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Note: As we considered contributors for this issue of Shure Notes®, we were determined to find been there-done that gigging musicians. We cast our memory back to a past issue of On Tour With Shure®. In its Indie Corner feature, Frisbie frontman Steven Frisbie shared his then newly-minted tour booking chops.
Heres an updated version:
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| Gather round, all you do-it-yourselfers. I come bearing good news. I am here to tell you that you can book your own tours. Do I sound like a man selling snake oil? Well, its all true. I booked a three-week national tour for my band, from Chicago to the West Coast
to Atlanta and then home. It was the bands first tour and I had no prior booking experience. Take heart my friends it can be done. |
| The first step is to establish your limitations. You may have personal conflicts your husbands surgery, your daughters birthday, and when is the drummers court date, exactly? The band may have gigs that are set in stone - South by Southwest on the 12th and the Telluride
Mushroom Festival on the 16th. |
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Decide how you want to tour by asking
the following questions:
1. How far are you willing to drive before a gig?
2. How far are you willing to drive on off days?
3. How long do you want to be on the road?
4. How long can you afford to be on the road?
Lose sight of your agenda and you may find youve booked your band in Minneapolis on the 3rd and Cincinnati on the 4th. Thats 770 miles, road warrior.
The answers to the questions will help you generate a route a template for the tour as youd like it to be. Write down your route and keep a copy on hand when dealing with venues. This may seem obvious, but you could forget your name in the flood of calls and e-mails.
Lose sight of your agenda and you may find youve booked your band in Minneapolis on the 3rd and Cincinnati on the 4th. Thats 770 miles, road warrior. Was that in the plan?
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Route in hand, its time to find the right venue for your band. There are resources aplenty. The Musicians Guide to Touring and Promotion is available at many bookstores and newsstands. Pollstar publishes a bi-annual concert venue directory, available at pollstar.com.
These publications list brief descriptions and contact information for thousands of venues across the US. CitySearch.com is a good resource for finding musical hotspots abroad. Save the postcards and e-mail you receive from touring bands. Log onto their websites and see the venues they have played on the road. Indie rock
magazines like Magnet have tour schedules in their classified ads. Pollstar.com will list hundreds of tour itineraries.
Know where you want to play? Then its time to get the gig. Everybody, and I mean everybody, will want a promotional package from you. CD, band bio, band photo and press clipping are the classic ingredients. Clubs receive thousands of these packs, so it may behoove you to set yourself apart in some way. Ive seen silver
space-age envelopes, even pizza box promo packs. Dont set yourself apart with your unique low-fi demo. Even if its only two songs, make a good recording of your music or you wont be taken seriously.
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A bit of bad news you may have to mail your promo packs two or three times. Why? Because in the office of every booking agency there exists a mysterious vortex and only the most persistent bands escape its dark gravity. Repeat mailings will increase your costs,
so be prepared. Keep a written record of your mailings when, what and to whom and use this information. If a package should be there, prompt the agent to take another look. Often the difference between Dude, I dont think we have your stuff and Yeah its totally here is you having your act together. |
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Give the package a week to arrive, then reach for the phone. These first calls are important. If people perceive you as responsible, they will treat you with respect. Consider this following example:
"Hello, my name is Bill Morgan and Im booking a tour for a band called Rainbow Drive. Well be coming through your area on the 14th and I'd love to get the band on a bill at Club Lucky."
By introducing himself as a representative of the band, Bills avoid the stigma of a struggling musician looking for a handout. He need not say hes in the band -- this is a business call. Rainbow Drive is interested in Club Lucky and plans to be in town that day. Implication? This is a band that will be touring, not
a band hoping to book a tour. Make your band sound like a safe bet and clubs are more prone to gamble.
With a sensible route, a high-quality package and a professional demeanor, you can get your band in the door.
Frisbies debut release, The Subversive Sounds of Love, was hailed as the power pop album of the year. Their forthcoming CD, The Dust, will be released in 2007. The band has toured with Cheap Trick, Mathew Sweet, Wilco and a host of other headliners.
We thank Steve Frisbie for his then-and-now tour booking advice. Frisbie music is available at the iTunes Store.
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