How profitable are concert hitch ? Very , if the performers are major creative person with fans eager to see them . Newcomer Miley Cyrus , for example , brought in $ 45.3 million from her 70 - show Best of Both Worlds concert tour in 2007 and 2008 . Tickets sold out in instant as lover of her " Hannah Montana " telly show compete for the chance to see the adolescent star perform live during her first music tour [ origin : MTV News ] .
But Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones , on stage for four decades , accommodate the record for most profitable go . Their worldwide A Bigger Bang tour consort from 2005 into 2007 and grossed $ 558 million [ source : Billboard ] .
Neither Mick nor Miley is relying on concert alone for income . Their music tours both followed the liberation of a raw album – " Hannah Montana 2 : Meet Miley Cyrus " for Miley and " A Bigger Bang " for the Rolling Stones – and both earned more from concert films released after the tours . Disney ’s 3 - 500 " unspoiled of Both Worlds Concert Tour " film gross more than $ 65.3 million before being aired on cable TV , while Martin Scorsese ’s " fall a Light " documentary on the Stones ' go gross $ 5.3 million [ sources : Conde Nast Portfolio , Rolling StoneandBillboard ] .
What about performers more remote from sudden renown and reigning stardom ? How complicated are concert tours to put together and are they deserving the effort ? What kind of provision is needed , and how do you figure out with concert promoters or circuit promoters , negotiate a touring schedule and charter a tour crew ? Keep understand to find out , protrude with the initial provision you ’ll need to do .
Initial Planning of a Concert Tour
Think your band is ready to start touring , or are you not sure whether a concert go should be in your immediate future ? Planning and performing during a music tour are complicated and time consume . Probably the first thing you ’ll desire to do is verify you could respond that question with a hard " Yes ! "
To pass a decision , you ’ll desire to consider factors such as :
Miley Cyrus and the Rolling Stones apart , if you look to make a good deal of money off concert tours , you ’re likely to be disappointed . By the sentence the venue , concert promoter and tag vendor take their cut , equipment rentals and crew are paid , and transportation and aliveness cost are covered , there may not be as much for the circle as you ’d expect . That ’s not even consider sliding CD sale and the move to digital music .
Limited lucrativeness is nothing fresh for touring banding . Gerald Casale , a founding extremity of Devo , recalls that band members only earned $ 12,000 each from the new wafture mathematical group ’s Freedom of Choice tour , which gross $ 2 million during the group ’s heyday in 1980 – and the take would have been even less if T - shirt had n’t sell well . The group began touring again in 2004 [ source : Billboard ] .
If you ’ve settle you ’re quick to tour , the next step is preliminary planning , probably led by your banding ’s manager . Here are some questions to regard :
Once you have reckon these basics , you need someone who can connect you with your audience . Perhaps your dance band has a music broker who handles your bookings . But whether you do or not , you or your agentive role needs to influence through a concert impresario , or duty tour promoter , to put together a tour . Let ’s reckon next at what concert promoters do and how to work with them .
Working with Concert Promoters
You could attempt to set up your concert tour , but you probably would n’t get very far . Tour venues turn with – or are even owned by – concert promoters , also known as tour promoters . You ’ll usually need a signed contract with a tour of duty impresario to set up a tour .
The biggest national promoters of music tours are Live Nation and AEG Live . unrecorded Nation has begun signing major performers – include Madonna , Nickelback , Shakira and Jay - Z – to multi - year360 contractsthat can deal virtually all of the creative person ’s output . This include everything from music , concert tours and ware to imprimatur and program rights [ seed : Bloomberg ] .
Do n’t expect a 360 contract or a contract from a major concert impresario . These company want well - known stars whose value should hold for the contract duration – which , in Madonna ’s case , is 10 years . Taking a prospect on an up - and - coming band may be far too risky financially [ source : The American ] .
Instead , your band ’s manager ormusic agentwill seat down with a regional promoter to talk over the condition of a bouncy music tour . Here are some ideas for find a concert promoter :
Once you ’ve establish potential promoters , have your manager or agent contact them with selective information about your band , including genre , background , previous club and tour experience and a compact disk of your music .
If a plugger offers your band work through your coach , the next step is hammering out a contract bridge covering the tour . The standard contract is the American Federation of Musicians ' AFM Performance Agreement . Riders can be attached to handle specific enlistment details . While the contract itself is unremarkably unforesightful , covering defrayment , profit splits , dates and locations , the rider may be 10 pages or more . Here are some details cover in a rider :
[ origin : Donald S. Passman and Randy Glass ]
Price is n’t the only of import part of a term of enlistment arranagement . You also require to check on a enlistment schedule . Keep translate to find out more .
Negotiating a Concert Tour Schedule
Once you ’ve worked out a monetary value , split up share and other concert details with the concert promoter , you still need to agree on a daily oeuvre schedule for your band ’s concert enlistment .
Take a heedful spirit at the agenda the tour showman go for the euphony tour . You ’ll want to check that that :
Keep in mind , too , that concert duty tour involve a lot more than fructify up , rehearsing and playing for an audience . A promoter or record label is likely to need the band to also do local promotions and interviews with metier , meet with fan and sign autograph . There may be even more demands on lot fellow member ' time .
You ’ll also want to be open to agenda changes . While the beginning of the tour of duty may be thoroughly mapped out , the rest is likely to be more generally scheduled . If not enough tickets are sell , one or more of the concert venues may drop out and be supplant with a concert in some other localization . And if the tour reverse out to be really successful , it may even be extended with additional concert [ origin : MusicBizAcademy.com ] .
Make your requests regarding the schedule , but in the words of Mick Jagger , " You ca n’t always get what you desire . " Concert showman are in business to make money , after all , and they want to keep a band working , not take days off .
With schedule set and declaration in hand , you ’re quick to get on the route again . correct ? Well , not quite . You ’ll require a product handler and circuit work party to take concern of the logistics and exercise set - up the equipment on the road . Keep read to find out more .
Hiring a Concert Tour Crew
Even though a concert tour contract credibly cater for some local gang at every plosive on the tour , you ’ll want to have your own crew that travels with the stria from locus to venue . This circuit crew is invaluable because , unlike the local work party , they know the lot , its show and its equipment , and they ’re there every step of the way to make trusted the concerts go swimmingly .
Here are some gang member and their responsibilities you ’ll want to have with you on your duty tour :
[ source : Berklee College of Musicand John Vasey ]
As you engage bunch to fill these positions , look for people who are :
Finally , if you ’re reckon to make it on the concert scene , here ’s some advice from insider :
And a final word of advice : Be sure to search all the potential tax revenue streams ( such as band ware , fan clubs , certify for television show and video recording game , and more ) to add to tour income [ source : The American ] .
For lots more information about concert tours and have-to doe with topics , check out the links on the next page .
