”Music is probably the only real magic I have encountered in my life. There's not some trick involved with it. It's pure and it's real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things.” -Tom Petty
What roles do you think about first when talking about touring? Perhaps a sound engineer, guitar tech, tour manager, or merchandise vendor? What you don't necessarily think about is the collateral industries and roles in touring, the companies and agents who make sure the artists and crews sleep in quiet hotel rooms after a long... Continue Reading →
Tim's journey is a great learning opportunity for young-guns and anyone wanting to break into touring and live shows. In the early stages of his career, Tim started from the bottom working a warehouse job at a sound company. He was taught new skills and little by little, progressed to working live shows. Tim now... Continue Reading →
Based on all of his positions in touring, you could guess that David's nickname 5-1 comes from working 5 roles in one. The name has a more peculiar story behind it, mysterious even one could say (read his interview and you'll find out why), but this guess has some truth behind it. David started as... Continue Reading →
Every time Espinoza opens her mouth you think to yourself: "How does she know so much?". It's because she has progressed through multiple roles in the industry and worked hard to get to where she is now. I met Espinoza at the Tour Link Pro conference in 2019. Just like with Anjel Lopez (read her... Continue Reading →
People working in the live music industry rarely follow a traditional linear career path of getting a school degree, scoring an entry-level job in the field of their studies, and moving on to better positions and more responsibility. Every roadie has a different journey of how they got where they are now. You need to... Continue Reading →
The fourth person working in live music to get a spotlight on my blog is tour manager Jim Runge, an industry veteran of over 25 years. Jim is also one of the panelists of Tour Management 101, a webinar series about tour management that I've been listening during the industry blackout. By openly sharing his... Continue Reading →
Cooperation with Other Bands and Crew The Flawless Smile Tour was my first tour that had more than one band or artist on the bill: two co-headliners (Flaw and Smile Empty Soul) that altered the headlining position and two support acts (Code Red Riot and Worldwide Panic). Obviously, your own band and crew work together... Continue Reading →
The question I’ve been asked the most after the tour has been: “Which venue was your favorite?”. There are different ways to value and evaluate a venue but to me it’s a combination of things. If I did the tour again, my opinion might be different. Also, if I was enjoying the show from the... Continue Reading →
I saw someone sharing a merchandise stand bingo a while ago on Facebook and I got the idea of doing a bingo card for tour managers. I asked a bunch of tour managers I know to help me and added my own experiences to the card and boom, here it is! What do you think,... Continue Reading →
Artist Management on Tour Tour managers, especially on smaller tours, often take the role of a “tour mom” or “tour dad”. In addition to making sure that everyone on tour is on task and where they’re supposed to be, tour management is also about keeping people happy. The job includes dealing with personal issues and... Continue Reading →
Erika's Rock Universe 