Planning tour

by

Fynn Clements 24100883

With organising a tour I will be depicting a UK tour as this I feel for a smaller band such as the DMT(Dan Murphy Trio) is the best way to either break even or make a profit. The most important part of the tour is organising venues and having a tour route planned, this ensures the most efficient travel plan between shows as to not be spending surplus on unnecessary travel/expenses. For the types of venues we will be playing at the ideal venues will hold around 200-450 capacity. This is being realistic for the profile of the band and with any promo material gained from the tour if any of the venues sell out or are close to their max capacity it appeals more to audiences and any promoters who we wish to work with in the future.

The venue plan consists of a division of each location and venue. Making our way down from Scotland down to Wales playing at each venue 2 nights in a row. This is the usual layout I see when it comes to national gigs for bands as this gives more of an opportunity for people to come along and support however there is the risk of playing in lower density areas than one night could fill but the next be empty however in the higher density areas such as London this has higher chances of bringing in local and regular supports of the venues.

Taking examples of an array of bands tour schedules differ. Here are some examples. Each includes enough time for travel between locations and also rest days to promote the best performance.

Earnings of each show: the fee

  • Glasgow – King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Slouch: Live Music Kitchen & Late Night Venue
  • Edinburgh – The Jazz Bar
  • Middlesbrough – Blues At The Bay, Hit The Bar
  • Scarborough – The Merchant Irish Bar, The Cask Inn
  • York – The Crescent Community Venue
  • Leeds – Howard assembly, Brudenell Social Club, Domino Club
  • Sheffield – Crookes Social Club, Yellow Arch Studios
  • Nottingham – The Pelican Club
  • Cambridge – The Junction, The Six Six Bar, The Portland Arms
  • Chelmsford – Hot Box, Bassment
  • London – Piano Smithfield, Bedford Arms, The World’s End (stout green rd)
  • Birmingham –
  • Newcastle – The Globe, The Black Swan
  • Manchester –
  • Paris – 38Riv Jazz Club, Le Bal Blomet

Organising transport is one of the next steps for the tour and what gear will be required on the gig. Two of the three members of the band drive and have cars. With one of the members partners also being well versed in tech and sound engineering means we won’t have to pay for in-house crew. This means 2 people per car with the addition of gear plus clothes & accessories. The only potential holdback is kit, some venues supply it but others will require us to travel with our own and set up but all venues come with a sound system and desk which I can provide meaning there is no cost of hiring out gear.

Looking at accommodation throughout the duration of the tour a recommended method is through Airbnb’s and motels which are reasonably cheap for when on tour and can be a better way to bring gear in and prevent any altercations and extra precautions against loss or theft. Looking at pricing the average room cost per night comes to £59-120 depending on the location and area, the vast majority are connected to or near a parking area and almost all of the locations are located within walking distance of the venue or a short drive for getting gear there.

Touring logistics national

Tech spec

  • 3 monitors
  • bass cab
  • x3 xlr
  • drum mat

Journey:

For transport between locations we will be travelling in 2 vehicles both registered after 2005 meaning they will be compliant with ULEZ zones will be used as the mode of transport.

Alternative:

Van hire

Poland Tour (International)

  • City Monk – Gdańsk
  • Teatr Boto – Sopot
  • Blues club – Gdynia
  • Blue Note – Poznań
  • 2progi – Poznań
  • Spatif – Warszawa
  • U Muniaka – Kraków
  • Harris piano bar – Kraków
  • Klub pod jaszczurami – Kraków

Journey routing via hired vehicle:

Touring logistics international

Tech spec:

  • 3 monitors
  • bass cab
  • 2 extension cables (bass | guitar)
  • 3 xlrs (bass di, guitar di)

Channel list | Chnl 1 – Vox | Chnl 2 – Guitar amp | Chnl 3 – guitar DI | Chnl 4 – Bass amp | Chnl 5 – Bass DI | Chnl 6 – Snare | Chnl 7 – Kick | Chnl 8 – Hats |

We will be taking a small amount of merch around the UK with us as this is much more cost effective as it does mean we need to write a carney and the sales can be directed to supporting us when doing the dates in Poland and France.

With doing the international dates this we will be looking at a more minimal setup than the UK dates. Stripping gear down we will only be taking with us

  • Essentials (clothes, hygene products, gig wear & day wear)
  • Instruments (Bass/Guitar/Cymbals/Snare)
  • Accessories (Bass headamp, x2 Pedal Board)

Venue wise we will be using the backlines provided or sourced locally: bass cab, guitar amp & drums.

Entering the country we would be either looking at flying into Gdansk or Krakow but this may change with venue availability

With the route travelled by car involves tolls as shown by the google maps routing. Where as travelled via public transport.

Appendices/sources

  • Flights pricing and locations

Merchandise:

CD’s will be main source of merchandise when on the road. Travelling around the UK with these will not require a carney whereas when travelling to Poland.

This means that they must adhere to the EU standards. I will require a full customs export declaration for the gear when we travel as the equipment will exceed the £2,500 value

An EORI will be assigned to each item to be required for this and will be added to a backup up carney of all the equipment being taken as well as the merchandise.

The thing to be aware of is that exporting out of the UK merchandise

Problem solving and support systems:

Cancelations, illness, personal wellbeing and health issues.

Some factors which have to be kept in mind as if any of these events occur during the duration of the tour then this will negatively affect the profit of the shows. To be prepared things that can be considered such as an emergency pot of money to cover any small losses/ repairs for the UK leg of the tour and to be prepared for any forgotten and stolen items.

A potential is a loss of family members or close friends which will directly impact a musician and can result in an immediate return prolonging dates or cancelling the rest of the tour especially if abroad. Like what happened to the keys player for one of the first Sungazer tours where his flat had flooded and all his equipment and home was damaged or destroyed.

Travel insurance

For the tour I am planning it will be under the limit of 62 days which mandated short stay travel insurance.

For jazz playing in locations within specific music venue chains like blue note will push promotion due to the following through socials.

PR stunts when on tour can be involving guest players/icons, this can help the promotion reach a broader community, engaging those connection to the specific guests. Examples of this would be Sungazer bringing on Charles Cornell or a more local example would be Fight The Giant bringing on Jim Correy, Nik Svarc and . Publicity will be improved through these collaborations especially for newer/less known artists.