Sure, you could hire someone else to do it for you, but let's face it - at some point we all decide to book our own tour. I've spent a good deal of time on tour, and have managed to learn a thing or two about life on the road. Here are some helpful hints that can at least get you out the door.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: At least a couple of hours a week
Here's How:
- Start early - It's always best to give yourself more time than to be scrambling a week before you leave. If you're touring in the summer, you can bet everyone else is too. Clubs get inundated and you want to make sure you're taken into consideration. This is particularly important if you're looking at churches or House Concerts. Often they'll be booked out a year in advance.
- Pick a region - You want to narrow it down to an apropriate amount of space. If you're planning on spending the whole summer on the road, for example, a tour of the East Coast may be OK. But if you only have three weeks, that would be incredibly ambitious.
- Find Venues - To think you won't ever get stiffed or mistreated by a venue is just a bit idealistic. But it's important to narrow your chances of having that happen. There are some great resources online for finding venues. House Concerts are a great place to look too. Churches will never stiff you. Alliance shows are a sure thing as well.
- Call Ahead - Always call before you send your materials. For one, you want to make sure the club still exists and that they're still booking Folk acts. Also, some clubs hand booking over to an agency, which will often book several clubs in town. If you touch base ahead of time, you can let them know that if you're not suitable for the club you were initially calling for, maybe they can hook you up with another venue.
- Send a demo, bio, and presskit - This doesn't have to be fancy shmancy, but it really is better if you put some time and effort into your materials. The people who own the venue don't know anything about you, so you may as well make an honest impression. Make sure your demo is recent, and that your bio is up to date. It's also nice to include a letter to the venue introducing yourself and thanking them ahead of time for listening to your work.
- Don't wait for them to call you - A few places are noting on their websites that they don't want artists to call about booking. In that case, honor their policy. There's a reason for it. But most of the time, they're not going to call you if they have to call long distance. Give them two weeks to listen to your CD, and then call to check up. No need to stalk them, but if they don't have an answer yet, try back later.
- Be realistic - It may not look like a terribly long drive from New York to Atlanta, but trust me - it is. More realistic: book in DC and Raleigh on the way. Respect yourself and the venues you're booking and make sure you're going to have time to get there and still have the energy to put on a good show. Even if you only take one day off per week, it's important to have that time.
- Send contracts - Boy I wish someone would have told me this a long time ago. Contracts don't have to be written by an attorney. You can write them up yourself - just make sure the date, time, and agreed-upon compensation method is clearly stated. You sign, the person booking you signs, and you both keep a copy. It helps to save you from getting stiffed, and it helps the club know you're serious about what you do.
- Get your car checked out - This is essential! You definitely don't want to wind up in the middle of nowhere after driving for eight hours, and find that your car is falling apart. Make sure you bring WD-40, duct tape, spare oil, a jug of water (in case you over-heat), and a gas can (in case you run out). Better to be safe than sorry. Oh, and join AAA.
- Head out - Make sure you have a copy of your itinerary, your instrument(s), amplification/P.A., a list of phone numbers for every venue, copies of your contracts, and the names of the people you spoke with. This is particularly important if you get lost looking for the venue, or if you're caught in traffic in another state. It happens.
Tips:
- Plan well in advance! Give yourself and the venue plenty of time to take care of what you need to take care of before you leave.
- Figure out where you're going to sleep along the way. Sleeping in the car can become a necessity, but if you're alone, it's especially risky. Don't get me wrong, I've done it too. But beds are so much nicer.
- Check your cell phone plan and make sure you won't be roaming the whole time.
- Join AAA.
What You Need
- Your instrument(s) and amplification/P.A.
- Your itinerary
- Contact information for everywhere you're playing
- Extra money (cash or credit) in case something goes horribly wrong
- A road atlas - you'll need to know how to suddenly skirt rush hour in DC
- Plenty of copies of your CD to sell
- A good cell phone plan
