The ‘New Normal’ is here to stay, so we’re giving you five creative ways to bring back touring as soon as humanly possible.
The spread of COVID-19 has changed the music business in ways we never imagined. Fans and artists alike want things to go back to the way they were before March 2020, but that is a fantasy. The past is dead, and no amount of begging or wishful thinking will resurrect it.
We live in a new reality where the old way of doing things no longer works. We can either complain or adapt, and we at Music Biz believe change is always a positive. Discovering new ways to do things challenges us to be more creative, more inclusive, and more understanding. All of that is something we as a species could use more of right now.
The biggest obstacle the music business faces right now is touring. The vast majority of artists make the bulk of their living by being on the road. There have been no tours for the last three months, and there is only a handful currently scheduled for the fall. Those that are daring to step out and perform again do so with the knowledge their dates may be canceled when the “second wave” of COVID-19 takes the US by storm this fall.
With all the questions and concerns surrounding touring, it’s easy to understand why so few feel comfortable announcing or discussing their plans at this time. Still, the conversations around live music are ongoing, and the fan demand for talent has rarely, if ever, been higher than it is right at this moment.
In this episode of Music Biz, host James Shotwell shares five ways touring can resume in the near future. No solution is perfect. At least one is inarguably terrible. But all these ideas need to be considered and at least attempted if we have any chance of discovering what works best for everyone.
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Touring is an increasingly important element to a successful music career, but getting on the road too early has inevitably lead many promising talents awry.
There are few things more exciting or fulfilling than being on tour. Not only are you afforded the opportunity to perform your music for people who want to hear it, but you can see the world as well. Being on the road allows musicians at every level to see how the rest of the human race lives, and through doing so, many find the inspiration to create their best work.
There is a catch, however, and it’s a big one. Artists who attempt to tour before they have the right elements of their career in place are destined for hardships and failure. You may be able to string together a tour, and you may be able to make a little money doing so, but unless you have plans in place you will, eventually, burn out before your dreams of success in the music business come to fruition. It has happened a million times already, and it will no doubt happen a million more in the future.
In this episode of Music Biz 101, host James Shotwell breaks down the five (5) things every artist and group needs to do before they consider getting on the road.
If it’s your first tour, your mind is racing at a thousand miles an hour. You have visions of what you’re going to do while on the road, what you’re going to sell, and what the lifestyle will be like. That said, before you pack another box of CDs or pair of shoes, here are the top three things the experts advise you not to overpack to make your van a little less cramped and your tour a lot more enjoyable.
1. Merch
Yes, you want to have enough albums and T-shirts to last the entire tour, but too much merch takes up a ton of space, and can be a pain on your back and your wallet. Brooklyn hip-hop artistRabbi Darkside remembers, “First time out, I brought, like, 300 CDs. My bags totaled something like 55 kg! Paid a price, too, literally. Flew Ryanair from London to Germany and didn’t realize the luggage weight limits were so low. Ending up spending an arm and a leg to get all my bags to our first destination.”
After that experience, and touring with J-Live, he says, “I’ve studied how people pack, kept track of my own sales, and learned to bring a reasonable amount that turns a solid profit margin. I set realistic sales goals for shows, and cap the amount of physical product.” He also notes that certain items sell better in certain areas: “Having vinyl, especially overseas, has been clutch for me since 2013. I try to pack as many double LPs and seven-inches as I can, and I still can’t bring enough.”
Rabbi Darkside adds that Dropcards come in incredibly handy. “A hundred and fifty of them take up as much space as 10 CDs,” he explains, and although Dropcards retail for less, “it more than evens out because their overhead is so low.”
When it comes to merch, if you’re planning on hitting the road in the near future, start paying attention to how much you sell at shows now, and be realistic about how much you’ll need to take on the road with you.
2. Clothes
Just because you’re going to be gone for a month doesn’t mean you need to pack a month’s worth of clothing. Kristen Marie of the metal band Conquer Divide remembers this being an issue for her band, saying, “We brought way too many clothes on the first tour, and I think we’ve definitely learned how to condense down to the essentials. We also had a giant wardrobe closet in the trailer, which was nice, but took up way too much space.”
Phoenix based hip-hop artist Mega Ran starts his tours with as little clothing packed as possible. “I’ve now realized that packing more than two pairs of socks or T-shirts is pointless. A simple stop at Walmart will do fine for socks, and you’ll pick up tees from the bands you play with at the shows.”
Rabbi Darkside seconds this, saying, “Wherever you’re going, and for however long, you only need clothes for a week. Have some dedicated performance pieces and running/exercise gear.”
SpaceLAB Recordings founder Jake Palumbo adds that the one time he packed too much in the way of clothing, “it made my bags heavier and landed me additional baggage fees when it was time to fly back home, not to mention [it was] annoying carrying [it] on the crowded subway when I got back to NYC. If I’d used my noodle, I could have washed my clothes at almost any hotel we stayed at, and saved money and space.”
3. Exercise equipment
While we like to emphasize the importance of staying healthy on the road, there are smart ways of doing it, and there are cumbersome ways of doing it. Thomas Becker of Kansas City rockersBeautiful Bodies remembers one tour experience that exemplified the latter: “I am throwing my singer [Alicia Solombrino] under the bus here, [but] she decided she wanted to stay in shape on tour, so she brought a personal trampoline on tour with us. The thing took up half the trailer and knocked equipment over day after day. In the end, she only used the thing once on the tour. We now have a ‘no trampolines on tour’ rule.”
Anika Pyle, frontwoman of the Brooklyn punk rock band Chumped, adds that if you don’t already have a workout routine, on tour is probably not the time when you’re going to start one. “I bring my running shoes every time in hopes that I might motivate myself to conquer my laziness and go for a run,” she says. “Never gonna happen.”
Adam Bernard is a music industry veteran who has been working in media since 2000. If you live in the NYC area, you’ve probably seen him at a show. He prefers his venues intimate, his whiskey on the rocks, and his baseball played without the DH. Follow him at @adamsworldblog.
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It’s a truism of being in a band that opening for an established act is a sound method to promote your music and get your name out there. When you’re starting out, the chance to open for your musical heroes is a reward in itself; playing on the same bill as a band whose albums you’ve pored over just years before can feel like a dream come true.
But along with the exhilaration that comes with getting the gig, we shouldn’t forget that playing a support slot requires a different approach than headlining the back room of a pub in front of your friends. Here are six ideas about how you can make the most of that short time onstage and maximize the experience of your support slot. Who knows – with a little hard work, the headlining band might ask you to play a few more dates the next time they’re on tour.
1. Get on and off the stage on time
First and foremost, understand this: It isn’t always writing a killer tune that gets you asked to go on tour with an established band. Just as often, it’s getting on and off the stage quickly and efficiently, being courteous and professional to the crew, being friendly and respectful to the headlining band, and sticking around to watch them. No matter how great your set is, if you’re making life stressful for the crew, devouring precious minutes of line-check time, or, heaven forbid, impeding the headliner’s chance to sell merchandise, you’re blowing your chance.
The scenario of the stage manager running around backstage to find the opening band two minutes after they’re due on is common enough, but it’s unacceptable. You won’t get a written warning for this impasse; you simply won’t be asked back. Unless otherwise clearly stated by the headline band’s TM or the promoter, the stage times are not a rough guideline of how they want the night to go. They are strict, absolute orders that denote where your slot is in the running of the night. Follow them.
2. Manage your expectations
No matter what stellar reaction you normally receive when headlining to a familiar crowd, opening for another band’s fans can bring you back down to earth fast. As far as your expectations towards a cold room full of fans of another band, it’s best to have none. Check your ego at the door, and approach the show as an opportunity to understand how your music gets over on its own terms.
Without expecting anything from the audience, you’ll quickly learn to pick up on the fact that just because they aren’t leaping around the mosh pit and cheering your name, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t enjoying your show. And if you do get the room dancing to your tunes and reacting to your every gesture, then you know that you’ve earned it. And if you know you’ve earned it, consider howyou earned it. Understand that, and you’re on your way to being able to make it happen every time.
3. It’s not a competition
If you aren’t a fan of the band you’re opening for, for the duration of that evening, keep it to yourself. Don’t make subtle allusions to it onstage, don’t begrudge a bandd that’s on the road for months at a time a backstage of their own, and don’t discuss them on the internet after the show. Going in with the mentality of “blowing them offstage” is counterproductive; if you manage to impress, it’s with your music, not your contrast to who is headlining.
If you dislike a band to the extent that you can’t bite your lip, then don’t do the gig. But there’s nothing more foolish than the musician who refuses a perfectly good gig because he or she isn’t a fan of the headlining band’s music. A much more efficient use of time would be to take the gig and watch the band from the side of the stage, contemplating what it is that has them over with this capacity crowd to the extent that they’re asking you to open for them and not the other way around.
4. Use your time wisely
For the vast majority of support slots, you’ll have just 30 minutes to seal the deal, so it’s worth planning the set accordingly. Song lengths vary between bands, but I err on the side of caution; it’s better to play seven songs comfortably, perhaps stretching out the last tune, than rush eight. A good rule of thumb is to build to your biggest and best track as song three (meaning people have time to get back from their cigarette or the bar) and end on your next boldest banger.
Time spent talking to the crowd between songs could be time spent playing the music you’re there to perform. Choose a couple of points in the set to speak – after songs three and six, plus during a breakdown in the final song, is ideal. Introduce your band, your latest release, and your merchandise, but keep it short and sweet. And I’ve said it once before, but it bears repeating: don’t keep thanking the headlining band!
5. Be smart about your merch
Before setting up your merchandise at a support slot, it’s worth considering if you require a change of prices and stock. Often, you’ll find that the main band’s team will ask you to price match your T-shirts and CDs to theirs, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be savvy about it. Consider manufacturing some cheaper items: wristbands, sticker sets, and posters. These make great pocket-money purchases for cash-strapped youngsters, advertise your band wonderfully, and make perfect giveaways.
The audience members are potential new converts to your music, so win them over tonight, and they may be fans for life. From the stage, announce that you’ll be at the merch table after your set, and potential fans will be only too happy to head over and chat. Giving away signed CDs and items might mean a little extra financial outlay, but include a flyer and website links with every giveaway, and you’ve got yourself a neat little investment.
6. Network – gently!
One of the most maligned, misunderstood, and frankly groan-inducing concepts surrounding the music industry is “networking.” Forget networking. It’s a pretentious word and a counterproductive term for something essential that should come naturally. Introducing yourself and expressing gratitude to the people you’re working with is not a radical marketing strategy; it’s basic manners.
Networking needn’t involve pushing your way into conversations and handing out embossed business cards or foisting your demo into the hands of the headlining band’s singer with a note quoting their lyrics from a rare B-side. Make the acquaintance of the tour manager, crew, and band, thank them for this opportunity, and explain that you’d like to open for the band again any time they’ll have you. If it feels like your presence is unwanted at that particular moment in time, leave it at that. Simply establishing a face to a name is a solid strategy to ensure that next time they’re considering local openers, you’ll be in the running.
P “Barney” Barnes is a campaign manager and blogger at direct-to-fan platform PledgeMusic.com, drawing on extensive gigging and DIY music business experience with rock/ska/electronic mashup merchants Sonic Boom Six. SB6 has released four studio albums, performed headline tours of Europe, America, and Japan, and have written and performed songs that have appeared on BBC Radio 1, Channel 4, BBC 2 (TV), Rock Band, and Sims 3 video games. Barney takes his coffee strong, black, and often, and would one day like to visit Australia.
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the first Advice column of the week. These posts usually involves lists or input from guest contributors, but today we are offering an editorial about lessons learned while watching on of the greatest living rock bands perform in West Michigan for the very last time. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
I traveled halfway across the country a few weeks back to see a concert I could have very easily witnessed in my home city of Boston. It was the opening night of Motley Crue’s final tour, however, and I could not miss the opportunity to be present for the beginning of the end for one of America’s most iconic and outrageous bands. The show was incredible, spanning more than two hours and featuring songs from across their 33-year career, but it was not a night without fault. In fact, there were so many flaws that many people in the arena started to leave. I learned a lot though, including why so many people respect a band that has prided themselves on debauchery for over three decades.
The night started out with an hour-long set from Alice Cooper that flew by without fault or failure. Cooper stuck to the hits, which worked out just fine considering he has a few dozen to choose from. Fans cheered, chants occurred, but it was all an appetizer to wet attendees’ palettes for the main event.
Shortly after nine at night the light in Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena dropped. A short musical interlude played in the dark and then, accompanied by a burst of light and sound, Motley Crue appeared on the stage. Their first three songs went off without a hitch, and during their runtime the group introduced go-go dancers, pyrotechnics, and a lighting rig meant to resemble a giant pentagram. It was everything you could hope for in a Motley Crue show for almost fifteen solid minutes, but things quickly began to fall apart from there.
Just before the fourth song of the evening began, drummer Tommy Lee commented to Vince Neil that he believed he may have broken his drum kit. Fans laughed at first, but a minute later the band was still waiting for Lee to figure out what was wrong with his kit. Nikki Sixx left the stage a few minutes later, followed by Vince Neil, and the people manning the boards decided to turn on a few of the arena lights. Mick Mars stuck around for a few minutes to entertain the crowd with a guitar solo, but as his efforts neared the five minute mark he too gave up and disappeared back stage. The show had come to a screeching halt less than twenty minutes after it had begun, and the crowd of thousands who had spent the previous two hours drinking themselves into a rock and roll fit were not happy about the delays.
An additional twenty minutes passed before the band was ready to perform again. When they hit the stage, however, things quickly fell back into place and began to go off without a hitch…For about two songs.
Within fifteen minutes of starting the show a second time, guitarist Mick Mars had difficulties with his gear that required immediate, show-stopping attention. The band apologized, claimed everyone was witnessing ‘typical first night problems,’ and spent another ten minutes backstage while a sold out arena sat in silence, waiting to see if the men behind “Girls, Girls, Girls” would ever make it through their set.
The third time the show resumed I could have sworn it was going to be the last time Vince Neil would be forced to apologize for bumbling the last chance the crowd in front of him would have to watch Motley Crue perform. One song into their performance, however, Lee’s kit had a second technical setback. It was not a complete show-stopper, but the news that there would be yet another short delay sent waves of groans and drunken complaints rippling throughout the crowd. After 33 years of rocking crowds to worldwide acclaim it seemed like the members Motley Crue had never even thought to run through their farewell tour stage production before hitting the stage.
Things were so delayed by the time the show resumed a fourth time that the group was forced to shorten their set list to work with a performance curfew enforced by the host city. They did not mention this outright, of course, but instead would stop between each and every song for up to a minute of dead silence while they reset the stage (and themselves) for whatever classic track would follow next. There was no flow or consistency anywhere to be found. Eventually, after all the hits that could fit in a show with more than forty-five minutes of delays had been played, the show came to a close and people filed into the streets with a story to tell.
I’ll be the first to admit that I left Van Andel Arena after the opening night of Motley Crue’s tour ready to throw a fistful of dirt on the band’s grave. Having paid nearly $100 per ticket to witness what could best be described as half a performance I was ready to write off the “Dr. Feelgood” creators once and for all. As things tend to go, however, a few days later I began to see the events of that evening in a whole new light. Hell, I even began to respect Motley Crue for sticking it out the way they did in spite of everything that was going wrong around them, and you want to know why? It’s simple: They gave it their all.
Life is filled with unexpected events, and that goes double for anything you attempt to create and share with others on a large scale. You can practice and plan all you want, but there are some things that happen in this universe that cannot be prevented or otherwise stopped. They can, however, stop you if you are not prepared to take the blows life throws out of the blue.
Motley Crue may not have put on the best show of their lives that night in Grand Rapids, but they did pour everything they had into entertaining fans when the equipment they were working with would allow them do so. Vince Neil belted his lungs out, Tommy pounded the drums, Mick worked the guitar like it was an extension of himself, and Nikki attached a flamethrower to his bass so that he could shoot fireballs into the sky every time the crowded chanted during “Shout At The Devil.” If you could remove all the delays and downtime you would have witnessed a thrilling, albeit surprisingly short headline set from one of the greatest arena rock bands of all time. That may be harder for some to understand than others, but it’s the truth. Motley Crue gave their all and hopefully in time those who left the venue disappointed that night will realize that fact in the days and months to come.
Your band may not have the kind of elaborate stage production Motley Crue is currently taking with them on the road, but that does not mean your live show is without risk of random setbacks. It’s kind of amazing that more shows do not end in disaster. There are almost always people moving around, sweat dripping from ceiling fixtures, wires and equipment scattered across the ground, and a general ‘who gives a crap’ vibe in the air that theoretically could spell disaster at every turn. You can do your best to prepare for the worst, but the truth of the matter is that there will come many days and moments that catch you completely off guard. The best thing you can do is clench your teeth and fight through whatever troubles come your way. Play as well as you can, sing as loud as possible, and don’t walk off the stage until you have given your audience everything you have inside. The show may still be far from perfect, but they will respect your hustle. Sometimes, that means more.
