Tips for Becoming a Successful Music Tour Coordinator
- Published: July 28, 2023
- By: Yellowbrick
If you’re passionate about music and love the idea of traveling the world, then a career as a music tour coordinator might be perfect for you. As a music tour coordinator, you’ll be responsible for organizing and managing all aspects of a band’s tour, including transportation, lodging, and performance venues. In this article, we’ll explore some tips for becoming a successful music tour coordinator.
1. Develop Your Organizational Skills
One of the most important skills you’ll need as a music tour coordinator is strong organizational skills. You’ll be responsible for managing multiple aspects of the tour, including booking flights, arranging transportation, and coordinating with venues. Keeping track of all these details requires a high level of organization and attention to detail. Consider using project management tools like Trello or Asana to help you stay on top of all the moving parts.
2. Build Your Network
Networking is crucial in the music industry, and it’s no different for music tour coordinators. Attend industry events and conferences, join professional organizations, and connect with other professionals in the industry. Building relationships with people in the industry can help you stay up to date on industry trends and opportunities.
3. Learn the Technical Skills
As a music tour coordinator, you’ll need to be familiar with a variety of technical skills, such as sound and lighting equipment, transportation logistics, and venue management. Consider taking courses or workshops to learn these skills, or seek out mentors who can teach you what you need to know.
4. Be a Problem Solver
When you’re on tour, unexpected issues are bound to arise. As a music tour coordinator, it’s your job to be a problem solver and find solutions to any issues that arise. This requires quick thinking and the ability to stay calm under pressure.
5. Stay Up to Date on Industry Trends
The music industry is constantly evolving, and it’s important to stay up to date on the latest trends and technologies. Subscribe to music industry publications and newsletters, attend conferences and events, and stay active on social media to stay informed about the latest industry news.
Career and Education
A career as a music tour coordinator can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s important to have the right education and experience. Many music tour coordinators have a background in music business, event management, or hospitality management. Consider pursuing a degree in one of these fields to gain the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this role.
Key Takeaways:
- To become a successful music tour coordinator, you’ll need strong organizational skills, a strong network, technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and a knowledge of industry trends.
- Consider pursuing a degree in music business, event management, or hospitality management to gain the skills and knowledge you need to succeed.
- NYU x Billboard | Music Industry Essentials is an online course and certificate program that can help you gain the skills and knowledge you need to succeed as a music tour coordinator.
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Tour Manager
Career Overview
A Tour Manager manages transportation, scheduling, and the financial aspects of an artist’s time on the road.
Alternate Titles
Road Manager, Concert Tour Manager
Avg. Salary
Salary Range
$46K – $71K 1
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How To Become a Tour Manager
People also ask.
What is the role of a tour manager?
What education is needed to become a tour manager?
Do tour managers make a lot of money?
The job of a Tour Manager is to make sure that life on the road runs smoothly for everyone involved. This means getting the band safely to venues and hotels, managing money coming in and money going out, and dealing with Promoters , Ticket Service Directors and Venue Managers .
Tour Manager David Norman says that his “day consists of moving the artist and the band from city to city. Along with my Travel Agent, Tour Coordinator , Tour Bus Driver , Tour Publicist , booking flights, ground, hotels, etc. Doing day sheets (info on what your day will be like including departure times, showtimes, soundcheck times, travel after the show, etc.)”
Tour Managers also work with Band Directors , Travel Agents, Band Members, Sound and Lighting Techs , Instrument Techs ( Guitar Technicians , etc.), Sound Engineers , Tour Bus Drivers , Tour Coordinators , Production Managers , Tour Accountants, Advance Person , Festival Directors and the Road Crew .
A tour manager is the logistical backbone of an artist’s tour, overseeing all aspects of planning, coordination, and execution to make sure everything runs smoothly. This includes organizing transportation, accommodations, budgeting, negotiations with venues, and schedules for the touring party. And the touring party often includes musicians, crew members, and support staff. Many times, a tour manager will stand in as one of the band members.
On average, Tour Managers earn approximately $54,300 annually. The average salary range for Tour Managers runs from $46,000 to $71,000.
Tour Managers are paid week-by-week, and payment varies based on the tour budget, the length of the tour, the stature of the band, etc. Usually, a Tour Manager gets a base salary, plus expenses (meals, for example), and sometimes a per diem for incidental expenses that come up on the road.
The income of tour managers vary widely depending on things like the size and popularity of the artists they work with, the length and scale of the tour, and their level of experience and expertise. Tour managers, especially those just starting out or managing indie acts, usually make enough to get by. But you should’t expect to get rich by being a tour manager. If you’re up for the responsibility and living life on the road, it can be a rewarding and fulfilling career.
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Tour Managers have a lot of responsibility, and not a lot of days off. Norman says, “I generally work at least 8 – 9 months out of the year. I’m a workaholic and need projects to keep me motivated.”
The best way to advance in this career is to have a handle on several different aspects of touring so that you can work in varying capacities. Norman says that “when I was coming up, my mentor advised me to learn EVERYTHING about touring, so I did. I can tour manage, production manage, [do] tour accounting, Promoter Rep, etc. Learning all of these different things will make your phone ring with more jobs over being just one dimensional.
“For example, this year I was the Tour Manager/Tour Accountant for John Legend (finished in February after 5 ½ years touring with him). Then I filled in as Tour Manager for a one-off date for Aaron Neville and then was Tour Director for the Brit Floyd tour and then Production Manager for Prince.
“In two weeks, I’ll go out as Tour Accountant for Avicii (filling in for a friend) and then I go out with One Direction as Promoter Rep August – October.” Advancement also comes from experience and building connections; most Tour Managers start with smaller, lesser-known bands before hitting the road with Grammy-winning, millionaire Rock Stars .
Like so many music industry careers, networking and word-of-mouth recommendations are the best way to get a job as a Tour Manager. Many Tour Managers start off by working with a friend’s band or in another music industry career.
UK-based Tour Manager Bob Slayer says, “There are so many ways to get into a career in music but like any creative field most of them involve working for next to nothing for quite a while, this is because a lot of people want to follow this path, so if you won’t work for nothing there are plenty of other people who will and they will get the breaks.
“If you have some aptitude for what you do then there comes a time where the experience and knowledge you have picked up working endless free or low paid hours begin to make you a scarcer, more valuable commodity.
“Back in 2002/2003, I was trying to get into music journalism. I was reviewing bands for a bunch of fanzines and just starting to get the odd bit of work from magazines. I interviewed a band by email – Electric Eel Shock, a Japanese band who were touring America at the time.
One of the questions I asked them was “Do you have any plans to come to the UK?” and this was the only one they answered! ‘You get gig; we come.’ And so I did.
“A few weeks later they came and stopped on my floor and did a few gigs around London. They blew a few people away and were asked to support a couple of larger bands.
The band then, impressed with what I had set up, invited me to go back to [the] USA with them and to SXSW. There I set up an interview with MTV for them and managed to get the head Booker from Roskilde Festival in Denmark to come see them live.
“She immediately booked them to headline a stage… This sealed it and they asked me to be their Manager . This I did for the next 6 years solid as well as tour managing and also acting as Agent in some territories.
I still work with them and just set up a European tour with them. Working and touring with Electric Eel Shock led to working with a number of other artists such as The Bloodhound Gang, Public Enemy, MC Devvo, etc.”
- Start at the bottom. Get experience in different facets of the live music industry.
- Network. Get the word out that you’re available to work as a Tour Manager.
- Be willing to work for free or very little.
- Brush up your budgeting skills.
- Stay responsible and don’t get sucked into partying! You’re the one who needs to see that everyone gets to the next location safely and on time.
Norman, like many Tour Managers, started off as a musician himself. This experience gave him an understanding of what tour life was like, and what band members would need from their Tour Manager. He also has experience as a recording studio Sound Engineer and Mixer.
After working with the S.O.S. Band on an album, they asked him to come along on tour with them as a Front-of-House Engineer and Tour Manager. In general, Tour Managers have experience in one or more music industry careers before heading out with a band. Skill-wise, they must be able to handle finances, stay on schedule and handle all kinds of people with varying temperaments.
Working as Tour Manager isn’t for everybody. Norman says this is a good career for “someone who’s patient, is proactive instead of reactive and is a forward-thinker and can multitask!”
”Learn everything you can,” Norman says. “Read everything you can and above all, find a mentor to help guide you. College would be great to learn people and life skills.” Although higher education isn’t a requirement, an understanding of finance and budgeting is.
You don’t necessarily need a formal education, but a degree in music business or a related field can help. The more important thing is getting experience, being passionate about the artists and tours you manage. It can help to first go on tours as a different member of the tour crew, like the road crew, merch crew, or just general support crew.
There are no unions for Tour Managers, although UK-based Tour Manager Bob Slayer recommends the Music Managers Forum for those interested in artist management.
This site has some useful insight into the business of being a Tour Manager .
What skills do you need to be a Tour Manager?
To be successful, Tour Managers need skills in time management, interpersonal communication, budgeting and finance. They must be able to solve issues on the fly, deal with all kinds of people, and ensure everyone’s having a good time.
Most Tour Managers know the music industry inside-and-out, having worked in some other capacity before getting into tour management. It can be helpful to have an understanding of live concert sound, performance gear, and musical instruments.
What education do you need to be a Tour Manager?
Majoring in Music Business or Music Industry Studies as an undergraduate can be helpful for aspiring Tour Managers. However, many Tour Managers get all the education they need through working in various music industry roles such as live sound, venue management, and performance. These positions help them get to know what life on the road is like.
What they haven’t already learned, they learn on the road.
Who goes on tour with an artist?
Touring is big business and therefore all kinds of people go on tour along with an artist. Some people you might find on the tour bus include the Tour Manager, Production Manager , Roadies / Stagehands , Tour Bus Driver , Guitar Tech , Lighting Tech , Background Singers , musicians, and the people selling shirts, tote bags, and other memorabilia at the merch tent.
What is the single biggest suggestion you would give to someone wanting to get into this career?
Bob Slayer says, “Get whatever experience under your belt. Bands always need to get to gigs, if you want to make yourself indispensable, buy yourself a van and offer yourself for free, or for expenses, or cheaply to bands. Maybe you don’t always want to tour but it will give you an insight into the goings-on of bands and you should be able to go from there into other areas.
“One fan of Electric Eel Shock used to come to all their gigs and so when I couldn’t tour manage them for a while I asked him if, in return for us taking him to the gigs, he would do some production. He said yes and became their Tour Manager for a while. Another fan got Electric Eel Shock a feature in his local newspaper.
“I encouraged him to do some more and he got us features in several other local newspapers on the tour. I introduced him to other bands he could also help out and within a year he packed in his job and started a PR company.”
What’s the #1 mistake people make when trying to get into this career?
Slayer: “Being a dick!”
Norman: “Thinking that it’s all glamorous and so easy. It’s definitely NOT. Also, people who think they know it all. I learn stuff each and every day from people who know less than me, to people who have much more knowledge and wisdom than myself.”
What is the question people should ask about this career but rarely do?
Slayer: “What the feck am I doing?”
Norman: “Do you think this would be right for me based on my personality?”
What is one thing I should have asked which I didn’t?
Norman: “I’ll have to think on that one. GREAT QUESTION!”
If you could describe in one word what makes you successful, what would it be?
Slayer: ‘I am far from successful—but I am happy!”
Norman: “Diligence.”
Extra Credit: The Beatles or Rolling Stones?
Slayer: “There was a time when this was a polarizing question. You were in one camp or the other. There have been many other this band vs. that band. But I think it is hard to say anything other than both.”
Norman: “Beatles. The Rolling Stones are SOOOOOOO overrated.”
David Norman & Bob Slayer
David Norman is a veteran Tour Manager who has worked as a musician, Recording Engineer and Mixer, Tour Accountant, and Production Manager. From 2008-2014 he worked as the Tour Manager/Tour Accountant for John Legend and recently worked with Prince on his European/UK tour. Norman has worked with stars like Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Toni Braxton, Arcade Fire, Joss Stone, Alicia Keys, Green Day, and They Might Be Giants.
He has been profiled on Roadies of Color United , FOH Online , and Billboard .
Bob Slayer is a Tour Manager in the UK, where he has worked with Snoop Dogg, Electric Eel Shock, Iggy & the Stooges, Public Enemy, The Bloodhound Gang, and the Magic Numbers. In addition to his work with live music, he also now works with Comedians. He has appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every year since 2008 and is himself an award-winning Comedian.
- 1 . "Tour Manager Salaries" . Glassdoor.com. published: Dec 22, 2019. retrieved on: Nov 7, 2019