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The Benefits of Touring

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Touring can be one of the best or one of the worse things to happen to an artist. It will either make or break you. Bands can get noticed while touring, or they will break up. There are many things bands need to know before touring. The biggest one is to make sure you are going on tour with people you can deal with and who can deal with you. You will be stuck with them for weeks and even months in a small van, or even a tour bus.

 

 

Networking while Touring

When on tour, you can find plenty of people to work with who will help you out. You’ve just got to be nice to them and treat them with respect. Even if they aren’t the greatest to you, still try to be kind and respectful and it might turn them around. They will definitely remember that when they have to work with you again and will help your shows be better.

Becoming friends with bands on tour will help out a lot. They can help you get shows in their towns and in return, you can help them get shows. Trade offs are always great to do. Local bands already have fans going to their shows and becoming friends with the ones you’ll be playing with will help you have people willing to see you when in town. Become friends with them before asking for favors, though. You actually want to have a friendship and bond with these people. Talk to them on FaceBook or Twitter before going on tour to get to know them.

Everyone you work with on tour is important for how it will go. Get to know the promoters, sound guys, and anyone working the venues. Learn their names and remember for the next time you play there. They will be impressed and more willing to help you for future events. They will also talk you up to other venues and promoters and help you get more shows in the area, and possibly in other cities as well.

 

 

Details of Touring

Everyone always skips over the details because they just want to get out there and start doing things. The details are always what screws people. You want to know about everything you can before you get on tour so that nothing is a surprise. Always get together before going out to figure out personal things and business things.

Some venues give out contracts before booking and band, and some of those have very specific details you need to know. It tells you if and how you’re getting paid, the equipment they have there and what you need to bring, guest lists, etc. There’s one thing that most artists don’t look at before booking multiple shows at once and that’s if a venue has a distance limit for shows. Some venues don’t want you to book another show near them for a week that’s about 10 miles away. That’s just an example, but it could be more time and a wider radius. You always want to know if the venue expects you to sell a certain amount of tickets, otherwise they will most likely charge you for the left over tickets you couldn’t sell. I’ve noticed a lot of venues in bigger cities tend to do that and aren’t always upfront about that.

Before going on tour, you want to have a meeting with everyone in the band to figure out things. You want to make sure everyone agrees on a budget and what that money will be used on. You might not always get the money you’re expecting at shows, so you really shouldn’t rely on it. Everyone should be able to split it evenly and help out with things. Have an itinerary showing when everyone needs to be at the venue, when loading is, when you’re playing, etc.. It should also have the contact numbers of everyone (band members, promoters, venues, driver if you have one) and emails for the venue. You all want to also are on a set of ground rules. Everyone may think that they know each other well, but someone will have some pet peeve that will get to them too much and might make things tense among the group.

Booking hotels and finding places ahead of time is always great. Once you have the shows set, you know when and where you’ll need a place to stay. You can ask fans or friends/family in the area, but if they don’t get back within a week or two, move on. You don’t want to get stuck last minute trying to find a place. I went on a small tour with a band once and they kept telling me that they had people who were going to let us stay there. The day we get the city, they tell me they haven’t heard back from anyone and that we might have to find a hotel. Well, every place was having some kind of conventions going on and only had expensive rooms left. We ended up finding a hotel last minute, but you don’t want to get stuck in the kind of mess.

Map route before leaving. It helps you figure out how much time it takes to get from one place to another and will be easier to plan things around travel time. It also helps to keep you from getting lost if you can’t get internet on your phone for google maps.

 

 

Going on tour can be a great thing. Get everything done ahead of time, talk with the rest of the members and take care of yourself. You don’t want any surprises and you want to be able to fix anything if something goes wrong. Don’t rely on others with everything and make sure you and the rest of your group can take charge if need be. Always know where everyone and everything is and how your equipment is being taken care of. The tour should go well if you at least do those things.

 

This is a gust post by youbloom contributor Michele Enouch

Michele Enoch is a music business graduate from Musicians Institute who has managed and promoted bands for years. She is now working on her photography and helping performers advance in their career. Her passion has always been music and she is exploring all aspects of the industry. Michele appreciates all kinds of music and seeing music in all kinds of environments. She enjoys crocheting hats and toys, reading and writing mystery and horror stories, taking pictures of everything she can, food from around the world, and adorable animals. She is always on the look out for anything new and exciting.

The Best (and Worst) Ways for Independent Musicians to Make Money

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When independent musicians are just starting out, the road can get pretty bumpy. Digging for change in the crux of your band’s van to come up with enough gas money to make it to your gig one town over might sound bad, but when your equipment gets stolen after the show and your bandmates leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere, you might begin to second guess your career choice.

No one said that the life of a struggling musician would be glamorous, but for those with passion, talent, and an insatiable drive to succeed that keeps them practicing their latest song until the sun comes up, the payout is even more real than the struggle it took to get there.

Unfortunately, the hard truth is that too many musicians are wasting their time and energy trying to make money doing things that simply don’t move the needle. So, let’s set the record straight here and now. These may be a bit hard to swallow, but it will make you a better musician at the end of it. [Read more…]

TOUR DIARY: Foreign Affairs NI at youbloomLA 2015

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Every time we at youbloom put on a music festival, we are humbled and awed by the insane variety of talented acts that manage to make their way to us from all around the world to share in a few days of the celebration of independent music.

In December, we were thrilled to welcome Northern Irish punk band Foreign Affairs NI to sunny Los Angeles for the youbloomLA 2015 Music Festival and Conference. They played a cracking set, brought amazing energy to the venue – La Cuevita – and were a top highlight in LA last year.

Foreign Affairs NI have since been busy writing and playing up a storm, so pay attention, punk fans, because this band have a lot going on in 2016. When we found out they’d written a tour diary about their time in the US of A, we just had to ask if we could share some of it.

It goes without saying that we are beyond sweatin’ to have them back again for the upcoming youbloomDublin 2016 Music Summit & Festival, going down this June 1-3.

In the meantime, check out what they had to say about their time with us under the palms out west:

youbloomLA 2015

Day 1, First Impressions

‘Everything in America is bigger! The size of their drinks, their airports, their buildings, all of it was on a much grander scale and it would be easy to get consumed by it all and feel lost. We made a pledge to make the most of every second we had in The City Of Angels as time was short and we didn’t know when we’d be back. With this in mind, after checking in we set off on our first ever Hollywood adventure! Not realising the scope of LA we learnt the hard way that taxis are not to be used unless necessary, especially during rush hour!’

youbloomLA 2015

Day 2, Permanent Memories

‘We had heard amazing things about American breakfast. The stories are true, believe the hype! In our hotel we had complimentary breakfast and the ability to make your own waffles was life changing. Fed and watered we would plan our day. Not losing sight of why we were here, we all crowded round Matt and his guitar and listened and played our songs together. We had an amazing feeling for the Music Festival and we were prepared! We decided after this to see if Santa Monica and Venice Beach lived up to the hype.’

youbloomLA 2015

Day 3, Amazing Sights

‘Most of Los Angeles was in our sights as well as the youbloomLA 2015infamous Hollywood sign. A few band photos were taken and like always, the whole trek and experience was filmed. Inside and out the observatory was an amazing sight and it was overwhelming to realise that we were there taking it all in, and that was made possible by our music. We couldn’t take too much in for too long however as we were warned at night mountain lions venture up and down the mountain and we didn’t want to find out if that was lies or not.’

 

Day 4, Gig Day:

‘Gig day had arrived! We were to play an amazing venue, ‘La Cuevita’. We didn’t do very much in the lead up to this as our primary focus was putting on the best show we could and remaining focused.

On the way to the gig we exited the train with a few people and we all walked together towards the same area, however we all had different intentions. The man beside us ripped down a car window and broke into the vehicle. The alarm went off and the man scurried away. LA was a different breed entirely compared to anywhere else.

We entered the venue and watched the bands perform and noticed that every artist had great energy and crowd interaction! This is something we had targeted and improved! Armed with a wireless guitar system to run about the venue and crowd interaction worked into our set, we were prepared! An overwhelming experience at the venue was that people were asking, ‘When are the Irish band on?’. Thousands of miles away from home, people were asking for us. That was a feeling we’ll never forget.

9.15 approached and it was time for us to take the stage! We launched into the opening song from our new E.P., ‘Heartline’ and there was an instant positive feeling. People were listening, clapping with us and most importantly having a good time!

youbloomLA 2015

Moving through the set each song went down very well. We were premiering a brand new song at the show! One we had never played before. With nerves of how it would go down, Matt announced that, ‘Pennies’ was about to make its debut and we launched into the song. Quite possibly the best reaction of any song of the set was received here. This filled us with so much pride. Our current music had brought us thousands of miles away, and where we’re going in the future has been met with an overwhelming response, it was just a surreal moment and filled us with positivity.

As our set came to a close we ended with, ‘Television’. The song that had gotten us there in the first place. It was an emotional experience and we give (sic) it everything we had! Enjoying every second of it. After the set we had our photos taken by YouBloom (sic) and had drinks with the other bands and just enjoyed the vibe and experience.

A special thank you is needed for Kittenhead who helped us out with a bass and electric guitar. Without you we may not have been able to play.’

Day 5, YouBloom Conference:

‘We had the conference to attend now where we could interact with big music industry names and make connections.

The whole conference was amazing! Armed with a notepad and pen we documented so much valuable information. Attending talks from Tom Sturges, a man who signed The Smashing Pumpkins and has shook hands with The President Of The United States because of his musical achievements was surreal. We met with him directly and he was overly enthusiastic about us and music in general. A very inspiring man.

youbloomLA 2015

We were then interviewed by YouBloom and enjoyed that experience. Straight after that we attend a panel titled, ‘Making A Statement’. The panel was made up of: Joe Sib of Sideonedummies Records; Marko DeSantis of a band we look up to, Sugarcult; and Don Grierson who signed Celine Dion, to name a few. Again we learnt so much and made direct contact with both Joe and Marko which was surreal in itself to meet these people and talk about our music.

The trip was worth it just for this alone.’

youbloomLA 2015

Be sure to check out the entire tour diary over on ChordBlossom.

*If you’re a youbloom Festival veteran and have similar content you’d like us to share on our blog, get in touch with a link in the comments below.

 

 

How to Totally Suck at Touring

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Don’t bring merch. Alison Shaw summed it up perfectly in August for youbloomTV:  if a person (likely in a state of inebriation) who has never seen you before decides they like what they hear, they’re going to want to take something home with them that they can listen to again, or a T-shirt they can wear so they have a story to share with their friends (free advertising!). Offer nothing as a follow-up to your show and it doesn’t matter if you just played the most epic set of the tour: you immediately halve your exposure potential.

Patches and buttons can be made very cheaply. Just sayin’.

sportin'.
sportin’.

 

 

Don’t introduce yourself. You know that band that are just way too cool to say hello to the audience, and instead plow wordlessly through their set before unplugging and stalking offstage for dramatic effect? Yeah, don’t be that band.

Be rude to the sound guy. A crucial element to the success/enjoyment of every gig is whether or not you piss off – intentionally or inadvertently – the guy/girl in control of what people are going to hear. So a few basic rules to follow:

  • Arrive to soundcheck on time. Remember that sound check is not band practice. If you think it is, you shouldn’t be on tour.
  • Follow the engineer’s instructions. He has a lot of mics and levels to organize, and doesn’t want to be there tweaking for two hours. You’re also (probably) not the only band this person needs to cater to. If he asks you to turn down your amp (guitar players, looking at you), just do it already.
  • Communicate politely and clearly. If you can’t hear something, have a request, or something isn’t working, let him or her know.

soundguy

 

Don’t say thanks. To the crowd for coming out, to the support acts or the act you’re supporting, to the sound engineer (see above), the booker, the venue…gratitude gets you a long way in this game. It endears you to the strangers who’ve chosen to spend their evening and money on you, and can get you invited to play more gigs or to come back again in future.

You're too kind, really.
You’re too kind, really.

 

Don’t promote. You know, you might get really lucky and have a booking agent or a venue that’s willing to promote the show on your behalf. Or you might score a sweet support slot for a band that you know are going to draw a crowd no hassle. But listen up: you still need to promote your show.

Why? Because that’s part of pulling your weight as a touring band. The deal is exposure – for everyone, not just for you. The least you can do is make an effort and throw up an event page on facebook. If just one person from your friend list comes along, you’ve done your job.

 

Try to adhere to a schedule/routine/backline setup. Life on the road is mayhem. Pure and simple. Vans break down, blizzards shut down roads, venues cancel shows for no reason.

Amps blow, pedals go all ghost function, leads and stands and 9 volt batteries mysteriously vanish.

Absolute arseholes steal bands’ gear. Shit. Happens. yellowvan

 

It goes without saying that you should have some level of organization to your plan, and to be responsible at least for your own gear and your person, but if by some crappy twist of luck, something un-ideal happens, the worst thing you can do is freak out; throw a fit; start a fight; get all demanding.

 

The best touring bands stay positive, remain flexible, expect the unexpected, and roll with the punches. They pitch in to help other bands when something goes wrong, knowing the road to memorable gigs is two-way, and paved with selfless acts.

 

These are the bands that people travel to other towns to see, that get asked back, that other bands reach out to when they’re thinking of hitting the road again.

 

Then again, it is entirely possible that touring just does not suit your band. And the only way to find that out is to do it. Just do everyone a favor once you do and stop.

 

Give up. You already know something unforeseen is likely to happen. So what should you do when it does? Well, if you want to totally suck at touring, take it as a sign that this gig/leg of the tour/entire thing is a sham and shouldn’t be happening at all. Sigh deeply, pull a U-ey, and drive your miserable butts back to Minnesota, or wherever it is you came from. Everyone will thank you later.

Or.

Show up anyway (better late than never), shake a few hands, explain what happened, offer to play and improvise if need be (house parties make great backups for venue cancellations, and often provide a night’s sleep), make friends and rack up another bonkers story for the tour diary.

Just NAUSIA being chill.
Just NAUSIA being chill.

 

Do it right, and in a year or so, you’ll be itching to start a new one.

youbloom artist spotlight: The National Parks

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It has already been six months since youbloom rocked Los Angeles, and we were wondering what our artists have been up to. So we hooked up with The National Parks this week to see what they have been doing since youboom@LA. In doing this, we really got to know more about them and the history of The National Parks…

The National Parks is a band that originated in Utah in 2013 where Brady Parks and Sydney Macfarlane first met and began making music. Over the next couple years, they recruited additional members: Megan Taylor, Doug Patterson, Anna Meacham, Garrick Meacham, and John Hancock.

Their first album, Young, released September 3, 2013 and climbed to #13 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart. Due to their success and the dedication of their fans, they were taken on the road with artists such as Andy Grammer, LeAnn Rimes and many others. They have played in major cities across the country including Seattle, Chicago, New York and, of course, Los Angeles.

the-national-parks-youbloom-artist

So, what are they doing now?

The National Parks have been busy since we saw them last November in Los Angeles. Their new album, Until I Live, is set to release on August 4th and we are told to expect the same fundamental elements from their previous album, but with a bigger and slightly “poppier” twist. We find this to be true when listening to the first single from the album entitled Ba Ra Ra, which was released through Baebel Music and can be heard here. We can expect to see the second single from the album released on June 2nd.

Also, we are excited to hear that to promote the new album, The National Parks will be touring the east coast in August and the west coast in September. Please check their website for dates posted already, and continue to check back as additional dates will be added.

We want to thank The National Parks for taking the time to update us on all of their excitement and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for them and the new album!

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