a vacation many believe it to be. For some more information on how to tour as an independent artist, I provided the link below: https://www.ascap.com/help/career-development/booking-your-own-tour-a-how-to-guide
Nicolas Needham
A successful tour doesn’t just happen – it takes a ton of hard work and wise decision making. According to the industry professionals interviewed in this article, many artists will have to wear several hats when going on their first tour. It can sometimes be a thankless job, consisting of long hours and at times no guarantee of significantly growing a fan base or generating profits. However, this article gives some great starting points for artists who are truly passionate about their art and about putting in the work. A topic I found particularly interesting was the section that talked about building leverage in the negotiation process. If an artist strategically declines opportunities to play shows, it can begin to generate demand for an artist and by the time they are looking to actually go on tour, they may be offered more money in a handful of cities and/or be playing in venues twice the size of what they were previously offered.
I agree with you. If you try to plan a tour in a short amount of time, you will actually lose more money than what you will gain. Not only does it happen to new artists, but this mistake was also made by T-Pain this year. In the link that I will provide, he mentions that it’s because of low ticket sales due to a short time period of planning. What is also interesting about this is that he was advised to say that he cancelled for other reasons, but he wanted to be honest. It just makes me wonder if other artists who cancel their tours for “other reasons” actually have this same reason. https://www.nme.com/news/music/t-pain-cancels-tour-over-low-ticket-sales-2560778
This article shares the experiences of four different people in the industry that have toured which gives us great insight on the reality of touring and the challenges that arise with it. There is a lot of talk on the physical demands artist will experience at first, especially with a tight budget. They also emphasize hard ticket values and building a hard fan base is important to make more money. Having just one single is not enough to build your career on but having that continuous support from fans who truly listen to all of their music is the challenge. Another great piece of advice from Reid is that you have to pick up a phone and be connected with venues and have emails drafted before you send them out. Don’t get overwhelmed by the thought of having these conversations and just do it.
Here is an article from ASCAP’s website on booking your own tour and the steps you have to take in order to have the right logistics planned out. https://www.ascap.com/help/career-development/booking-your-own-tour-a-how-to-guide
Coleman Strauss
I think this article has a lot of very useful advice and knowledge about going on tour. I like how the article says that touring in a lot of ways is just a first step, even though some people think that touring is the end. It is important to build a relationship with your fans and get your name out there. The money is almost never going to be amazing at the beginning, but overtime touring will bring is some real cash. Here are the pros and cons of touring as an indie band —> http://pilerats.com/music/bands/the-pros-and-cons-of-touring-as-an-indie-band-with-pretty-city-indie-band/
Mariah Almeida
This was a very insightful article about the touring life and some tips that anyone could use before going on tour. Touring is not just getting on a bus and touring city to city. You have to have lots of money to be able to start touring. there are way more things to take into consideration before starting a tour. You have to take care of venues, equipment, insurance just to name a few. An important part of touring is the connections you make along the way, not only with promoters but with the fans as well. In the article it talks about how a performer should give it there all even if the crowd is not that big in hopes that next crowd can be bigger due to good reviews and the spread of word. What I have taken out of this article is that it takes a lot of skillful planning to be able to go on tour. I have included a link that breaks down around how much it cost going on tour : https://metalinjection.net/its-just-business/detailed-breakdown-of-how-much-a-band-earns-spends-playing-to-500-people-a-night
Lucas Balboa
What a great interview. I really enjoyed what they had to say on some of the topics and what to prepare for when thinking about going on a tour. I like this article because it gives you a little bit of an insight on what goes on behind close doors. Somethings that stood out to me was when Clow said that this is still a job and that its not always about partying when on tour. Another thing he mentioned was how to contact people and how he was right about this generation being scared to reach out and talk to people. Lastly, was when he mentioned about always wanting to be professional and how you would like to represent your brand. Heres more information on how to better represent your brand. https://www.xactlycorp.com/blog/7-tips-for-effectively-representing-your-brand-at-events/
Kayla Burford
This article was really inspiring to hear how important live music and touring is. I think it brought up a lot of good points about the touring world and the things that go on behind the scenes. Sometimes we look at tour as end product or the fun part but at the same time it is also where you gain a lot of new fans. It is an experience that artist must go through if they are really confident in the music and feel like they can gain exposure. Below I attached an article about why touring is so important for an artist.
In this article it really showed what it is like to be an independent artists who is touring. This article goes into everything good an independent artist can get from touring but also gives you a reality check and lets you know what it is really like. It is not an easy thing and it can truly be a lot for a person to handle, but if it was easy everybody would be touring. If you do it right and make sure everybody is doing the right things and everybody is safe touring can be a great experience that can open up many doors for you as an artist.
Below I attached an article on “What it is really like to be on tour with Young Thug and Travis Scott” as more of an insight.
Kemi Babalola
I think having a successful tour is one of the most important things an artist should accomplish if they a want a career with longevity. Touring is not only for performing but letting fans feel connected to you and it gives them the chance to feel like they know you personally, which ultimately makes them loyal. I like how they talked about buying into a our, because I did not know such a thing existed. https://newartistmodel.com/book-gigs/
Rolando Handy
This article gives the reader an insight on what it is really like going on tour as an independent artist. It is not just having fun and partying and playing music but it is a true career and one must take it seriously to succeed. Four music industry professionals elaborate and go into depth about touring as an indie artist and explain how a first tour is only a first step, and financial matters are important while going on tour, and also keeping your fans and putting on a great show at the end of the day. Planning months and even years in advance also plays a huge role in how successful a tour as an indie artist is. Here is an article with 12 useful tips for any upcoming artist who wishes to go on tour.
Touring as an Indie artist is already tough heading into the music industry, but this article shows the accomplishments and upside in being an Indie artist. What was most intriguing to me was how the article discusses about someone i have never heard of but helps me understand that is story is filled with fandom and inspiration. As Pure Powers would start his story like any other confident artist with one goal, “understand everything it takes to build and execute a successful hip-hop tour from the ground up. The article states how touring as an independent artist can be a nightmare, financially and otherwise, as underground artist struggle everyday with the hustle to make a name for themselves. But a story out of the shadows shows that somebody like Pure Powers can make several touring runs in just two years and sharing a bill with some of the most legendary underground hip-hop artists.
From Damien Ritter’s explanation of life on tour, I can see that it’s kind of like summer camp. You go to a different place (or in this cases, places plural), bunk with other people, and also share a kitchen, a shower, or a toilet. In other words, touring is not all rainbows and sunshine, artists and everyone else affiliated are constantly worrying about making enough to keep themselves afloat and satisfying their fans/audience for the time being. This article amplifies the importance of understanding the hardships of touring and how much it could change a person. I recently saw a picture Lady Gaga posted after a week in Vegas in which she was in an ice bath, something she said she does everyday. It showed me the extreme measures people are willing to take while living this on-the-go touring lifestyle.
The way this interview was formatted was really interesting to me. Having four different perspectives from the music industry about the myths of touring was really fascinating. One of the overarching answers that I got from each of them was that networking is very important if you want to make it in the music business. For example, the artist, Pure Powers, said that he would come back from tour with a book full of contacts that he made along the way. Here is an article from ASCAP detailing how to book your own tours: https://www.ascap.com/help/career-development/booking-your-own-tour-a-how-to-guide
Orlando Rodriguez
This Interview went into depth about the struggles and the obstacles they faced as an indie artist. The interviewer asked great questions that went into the specifics of how to actually climb your way to become more of a successful artist who can make there way to a career that will satisfy them financially. They even go into sacrifices you have to make in the beginning, to be able to bring in the proper audience and be able to make a profit for yourself. This entire article to me was helpful because it finally gave me perspective on where to start as someone who is at step one. I think anyone who is starting out as an artist, whether they are indie or not, should read this article.
here is another article going step by step on strategies for establishing yourself as an indie artist: https://thehub.musiciansfriend.com/tech-tips/10-steps-to-success-for-independent-music-artists
Benjamin S. Martinez
The article shows the reality of being an solo artist in the industry and the struggles one will go through. This is a big affect on up coming artist face with touring and what they go through in order to make it to the top. There different views of that they provided helps with understanding the full picture of what is exactly is going on and the struggles they all face. They talk about how you can’t be a one shot hot shot, you can’t have one good song and ride it for too long. In order to make a living you needs strong fan base that you can really on and most one hit wonders do not have that.
The link below is the life on an indie artist https://medium.com/@beatrizfialho/the-life-of-an-independent-artist-d3944f2f66da
Jose rodrigo barron esper
This particular article shows the the reality of an independent artist and their tour, the realities and process. For some independent artist touring is still a struggle, but they presume that if they continue to tour and perform for people , their efforts will have been well spent, even if it takes years, but for most artist that tour it ends up being a bad experience; this article is a good way to give independent artist who’re new ti the industry a chance to get a little insight on the reality and the truths of really being a touring independent.
Here is a link of one of the most successful touring artists of our day
I found this article very interesting. Shows are very important to an indie artist if not the most important. For an independent artist, they must take care of the financials and setting up the shows themselves. I took note of Damien Ritter’s advice, getting people to consistently come to shows is difficult when your fan base isn’t big. I can only imagine how many artists set up shows early on in their careers but barely have an audience.
A lot of people think that going on tour is one big party, but in reality, touring is much less glamorous than it seems, especially for smaller, independent artists. Being able to tour successfully is a difficult process, and for most artists, it takes some time to make it to a point where touring actually brings in a profit. This panel provides some great tips from artists who have gone through the process themselves and have learned the do’s and don’ts of the industry. They explained the importance of doing simple things like always presenting yourself as a professional, making sure your emails are well drafted, and not being afraid to reach out to new booking agents or promoters.
This article gives us the insight in artists life and what its like to live in as an Indie artist. As we picture a artist on tour is a different because it is not as easy as it seems there is a long process that they have to put everything together but at the end its all worth it but it takes long stressful hours. If you are a new artist it might be a little more difficult rather then being an Indie but it is all who you know and how hard you bust your butt.
I found this article that has some steps to help as an Indie artist. https://indieconnect.com/12-strategies-long-term-success-indie-artist/
Aaron Villarreal
In summary, the article depicts the reality of an independent artist going on tour. Without assistance from a major label, the artist is basically putting on their own show. Artists should keep in mind that even though performing and being on the road has its perks they are also in charge of leading their career into the right direction. Touring independently could either make or break an artist’s career if done the right way. Here’s an article on tips independent artists should take before going on tour: https://vocal.media/beat/preparing-to-go-on-tour-as-an-independent-artist
Tyra Brown
Artist makes tour seem like one big happy extravaganza but in reality that isn’t quite true in the case of this article. Touring is very expensive and hard to maintain. There is a lot more work that goes into making a successful tour. I liked how the article included excerpts from an independent artists and there facts and opinions about touring. Building a strong fan base is needed when your first starting out in the business. Also its really about knowing your worth and proving people that you deserve the most for your talent. For more information on developing your brand as an indie artist visit this website for more information: https://djbooth.net/features/2017-10-02-developing-a-brand-indie
Gregory Fuentes
Touring, as explained in this article, i a quintessential aspect of taking your first step in the music industry. This article provided educated tips and advice for surviving your first tour which as an indie artist, is very intimidating. I found a useful article on touring that might also help up and coming artists/managers when it comes to being on the road.
The article examines indie artists and what they go through when it comes to touring and getting recognized in the music business. The article exhibits the importance of becoming a successful indie music artist and techniques to ensure indie artists are on the right track to success by having a good-selling tour and decent fan base. In addition, this article provides tips and tricks on how to pay for touring being that it’s quite expensive and hard to get started. Here is a article on more information about touring this day and age, with specific factors such as Spotify. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/25/magazine/touring-cant-save-musicians-in-the-age-of-spotify.html
Zach Beesley
Being an independent artist can be hard and this article talks to a few artists about how it happens and what it takes to make it. Many artists start out thinking it will be all fun and games, but in reality it is hard, long hours, and short on pay. This article talks about how a good artist can survive just starting out and how to make money on the road and how when things go well and they are well received, how worth it it is in the end.
This panel is really informative and offers a lot of organic insight not found in our textbook, or even from previous blog articles. The piece I liked most and what has made me think more is their takes on the negotiation process. These guys know their worth and know how to book acts to get their worth, and that is something that I’m sure is one of the biggest hurdles and learning curves to adjust to when you’re an act just starting the game.
This article has some general advice about getting started touring independently. I was surprised that no one mentioned anything about the size/length of the tour. Depending on your resources it may not make since to go an some extended tour around the country. I’ve done a few short (two week) tours regionally with groups that were very productive in terms of gaining fans and building up a base of support. Even going out for a few days can help gain experience and networking that can lead to more opportunities. The article below mentions some of these benefits.
Pure powers is one example of what can happen if you are talented enough to produce good music and network to expand yourself as well. Networking is super important in the music industry, or in any industry really. If you take an initiative on networking, it puts a name to face and it builds trust in the people to be able for them to work with you. This article, put together in panel form, stresses how many opportunities are capable of coming from networking properly in the industry. Here is an example that describes the benefits that come with good networking in the music industry. https://www.eventbrite.ie/blog/music-career-ds00/
Bao Luong
There was another assignment of Stats for music and back then I didn’t really interested in it, but now I am totally interested in stats because with these stats it couldd really help out an artist and their career. These stats are amazing and fascinating but I wonder how do they collect this data. Do they collect by waiting for people to send in their stats and report their income or how does this process work because I am very interested in the progress of collecting data backdoor of all of this.
This is website is about how to collect data and the methods on doing it: https://builtin.com/blockchain/blockchain-music-Innovation-examples
Emily Krupa
This article further explained why touring as an independent can be stressful, financially and otherwise. But, as an independent artist, touring can be the most important thing you can do. It provides exposure to many potential fans and soon enough, you are significantly more successful than before. Not only will you gain exposure, you will learn a lot about the business side of things as well as hopefully make a profit in the end.
“This is What Touring as an Indie Artist Really Looks Like” was extremely enlightening and realistic in terms of creating a demand for your music, attracting an audience, and building relationships with venues and agents. Many musicians like me are dreamers, so reading advice from 4 different representatives involved in the music industry was helpful in actually creating a plan. What stood out to me the most was hearing what booking agents and venues want in a musician rather than what a musician wants from them. They are mostly concerned with how much revenue they can make from investing in an act, therefore bringing in a fanbase that is willing to buy tickets and merchandise is crucial. This leads me to question what are the smartest tactics in marketing to have the most amount of people possible show up to a performance. The link below describes ways to promote music.
This article is very informative and straight forward for those who are trying to become musicians and is very insightful on the difficulties of the industry. Touring is a very difficult process that takes a lot of hard work consisting of long hours with no guarantee of success and these experiences shared by these four artists in the industry really impacts the readers on the intricacies of the business. below is an article I read about that gives tips to bands trying to tour: https://www.rocksound.tv/features/read/20-things-every-band-should-know-abouttouring
Touring without the backing of a studio or management industry is very risky. It’s almost impossible to do it without a large fanbase. Even with a fanbase, in order to make more profit you have to pay a lot of venues and advertisements. He’s an article on how to prepare yourself for that.
I appreciated the realness of this article – touring for any artist, but especially as an up-and-coming independent artist, is challenging and yet absolutely necessary to build a career. Touring is an essential part to building a career: this is where artists begin to make money and build a fan base, not just in their hometown, but across the country. While it should be fun, it is important to remember that for musicians – performing is a JOB – it’s not all parties and bangers like media makes it out to be. In order to ‘make it’, artists must prove their value – determined by NUMBERS: ticket and merch sales, venue bookings, contacts – but not necessarily payment. Here’s an article on how to book your own shows: https://www.ascap.com/help/career-development/booking-your-own-tour-a-how-to-guide
Darius McClain
This article highlighted some important obstacles that an indie artist will face booking a tour. An Interesting point made was that getting 50 consistent concert goers is impressive so knowing your demand in markets in and outside your home city is extremely important financially. Also another point about networking/ coming home with new contacts from different cities when touring even if they shows aren’t so packed. Since touring is an essential revenue stream it is important to learn what all it takes to go on tour.
This article covers a discussion panel with four artists and entrepreneurs who were successful in the music industry. These music specialists include Damien Ritter, le’Roy Benros, Reid Clow, and Pure Power. In this panel, these music specialists gave their insight and expertise on how to become successful in touring as an independent music artist. Some of their advice included how to keep in contact with venues and promoters, how to budget, and how to manage the ticket price. Overall, this panel was extremely helpful to potential music artists who wish to boost their career by touring. To learn more about how to tour as an independent music artist, click the link here: https://vocal.media/beat/preparing-to-go-on-tour-as-an-independent-artist
Damien Ritter’s perspective on artists going on tour intrigued me because it’s always something I’ve had trouble wrapping my head around. The idea of having to share a bathroom with someone makes my stomach hurt, but these artists travel with an entire crew and are going to completely unknown places. Touring can be stressful, and artists can wear their voice with back to back shows. In order for an artist to be successful during and after tour, rest is essential during chaotic schedules and travel time.
This article was a wonderful amalgamation of different perspectives in the touring process. I think that in any negotiation, the most successful way to find the best outcome for both parties is to understand the other person’s perspective. When booking any gig, you need to know what you have to offer and what the venue has to offer, and you can move from there to decide if you can come to an agreement on what the venue should provide for you in return for your gig. In a way that seems counter-intuitive, I am almost encouraged that many artists consider a first tour that simply breaks even to be a success. I did find myself wishing that there was more discussion on the logistics of what you need in order to be prepared for a tour. I found this article from Tune Core that talks about things that are a little closer to what I would have liked to hear from the first article: https://www.tunecore.com/blog/2019/05/avoid-dead-ends-6-tips-for-successful-touring-as-an-independent-artist.html
This article shows the kind of the reality of an independent artist and the truths of touring for them. For some independent artist touring is still a struggle, but they know if they continue touring around and performing for people it will soon pay off even if it takes years, but for most artist touring can be bad; this article is a good way to give aspiring independent artist a chance to get a little insight on the reality and the truths of really being an independent artist, especially when it comes to touring.
Here is a link of the ways to set up a successful tour for an independent artist
https://www.stopthebreaks.com/touring/how-to-plan-tour-for-independent-hip-hop-artists/
This article gives us an insight on how independent artists get their gigs. My opinion is that independent artist are like normal people. “Digging through venues on Facebook, finding some good fits, having an email drafted.” When I need to obtain information I basically do what the quote states. Independent artist do have to struggle more to obtain more rather than have an A&R rep doing everything.
Here is more information about the ups and downs of being an independent artist:
https://www.complex.com/music/2017/09/the-ups-and-downs-of-working-as-an-independent-artist
We always assume as fans that touring is a simple thing to do when in reality it is one of the biggest headaches in the music performance industry ESPECIALLY for new indie artist. This article which is a Q and A style gives us an excellent inside look at what its really like for this artist that are on the road touring. What really is an eye opener was the section where they mention how if you’re just starting out touring for the first time that you shouldn’t expect to get paid much or get paid at all. Touring isn’t cheap having to pay for a tour bus, equipment, and even gas so, just image coming out of a tour having net no money at all. Another aspect I enjoyed was actually the first question about the biggest misconception about touring. The artist would mention that the way for them to make money is by fans actually purchasing hard tickets since it shows your true value and also, newer artist tend to forget that this just isn’t all fun and games but a lot of hard work.
Here is an article that talks about an indie band and how much a tour cost compared to how much money they actually made!
https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2014/11/25/band-just-finished-28-day-tour-made-much/
This article paints the picture for me of what the life of what touring is like for an indie artist. Having to share restrooms, the amount of money that they put in from their own pockets. It just confirms to me that there is more than meets the eye and that the artist have many hands working besides their own and every individual involved in this process goes through similar struggles. This article would be beneficial to anyone who is barely starting out and would like to tour their music. Curious about other touring experiences I came across this article from 2016 that talks about the “23 hours spent off stage”
https://medium.com/cuepoint/23-hours-the-life-of-a-full-time-touring-musician-69d3a54f097c
Touring is a difficult scene. Especially for those who are just starting out in the business. It takes a lot of time and money. It is easy for us to look at some musicians and think that they are living the dream while pursuing theirs, but it is not that simple. You really have to start at the bottom to get where you can be and it is definitely not an overnight thing.
Here is an article about how it is difficult being a musician: https://www.metalsucks.net/2016/02/16/why-its-harder-to-be-a-successful-musician-than-ever-before/
This article definitely doesn’t beat around the bush, this is very insightful for especially smaller artists. It gives you first hand experience and also bluntly explains the expenses coming out of your pocket.
Here’s a site on the average cost of touring and other expenses: https://www.royaltyexchange.com/blog/costs-of-touring#sthash.AduN3YIa.dpbs
This article provided a really good insight into the pure hassle of touring can be for an artist, especially for individuals who are doing the work with little to no professional assistance. Like the article discussed, touring has intense inner workings that people often tend to gloss over. I think the thing I agree with the most is the fact that ultimately touring is a goal oriented job, and not a vacation many believe it to be. For some more information on how to tour as an independent artist, I provided the link below:
https://www.ascap.com/help/career-development/booking-your-own-tour-a-how-to-guide
A successful tour doesn’t just happen – it takes a ton of hard work and wise decision making. According to the industry professionals interviewed in this article, many artists will have to wear several hats when going on their first tour. It can sometimes be a thankless job, consisting of long hours and at times no guarantee of significantly growing a fan base or generating profits. However, this article gives some great starting points for artists who are truly passionate about their art and about putting in the work. A topic I found particularly interesting was the section that talked about building leverage in the negotiation process. If an artist strategically declines opportunities to play shows, it can begin to generate demand for an artist and by the time they are looking to actually go on tour, they may be offered more money in a handful of cities and/or be playing in venues twice the size of what they were previously offered.
I found this article while searching for more info on the costs of touring. This band, Pomplamoose, detailed all of their income and expenses for a month long tour they did in 2014:
https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2014/11/25/band-just-finished-28-day-tour-made-much/
I agree with you. If you try to plan a tour in a short amount of time, you will actually lose more money than what you will gain. Not only does it happen to new artists, but this mistake was also made by T-Pain this year. In the link that I will provide, he mentions that it’s because of low ticket sales due to a short time period of planning. What is also interesting about this is that he was advised to say that he cancelled for other reasons, but he wanted to be honest. It just makes me wonder if other artists who cancel their tours for “other reasons” actually have this same reason.
https://www.nme.com/news/music/t-pain-cancels-tour-over-low-ticket-sales-2560778
This article shares the experiences of four different people in the industry that have toured which gives us great insight on the reality of touring and the challenges that arise with it. There is a lot of talk on the physical demands artist will experience at first, especially with a tight budget. They also emphasize hard ticket values and building a hard fan base is important to make more money. Having just one single is not enough to build your career on but having that continuous support from fans who truly listen to all of their music is the challenge. Another great piece of advice from Reid is that you have to pick up a phone and be connected with venues and have emails drafted before you send them out. Don’t get overwhelmed by the thought of having these conversations and just do it.
Here is an article from ASCAP’s website on booking your own tour and the steps you have to take in order to have the right logistics planned out. https://www.ascap.com/help/career-development/booking-your-own-tour-a-how-to-guide
I think this article has a lot of very useful advice and knowledge about going on tour. I like how the article says that touring in a lot of ways is just a first step, even though some people think that touring is the end. It is important to build a relationship with your fans and get your name out there. The money is almost never going to be amazing at the beginning, but overtime touring will bring is some real cash. Here are the pros and cons of touring as an indie band —> http://pilerats.com/music/bands/the-pros-and-cons-of-touring-as-an-indie-band-with-pretty-city-indie-band/
This was a very insightful article about the touring life and some tips that anyone could use before going on tour. Touring is not just getting on a bus and touring city to city. You have to have lots of money to be able to start touring. there are way more things to take into consideration before starting a tour. You have to take care of venues, equipment, insurance just to name a few. An important part of touring is the connections you make along the way, not only with promoters but with the fans as well. In the article it talks about how a performer should give it there all even if the crowd is not that big in hopes that next crowd can be bigger due to good reviews and the spread of word. What I have taken out of this article is that it takes a lot of skillful planning to be able to go on tour. I have included a link that breaks down around how much it cost going on tour : https://metalinjection.net/its-just-business/detailed-breakdown-of-how-much-a-band-earns-spends-playing-to-500-people-a-night
What a great interview. I really enjoyed what they had to say on some of the topics and what to prepare for when thinking about going on a tour. I like this article because it gives you a little bit of an insight on what goes on behind close doors. Somethings that stood out to me was when Clow said that this is still a job and that its not always about partying when on tour. Another thing he mentioned was how to contact people and how he was right about this generation being scared to reach out and talk to people. Lastly, was when he mentioned about always wanting to be professional and how you would like to represent your brand. Heres more information on how to better represent your brand.
https://www.xactlycorp.com/blog/7-tips-for-effectively-representing-your-brand-at-events/
This article was really inspiring to hear how important live music and touring is. I think it brought up a lot of good points about the touring world and the things that go on behind the scenes. Sometimes we look at tour as end product or the fun part but at the same time it is also where you gain a lot of new fans. It is an experience that artist must go through if they are really confident in the music and feel like they can gain exposure. Below I attached an article about why touring is so important for an artist.
https://medium.com/bandbasher/why-touring-will-be-your-biggest-source-of-revenue-2464fd47b655
In this article it really showed what it is like to be an independent artists who is touring. This article goes into everything good an independent artist can get from touring but also gives you a reality check and lets you know what it is really like. It is not an easy thing and it can truly be a lot for a person to handle, but if it was easy everybody would be touring. If you do it right and make sure everybody is doing the right things and everybody is safe touring can be a great experience that can open up many doors for you as an artist.
Below I attached an article on “What it is really like to be on tour with Young Thug and Travis Scott” as more of an insight.
I think having a successful tour is one of the most important things an artist should accomplish if they a want a career with longevity. Touring is not only for performing but letting fans feel connected to you and it gives them the chance to feel like they know you personally, which ultimately makes them loyal. I like how they talked about buying into a our, because I did not know such a thing existed. https://newartistmodel.com/book-gigs/
This article gives the reader an insight on what it is really like going on tour as an independent artist. It is not just having fun and partying and playing music but it is a true career and one must take it seriously to succeed. Four music industry professionals elaborate and go into depth about touring as an indie artist and explain how a first tour is only a first step, and financial matters are important while going on tour, and also keeping your fans and putting on a great show at the end of the day. Planning months and even years in advance also plays a huge role in how successful a tour as an indie artist is. Here is an article with 12 useful tips for any upcoming artist who wishes to go on tour.
https://listeninggame.com/blog/12-tips-for-your-first-tour-as-an-indie-musician/
Touring as an Indie artist is already tough heading into the music industry, but this article shows the accomplishments and upside in being an Indie artist. What was most intriguing to me was how the article discusses about someone i have never heard of but helps me understand that is story is filled with fandom and inspiration. As Pure Powers would start his story like any other confident artist with one goal, “understand everything it takes to build and execute a successful hip-hop tour from the ground up. The article states how touring as an independent artist can be a nightmare, financially and otherwise, as underground artist struggle everyday with the hustle to make a name for themselves. But a story out of the shadows shows that somebody like Pure Powers can make several touring runs in just two years and sharing a bill with some of the most legendary underground hip-hop artists.
Here is more information of Indie Artists.
https://www.complex.com/music/2017/09/the-ups-and-downs-of-working-as-an-independent-artist
From Damien Ritter’s explanation of life on tour, I can see that it’s kind of like summer camp. You go to a different place (or in this cases, places plural), bunk with other people, and also share a kitchen, a shower, or a toilet. In other words, touring is not all rainbows and sunshine, artists and everyone else affiliated are constantly worrying about making enough to keep themselves afloat and satisfying their fans/audience for the time being. This article amplifies the importance of understanding the hardships of touring and how much it could change a person. I recently saw a picture Lady Gaga posted after a week in Vegas in which she was in an ice bath, something she said she does everyday. It showed me the extreme measures people are willing to take while living this on-the-go touring lifestyle.
Here’s a link to Lady Gaga’s ice bath post.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3wGXVoFWQu/
Here is a link to a video blog documentation of what it’s like to be on tour with Post Malone, Swae Lee, and Tyla Yaweh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As1pOy1X5ZM
The way this interview was formatted was really interesting to me. Having four different perspectives from the music industry about the myths of touring was really fascinating. One of the overarching answers that I got from each of them was that networking is very important if you want to make it in the music business. For example, the artist, Pure Powers, said that he would come back from tour with a book full of contacts that he made along the way. Here is an article from ASCAP detailing how to book your own tours: https://www.ascap.com/help/career-development/booking-your-own-tour-a-how-to-guide
This Interview went into depth about the struggles and the obstacles they faced as an indie artist. The interviewer asked great questions that went into the specifics of how to actually climb your way to become more of a successful artist who can make there way to a career that will satisfy them financially. They even go into sacrifices you have to make in the beginning, to be able to bring in the proper audience and be able to make a profit for yourself. This entire article to me was helpful because it finally gave me perspective on where to start as someone who is at step one. I think anyone who is starting out as an artist, whether they are indie or not, should read this article.
here is another article going step by step on strategies for establishing yourself as an indie artist: https://thehub.musiciansfriend.com/tech-tips/10-steps-to-success-for-independent-music-artists
The article shows the reality of being an solo artist in the industry and the struggles one will go through. This is a big affect on up coming artist face with touring and what they go through in order to make it to the top. There different views of that they provided helps with understanding the full picture of what is exactly is going on and the struggles they all face. They talk about how you can’t be a one shot hot shot, you can’t have one good song and ride it for too long. In order to make a living you needs strong fan base that you can really on and most one hit wonders do not have that.
The link below is the life on an indie artist
https://medium.com/@beatrizfialho/the-life-of-an-independent-artist-d3944f2f66da
This particular article shows the the reality of an independent artist and their tour, the realities and process. For some independent artist touring is still a struggle, but they presume that if they continue to tour and perform for people , their efforts will have been well spent, even if it takes years, but for most artist that tour it ends up being a bad experience; this article is a good way to give independent artist who’re new ti the industry a chance to get a little insight on the reality and the truths of really being a touring independent.
Here is a link of one of the most successful touring artists of our day
https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/ed-sheeran-divide-tour-u2-guns-n-roses-jay-z-beyonce.html
I found this article very interesting. Shows are very important to an indie artist if not the most important. For an independent artist, they must take care of the financials and setting up the shows themselves. I took note of Damien Ritter’s advice, getting people to consistently come to shows is difficult when your fan base isn’t big. I can only imagine how many artists set up shows early on in their careers but barely have an audience.
Here’s an article that gives a bit more insight: https://www.stopthebreaks.com/touring/how-to-plan-tour-for-independent-hip-hop-artists/
A lot of people think that going on tour is one big party, but in reality, touring is much less glamorous than it seems, especially for smaller, independent artists. Being able to tour successfully is a difficult process, and for most artists, it takes some time to make it to a point where touring actually brings in a profit. This panel provides some great tips from artists who have gone through the process themselves and have learned the do’s and don’ts of the industry. They explained the importance of doing simple things like always presenting yourself as a professional, making sure your emails are well drafted, and not being afraid to reach out to new booking agents or promoters.
Here is another article that takes a look at what touring is like for smaller artists:
https://www.tunecore.com/blog/2019/04/what-touring-looks-like-for-unestablished-bands.html
This article gives us the insight in artists life and what its like to live in as an Indie artist. As we picture a artist on tour is a different because it is not as easy as it seems there is a long process that they have to put everything together but at the end its all worth it but it takes long stressful hours. If you are a new artist it might be a little more difficult rather then being an Indie but it is all who you know and how hard you bust your butt.
I found this article that has some steps to help as an Indie artist.
https://indieconnect.com/12-strategies-long-term-success-indie-artist/
In summary, the article depicts the reality of an independent artist going on tour. Without assistance from a major label, the artist is basically putting on their own show. Artists should keep in mind that even though performing and being on the road has its perks they are also in charge of leading their career into the right direction. Touring independently could either make or break an artist’s career if done the right way. Here’s an article on tips independent artists should take before going on tour:
https://vocal.media/beat/preparing-to-go-on-tour-as-an-independent-artist
Artist makes tour seem like one big happy extravaganza but in reality that isn’t quite true in the case of this article. Touring is very expensive and hard to maintain. There is a lot more work that goes into making a successful tour. I liked how the article included excerpts from an independent artists and there facts and opinions about touring. Building a strong fan base is needed when your first starting out in the business. Also its really about knowing your worth and proving people that you deserve the most for your talent. For more information on developing your brand as an indie artist visit this website for more information: https://djbooth.net/features/2017-10-02-developing-a-brand-indie
Touring, as explained in this article, i a quintessential aspect of taking your first step in the music industry. This article provided educated tips and advice for surviving your first tour which as an indie artist, is very intimidating. I found a useful article on touring that might also help up and coming artists/managers when it comes to being on the road.
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/first-tour-survival-guide-for-musicians-and-bands-2460486
The article examines indie artists and what they go through when it comes to touring and getting recognized in the music business. The article exhibits the importance of becoming a successful indie music artist and techniques to ensure indie artists are on the right track to success by having a good-selling tour and decent fan base. In addition, this article provides tips and tricks on how to pay for touring being that it’s quite expensive and hard to get started. Here is a article on more information about touring this day and age, with specific factors such as Spotify. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/25/magazine/touring-cant-save-musicians-in-the-age-of-spotify.html
Being an independent artist can be hard and this article talks to a few artists about how it happens and what it takes to make it. Many artists start out thinking it will be all fun and games, but in reality it is hard, long hours, and short on pay. This article talks about how a good artist can survive just starting out and how to make money on the road and how when things go well and they are well received, how worth it it is in the end.
This article talks about how indie artists survive working odd jobs to help pay the bills and help them survive.
https://www.vulture.com/2019/04/how-indie-artists-actually-make-money-in-2019.html
This panel is really informative and offers a lot of organic insight not found in our textbook, or even from previous blog articles. The piece I liked most and what has made me think more is their takes on the negotiation process. These guys know their worth and know how to book acts to get their worth, and that is something that I’m sure is one of the biggest hurdles and learning curves to adjust to when you’re an act just starting the game.
Here’s another candid take on tour life published on The Medium
https://medium.com/cuepoint/23-hours-the-life-of-a-full-time-touring-musician-69d3a54f097c
This article has some general advice about getting started touring independently. I was surprised that no one mentioned anything about the size/length of the tour. Depending on your resources it may not make since to go an some extended tour around the country. I’ve done a few short (two week) tours regionally with groups that were very productive in terms of gaining fans and building up a base of support. Even going out for a few days can help gain experience and networking that can lead to more opportunities. The article below mentions some of these benefits.
https://www.thecraftymusician.com/5-benefits-to-touring-as-an-independent-artist/
Pure powers is one example of what can happen if you are talented enough to produce good music and network to expand yourself as well. Networking is super important in the music industry, or in any industry really. If you take an initiative on networking, it puts a name to face and it builds trust in the people to be able for them to work with you. This article, put together in panel form, stresses how many opportunities are capable of coming from networking properly in the industry. Here is an example that describes the benefits that come with good networking in the music industry. https://www.eventbrite.ie/blog/music-career-ds00/
There was another assignment of Stats for music and back then I didn’t really interested in it, but now I am totally interested in stats because with these stats it couldd really help out an artist and their career. These stats are amazing and fascinating but I wonder how do they collect this data. Do they collect by waiting for people to send in their stats and report their income or how does this process work because I am very interested in the progress of collecting data backdoor of all of this.
This is website is about how to collect data and the methods on doing it:
https://builtin.com/blockchain/blockchain-music-Innovation-examples
This article further explained why touring as an independent can be stressful, financially and otherwise. But, as an independent artist, touring can be the most important thing you can do. It provides exposure to many potential fans and soon enough, you are significantly more successful than before. Not only will you gain exposure, you will learn a lot about the business side of things as well as hopefully make a profit in the end.
Here I found an article detailing how important touring is for small artists: https://www.stopthebreaks.com/touring/why-touring-most-important-thing-for-independent-rappers/
“This is What Touring as an Indie Artist Really Looks Like” was extremely enlightening and realistic in terms of creating a demand for your music, attracting an audience, and building relationships with venues and agents. Many musicians like me are dreamers, so reading advice from 4 different representatives involved in the music industry was helpful in actually creating a plan. What stood out to me the most was hearing what booking agents and venues want in a musician rather than what a musician wants from them. They are mostly concerned with how much revenue they can make from investing in an act, therefore bringing in a fanbase that is willing to buy tickets and merchandise is crucial. This leads me to question what are the smartest tactics in marketing to have the most amount of people possible show up to a performance. The link below describes ways to promote music.
https://www.musicindustryhowto.com/6-top-ways-to-promote-your-music-that-actually-work/
This article is very informative and straight forward for those who are trying to become musicians and is very insightful on the difficulties of the industry. Touring is a very difficult process that takes a lot of hard work consisting of long hours with no guarantee of success and these experiences shared by these four artists in the industry really impacts the readers on the intricacies of the business. below is an article I read about that gives tips to bands trying to tour:
https://www.rocksound.tv/features/read/20-things-every-band-should-know-abouttouring
Touring without the backing of a studio or management industry is very risky. It’s almost impossible to do it without a large fanbase. Even with a fanbase, in order to make more profit you have to pay a lot of venues and advertisements. He’s an article on how to prepare yourself for that.
https://vocal.media/beat/preparing-to-go-on-tour-as-an-independent-artist
I appreciated the realness of this article – touring for any artist, but especially as an up-and-coming independent artist, is challenging and yet absolutely necessary to build a career. Touring is an essential part to building a career: this is where artists begin to make money and build a fan base, not just in their hometown, but across the country. While it should be fun, it is important to remember that for musicians – performing is a JOB – it’s not all parties and bangers like media makes it out to be. In order to ‘make it’, artists must prove their value – determined by NUMBERS: ticket and merch sales, venue bookings, contacts – but not necessarily payment. Here’s an article on how to book your own shows: https://www.ascap.com/help/career-development/booking-your-own-tour-a-how-to-guide
This article highlighted some important obstacles that an indie artist will face booking a tour. An Interesting point made was that getting 50 consistent concert goers is impressive so knowing your demand in markets in and outside your home city is extremely important financially. Also another point about networking/ coming home with new contacts from different cities when touring even if they shows aren’t so packed. Since touring is an essential revenue stream it is important to learn what all it takes to go on tour.
this is a music venue database for indie artists —> https://www.indieonthemove.com/venues?sort_by=popularity&sort_order=descending