3 questions to ask when touring this fall

Artists, venues, and audiences alike have been rejoicing - tours are back! Unfortunately, so too is COVID (although it never really left, if we’re being honest) and as live music events return, there are some ethical questions artists should keep in mind before agreeing to go through with performing a show.

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How to survive the touring lifestyle: 7 tips

Hitting the road is an exciting time for any musician, whether you’re touring for the very first time or this is one of many tours you’re about to add to your list. If you’re a musician for any band, whether wildly famous or still up-and-coming, touring can bring about a unique experience that doesn’t always adhere to the conventions of normal life, and that’s totally okay. 

You aren’t always meant to live like you’re on tour, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take care of yourself to make sure that the touring lifestyle doesn’t get to you too much.

While each tour is inherently different — based on factors such as your budget and the length and span of the tour itself — there are a few universal tips that you can take into consideration when you’re packing up to hit the road.

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Baby steps: Artist’s guide to getting back out there

As the world slowly reopens, artists are pulling the tarps off their touring vans, changing their strings, and getting ready to once again hit the road, but while the light at the end of the tunnel has unquestionably gotten brighter, with more and more shots in arms, anything resembling “normal” touring remains a ways off. Here, we look at a few tips for how to ease your band (and your audience) back into live music.

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The Country Music Association Funds Additional Nonprofit Partners As Part Of A $3 Million Long-term Commitment To Its Music Industry Covid Support (MICS) Initiative

Furthering its support of music industry professionals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Country Music Association has announced continued efforts through its Music Industry COVID Support (MICS) initiative. The Nashville-based trade organization has outlined additional funding to five nonprofit partners—Music Health Alliance, Musically Fed, Notes for Notes, Porter’s Call and The Store—which, along with previous nonprofit investments, are funded through CMA’s $3 million long-term COVID-19 commitment that began in early 2020.  

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Tips For Maintaining Your Tour Van's Performance

If we continue on the current trajectory, musicians could be back on the road in short order. And, as you make plans to get back out there, don’t overlook practical considerations, such as the logistics of touring. For starters, to keep revenue up and expenses down, you’ll need a reliable vehicle that’s up to the task. 

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How To Stay Safe As A Touring Musician

When you’re on tour, you’ll be visiting new places where there will be many people and possibly unexpected scenarios. You and your band’s safety is of the utmost importance while touring. 

Safety encompasses various aspects — your physical health, mental health, road safety and equipment security, including personal items. If you’ve booked your tour and are ready to hit the road, read these tips on how to stay safe as a touring musician:

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How To Be A Musician During The Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we do everything from working and shopping to the way we play music. For musicians, it’s been especially challenging. Venues closed their doors and large gatherings are dangerous — and in some cases, even outlawed. This doesn’t mean you have to stop playing or putting your music out there, though. What do you need to do to be a musician during a global pandemic?

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How To Handle The Stress Of Being On Tour

Touring is an enormous part of being a musician, especially once you start to build a following. For small artists or those still growing their fanbase, making your way around the country can be an exercise in exhaustion. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you handle all those long hours on the road as you make your way from city to city. 

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What Kind Of Vehicle Does Your Band Need For A Tour?

While the internet age has made it easier for bands to get their music out to the masses, there’s nothing online that replaces the face-to-face energy of in-person concerts and domestic or international tours. You might be picturing private jets and fancy tour buses, but let’s be realistic here. When you’re just starting out, if you manage to put together a tour, it’s done on a shoestring budget. Here’s how to find the best vehicle to hit the road in.

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How To Plan An International Tour For Your Band

Touring is an excellent way to build your following and interact with your fans, but we live in the internet age. Your fanbase isn’t limited to local or even domestic fans anymore. Putting your music on the web means people from around the world can find you with the click of a mouse or the tap of a screen. 

These overseas fans will be just as excited to see you live, but planning international tours can be challenging. Here are a few things you should remember before you start booking flights. 

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8 Things You Can't Forget To Do Before Going On Tour

Going on tour is one of the most exciting experiences for a band. You get to interact with fans, connect with other artists and forge a musical identity for yourselves. However, planning a tour isn’t always so exciting. From inspecting your trailer to setting ticket prices, a lot goes into preparing for this grand adventure. Luckily, you can do it with a little more ease by following these touring tips:

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Free Gig Quote Calculator For Musicians And Bands

As with any business, life as a working musician can involve some pretty monotonous and repetitive tasks, which quite frankly we could all do without.

At Bands For Hire agency we’ve built our internal systems to reduce the boring everyday administrative chores and spend more time on what really matters. For you, that means more time writing music, rehearsing and marketing your original music - for us it means more time with clients and doing the things we love such as creating content, listening to new acts and well… developing helpful little tools.

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Tips For Musicians When Performing In Bars

Bars, cover bands and summertime go hand in hand. In almost every town around the world, you will find a club or a bar that hosts live music. This is an opportunity that can enable a band, solo or duo artists to engage with the crowd and make money.

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How Touring Musicians Can Run A Business From The Road

Over the last few decades musicians have had to become more savvy regarding the business aspects of the creative endeavours that they’ve dedicated their lives to. Whether it’s due to the myriad examples of how unsuspecting creatives have been taken advantage of, or the industry shifts that have affected how revenue is made, musicians are taking the development of their business skills almost as seriously as their musical chops. While this adds a certain complexity to musician’s lives, this is also incredibly empowering.

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