![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() site design by Paper Tiger |
If you are interested in the services I provide, please don't hesitate to email. Tour Management Merchandising Pre-production Tour management is a tricky job because there are always different expectations of what a tour manager is supposed to do and actually does, by definition or implication. My defined scope of work as a tour manager consists of: advancing, booking hotels, budgets & accounting, miscellaneous logistics, and scheduling press/engagements; this job can sometimes be paired with driving or overseeing & selling merchandise (if there is enough money involved). Other undefined jobs include: finding good restaurants, talking musicians off their respective ledges, babysitting (children or grown adults), designated driving, putting out fires, stand-in musician, on-tour documentarian, holder of valuables, ATM machine, and diplomatic relations expert. Generally, this job is paid on a daily or weekly rate. As a rule, I get paid for every day that I am away from my house, not just on show days. Please email me regarding my rates. There is very little literature available on how to be a good tour manager so every tour manager finds his/her own way and therefore has his/her own methods. The best way to find a good tour manager is by asking around. Feel free to ask for references from any of my past artists to see if I will be a good fit for your band. Merchandising I have done touring merchandise sales and non-touring merchandise coordination in the past. I love doing merchandise on tour, though I get more management offers these days. There is really nothing better than getting to break a sweat, sling some t-shirts, and talk to fans. Generally, bands take merch people if they can afford to - otherwise, it's a job relegated to bored-yet-responsible band members or tour managers with 90 other things to do at that very moment. What many bands forget is that merchandise is the real cash-cow on a tour. Done smartly, merchandise can keep a tour in the black, even in the face of insufficient guarantees or unexpected expenses. Non-touring coordination is also an option for bands who cannot afford to have an extra body in the van but still need someone to offer opinions on designs & numbers, track sales, profits, and well-timed reorders. This service is especially great for foreign bands who might not have a connection to good US merchandising/printing companies. I will do touring merchandise for a weekly or daily rate. Non-touring coordination is a flat rate. Pre-production This is an underrated and untapped resource for bands who can't afford a tour manager but also lack the skills to make a tour run smoothly and efficiently. It is invariably cheaper to have someone take care of the advancing, hotels, and logistics before a tour starts than it is to have another body in the van asking for per diems. And, let's face it, most bands are not very logistically saavy. For a flat rate (depending on tour length and size), I will advance all shows, book hotels, create a master schedule, and print tour books to be distributed before the first day of tour. After that, the band is expected to carry on as they normally would, albeit a little more put together. It is the most cost-effective way to maintain good relationships with promoters and agents on the road, which (in a way) is priceless if a band is career-minded. |