What is a Tour Cycle?

Why We Wrote This Guide

There are various factors that go into bringing a live show to concert-goers, from making sure you have the venue to perform at as well as the right marketing to push the sales of your tickets. In fact, when producing a tour, the six main parties that work together are booking agents, promoters, tour managers, technicians, labels, and publishers. Although they won’t always be represented by separate entities, it is important to note that they each cover integral responsibilities related to an artist’s tour. In this guide, we will go through the tour cycle step by step to depict how all these players interact in order to create a successful tour.

Who Is This Guide For

This guide is most helpful for:

• Artists who are interested in learning about the work put into creating a tour, as well as the different aspects of the touring cycle itself.
• Anyone who is curious about the ins and outs of touring and the process behind the scenes.

Guide Contents

We recommend this guide be given a dedicated and thorough reading to fully process the information provided. It’s a short read, but feel free to read slowly or review sections to properly understand the material.
Estimated read time: 10 minutes

Contents

• Finding the Performer
• Tour Strategy and Production
• Booking the Tour
• Selling Tickets
• Hiring a Concert Tour Crew
• Final Preparations and the Day of the Show
• Sources

Finding The Performer

As it usually is in the music industry, the foundational building block is the artist. To begin, agents and promoters must find and sign the talent. Thisprocess is not much different from the scouting of recording or publishing A&Rs. Although there are several different types of artists who each require varying levels or methods of support, ultimately the essence of scouting and recruiting remains consistent across the board: identify and sign the acts with great potential before anyone else does.

As it usually is in the music industry, the foundational building block is the artist. To begin, agents and promoters must find and sign the talent. Thisprocess is not much different from the scouting of recording or publishing A&Rs. Although there are several different types of artists who each require varying levels or methods of support, ultimately the essence of scouting and recruiting remains consistent across the board: identify and sign the acts with great potential before anyone else does.

While signing talented individuals ahead of time in the live industry is vital, there are risks associated with the move. Because an average show is normally booked around 9 to 10 months in advance, tour deals are often signed approximately a year prior to the actual performance. Furthermore, most concert tours follow the recording releases of their artists to build up the momentum and ride the promotion wave. As a result, this has an unavoidable implication; agents and tour promoters sign the artist to perform material that may not be written yet, which is quite risky. This is especially true regarding debut artists who might not even have enough content for a complete set or any solid live performance skills.

Tour Strategy And Production

After the artist is on board, attention moves towards producing the show and defining the tour strategy and routing. Here, the tour promoter begins their planning; building the live show, handling visual materials, and booking rehearsal sessions are just a few of the tasks necessary. Additionally, the artist, manager, agent, and tour promoter create a general schedule while drafting a route of the future tour. This initial tour planning often revolves around priority shows such as major city performances or larger music festivals/events. The tour almost always follows a recording release, and the remaining strategy behind constructing the tour goes from there.

Booking The Tour

Once the initial route is complete, the agent moves on to booking the tour and then selling the show to promoters and festivals. From the priority shows to the remaining pieces around them, the touring route begins to take its final form. The agent negotiates with local promoters to choose an optimal venue to host the show. Picking the perfect venue is one of the most difficult parts of booking the tour because the music has not been released yet, so therefore there is no way to predict the reception of the material. Going small can be the safe option, but runs a risk of losing potential ticket sales and disappointing the fans. However, on the other hand, go big and you may well have an artist performing in a half-empty concert. The agent has to weigh these factors and make the eventual decision, even in times of uncertainty.

Selling Tickets

With the tour officially booked, the focus then shifts to promoting and selling tickets. Logistically, this sounds like a job for the promoters, but in reality the marketing of the tour is carried out between all the sides working closely together. Managers, booking agents, and the artists’ record labels all collaborate, finding ways to reach out to the general public effectively. To explain this clearly, concert marketing can be split into two main parts.

First there is the overarching tour marketing, implemented by the tour promoter, which is in conjunction with the record release. The marketing campaign uses wide communication and social media channels to promote the entire tour rather than a particular show. Second is the regional marketing covered by local promoters, which aims to increase the sales of a specific show by focusing on micro communication channels like radio and locally targeted advertising.

In terms of the actual ticketing strategy, there is no one perfect method that all promoters utilize. There is a lot of variety among different tour cycles, but in general the accepted sales process goes from an announcement to a pre-sale, finishing with the general sale. The tour is first announced through the label or artist-owned channels, providing a means of updating the general public as well as hyping up fans. Next, the pre-sale starts, allowing fans to have the chance to obtain tickets first. The pre-sale strategy has a couple of advantages. Based on pre-sale figures, promoters can make a rough estimate of how the show is going to sell in general, paving way for further adjustments. Pre-sale also addresses the problem of the secondary ticket market since selling as many tickets in the pre-sale period can avoid the prospect of resellers.

Hiring A Concert Tour Crew

Although a concert tour contract most likely provides local crew at every stop of the tour, having your own crew that travels with the artist from venue to venue is invaluable. Unlike the local crew, they would know the artist and be comfortable with the equipment as well as serving as a consistent, reliable anchor to your tour. Below are just a few of the crew members you’ll want with you:

- Road/Tour Manager: Manages travel arrangements and pays bills while handling other major problems as they show up during the tour.

- Production Manager: Supervises the technical crew and coordinates their work with that of the local crew. Assesses equipment from one venue to another.

- Advance Person: Arrives at each location before the artist to help the road manager and ensure advance arrangements have been made correctly.

- Stage Manager: Controls performers’ movements and crew on and off the stage.

- Sound Engineer: Operates the sound equipment and the front of house console which controls and mixes the sound the audience hears during a live performance.

- Monitor Engineer: Operates the monitor console, controlling the sound the artist hears through in-ear monitors.

- Lighting Crew: sets up and runs the lighting equipment; may also handle special effects like smoke machines in a live show.

As you fill these positions, look for individuals who are flexible and adaptable, working well under pressure. They should be team players who work well with the artist and other crew members, while being skilled at their jobs and committed to the artist or band throughout the course of the tour.

Final Preparations And the Day of The Show

The tickets are officially on sale and the date of the show is quickly arriving. Even now, there are still a massive number of details to cover to make the show happen smoothly. Running a 50-show tour means getting the artist and the tour team to 50 different locations across the globe, all while staying on a tight budget and schedule. On top of that, you have to make sure the team has all the infrastructure required to do the actual show. Plane tickets, car rentals, equipment shipping, and venue planning are just some of what needs to be taken care of before the show.

On the day of, with the seats hopefully sold out and the material well-practiced and rehearsed, you now have to focus on executing the show. Setting up the sound system, checking tickets upon entry, and establishing security are essential tasks that ensure the day runs smoothly. A poorly run concert can ruin even the best of shows, thus a clear organization between the tour crew, managers, technicians, and venue staff is imperative.

Finally, after hundreds if not thousands of hours of preparation, the artist will go on stage. After completing a show, the team will return to the road to repeat the preparations for the next venue until the final date has been completed. The artist will eventually get back in the studio and start working on new material, while the promoters and agents begin planning the next tour.

Sources

• https://soundcharts.com/blog/mechanics-of-touring#the-touring-cycle
• https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/concert-tour.htm