Tour Schedule/Planner
Tour Schedule/Planner Commentary
The commentary in this essay will delve into a designed tour plan for the up-and-coming indie/alternative London-based band, Shut Up Sally. This tour will promote their upcoming music and singles such as “Lady” and “Everybody Knows”, set for release in June and August 2026. The tour consists of an 8-day England and Ireland run, which will bring attention to the band as they have yet to gain a mainstream audience, allowing them to achieve a strong debut within the UK.
The venues selected are of a low to mid-capacity level (120–500), allowing the artists to sell out shows throughout the entirety of the tour. Additionally, this creates an intimate setting without the need for a supporting act at every stage. The largest venue the band will play is Band on the Wall, Manchester. They will have support from a duo called Zoë’s Brothers, an alternative indie band based in Manchester, which will help drive ticket sales and diversify the audience. This ensures the sales for this specific venue can be kept at a consistent percentage in relation to the rest of the tour, “diversification is (a) proactive (way) to generate a neighborhood” (Live Music Blog, 2026).
The rest of the venues were selected based on cost of hire and their ability to sell out. Places such as The Engine Rooms in London and Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds have previously been sold out by the band. Birmingham’s Sunflower Lounge usually hosts bands similar to them and has a strong turnaround in sales (Appendix A). Similarly, The Sound House in Dublin is a relatively large venue that maintains its focus on smaller artists and bands (Appendix B).
The route of the tour is designed to be the most practical, minimising time in the van and allowing for breaks in between shows. Data collected by Tour Health Research shows that touring and overworked musicians “demonstrated elevated levels of suicidality, risk for clinical depression, stress, anxiety and burnout” (Newman et al., 2022). Because of statistics such as this, the schedule consists of two rest days every other show. While these are partially also travel days, there is a maximum of 5 hours on route, allowing breaks every 2–3 hours. This reduces the stress of being confined to a van for prolonged periods of time. The free days also allow the artists to decompress throughout the day and reset for the performance the next day.
The route also allows for a practical use of fuel by not having any backtracking until the end of the tour, ending in Dublin and returning to London. This allows for an estimate of 840 miles instead of exceeding the 1000-mile mark, saving money and reducing overall expenses (Appendix 1).
These locations were carefully selected to ensure there is an audience for their niche and genre of music. Places such as London, Manchester and Leeds have a large audience for indie music and a number of popular music venues that allow smaller artists to perform (ICMP, 2025). Shut Up Sally has also performed and headlined in multiple venues within London and Leeds, selling out shows in the process. By choosing places such as these, it allows for a guarantee in ticket sales, at a low estimate of 50%.
For transportation, the band, with resources provided by a family member, has a van and a licensed driver that is able to work for the entirety of the tour. The van is a Ford Transit Custom (Appendix 2), has an approximate capacity of 15.1 cu.m and 6 seats. This provides the perfect form of transportation and space within the van to load all gear and equipment. A ferry is taken from Holyhead to Dublin (and return), allowing the crossing of the van and equipment (Appendix C).
An ATA carnet is also required for the crossing between England and Ireland when transporting merchandise or professional use material (HMRC, 2024). A detailed list is required of all gear (Appendix 3) and goods that could be considered professional equipment.
Accommodation was also settled for three of the locations, excluding London, where the band is able to go home for the night after the show, and Leeds, where three of the band members reside for university, allowing accommodation for all tour members. All of these were chosen based on quality, with no less than a 6.5 rating, and cost efficiency. While most of these were able to fit under the £100 budget, the Dublin location was the most expensive, as the stay is for 2 days instead of one (Appendix D).
Promotion and Merchandise
The promotion strategies for this tour are centred around two main ideas: practicality and niche. Practicality refers to the use of effective techniques, both technological and traditional, to catch the attention of the audience quickly. The best way of doing this is through digital ticketing sites. Websites such as Fatsoma allow for a free platform where audiences are able to find your event and pay the ticket price, plus an additional booking fee. This booking fee allows artists to take 100% of their original ticket pricing without having to pay a percentage from their budget.
According to a statistic by ZipDo, “In 2023, 38% of global concert tickets were purchased via mobile devices, with 15% using QR codes for entry, according to Ticketmaster’s annual report” (2026). A form of promotion that will be used for this tour is printed posters. These will have an attached QR code to provide a simple scanning system where anyone who owns a phone is able to book a ticket at any point. This also reduces the risk of not finding the event online and spreads awareness to people outside the expected audience. “Touching and feeling marketing is so much more engaging,” said CEO of ATM Catalog Management Services, Amy Hester Thomson, in her book (Thomson, 2020). These will be hung up around London, Manchester and Leeds, locations that the band has easy access to and that require additional local marketing. See Appendix 4 for a sample of the poster. The cost of these is cheaper the more that are ordered, allowing for 60 posters at a cost of £37.81 (Appendix E).
Niche is a “particular genre or style of music that appeals to a specific group or audience” (Music Gateway, 2026). By appealing to a niche audience, you are not only able to centre your marketing and promotion around people who are truly invested, but it also allows the growth of a fan base. By creating social media posts on Instagram and TikTok, there is a way of connecting with people who have yet to find this band but are interested in indie music, girl-led bands and the alternative genre. Paid ads on social media are adjustable to your budget and can reach upwards of two thousand profile or link views, and even more impressions overall (Appendix F and G).
“Band merch split gave artists 60-70% of $3.9B global sales 2023” (ZipDo, 2026). Merch sales are a primary form of income for artists. While it can seem like a risky expense, with the possibility of not selling the stock entirely, it has been considered a simple way for artists to make direct profits. The venues selected do not take any percentage or fee to sell merch, and some even provide vendors with the payment of the venue hire. While merch can be limited to t-shirts and clothing, everyday objects with the band name also serve as a small form of promotion. Tote bags and t-shirts are included in the final merchandise budget (Cash Flow Spreadsheet, Page 4).
These forms of promotion not only allow for growth in ticket sales but also support the artists’ music release, creating engagement with the band ahead of the tour.
Cash Flow
Financial Commentary
Financially, an independent tour has to be very well analysed and thoroughly planned to ensure profit and success. Any additional information can be found in the Primary Research section.
The cash flow was projected at 80% and 20% sales to compare the success based on ticket and merchandise income. As seen in the final profit, the tour at 80% projections is successful with a sum of £9,599.74. On the other hand, the 20% projections show a profit of -£3,127.26, making the tour unsuccessful as not enough tickets or merchandise were sold.
The venue hire was calculated based on information sent by venue managers and venue packs provided online. While some may not be exact, as some do not specify additional costs, it gives a broad estimate of what can be expected. PRS is accounted as a licence fee of 4.2% of box office revenue or subject to a minimum charge of £16 (Musicians’ Union, 2023).
Fuel was calculated at £0.26 per mile (Appendix 5), allowing for a conservative consideration of the costs. This budgeted consideration accounts for unexpected fuel use, as no additional money is spent on it. If additional money is not used on fuel, it would be recoverable.
Equipment purchase is accounted at £110 for additional cables, mic stands or any gear that may need to be replaced on tour. Similar to fuel and the contingency fund, this is recoupable. This is accounted for based on the fact that hire of gear or the purchase of multiple microphones, cables and additional equipment is approximately that sum (Hire Tablets UK, 2026).
The insurance cover was calculated to be around £100.00. This includes public liability insurance, employer’s liability insurance, equipment (gear) insurance, travel insurance and other additions (Appendix 6).
Tickets and merchandise are sold as forms of income. Tickets are sold at £16 for each event. This price correlates with the cost of many small touring artists around the UK and USA (Bella Kay and Annabelle Dinda, Appendix H). This price also allows for a break-even profit for each date based on the hire fee of each venue (Cash Flow Spreadsheet, Page 3).
The merchandise consists of 72 T-shirts with the Shut Up Sally poster on the back, and 100 tote bags with the band logo. With each shirt being sold at a total of £25 and each tote bag at £15, the total gross income from merchandise alone is £2,584.80 for 172 units of stock (Cash Flow Spreadsheet, Page 4).
Technical & Logistics
Stage Plot
Channel List
Projections
As a tour manager, it is important to prepare for the unpredictable. Many pitfalls can occur and create chaos for the artists, crew and even audience. By creating a contingency plan, these sudden changes can be prepared for.
Roadblocks / Route Change
While this may seem relatively small, it could create issues with load-in and soundcheck schedules. To prevent this, the route should be checked by the tour manager the night before the van goes to the venue. This is essential for day travel directly to a venue or when the van needs to board the ferry.
Theft / Loss of Gear
If gear is stolen or lost, it should be fully insured, preventing additional financial loss. To prevent this, the van should be parked in a safe parking lot and have tinted windows. These prevent people from looking inside for equipment. Additionally, the driver must have the keys on their person at all times to ensure the van is securely parked and is not stolen overnight.
Additional Money
If, for any reason, the budget has been underestimated and not enough has been accounted for, all spending should be documented for post-tour finances. The contingency fund should always be used before utilising additional money. Ticket prices can be increased at the door to generate additional profit, or if near the end of the tour, unused fuel money can be redirected to cover any costs. If not enough money is available before the tour, sponsorship or grants could be sought to fund certain parts of the tour.
Bibliography
Amy Hester Thomson (2020) Artist management & marketing: A beginner’s guide. Available at: https://myobschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Artist-Management-Marketing.pdf
(Accessed: 30 April 2026).
Hire Tablets UK (2026) How much does it cost to rent sound equipment in the UK? Available at: https://hiretablets.co.uk/how-much-does-it-cost-to-rent-sound-equipment-in-the-uk/
(Accessed: 30 April 2026).
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) (2024) Apply for an ATA Carnet. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-ata-carnet
(Accessed: 30 April 2026).
Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP) (2025) Top indie music venues. Published: 20 January 2025. Available at: https://www.icmp.ac.uk/blog/top-indie-music-venues
(Accessed: 30 April 2026).
Live Music Blog (2026) How live music venues diversify entertainment to attract new audiences. Available at: https://livemusicblog.com/how-live-music-venues-diversify-entertainment-to-attract-new-audiences/
(Accessed: 30 April 2026).
Music Gateway (2026) How do I find my niche? Published: 23 February 2026. Available at: https://www.musicgateway.com/blog/music-news/how-do-i-find-my-niche
(Accessed: 30 April 2026).
Musicians’ Union (2023) How to report live performances to PRS for Music. Available at: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/working-performing/gigs-and-live-performances/how-to-report-live-performances-to-prs-for-music
(Accessed: 30 April 2026).
Newman, C. et al. (2022) ‘Mental health issues among international touring professionals in the music industry’, Journal of Psychiatric Research, 145, pp. 243–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.12.031
ZipDo (2026) Live music concerts industry statistics. Published: 27 February 2026. Available at: https://zipdo.co/live-music-concerts-industry-statistics/
(Accessed: 30 April 2026).
ZipDo (2026) Live music industry statistics. Published: 27 February 2026. Available at: https://zipdo.co/live-music-industry-statistics/
(Accessed: 30 April 2026).
Supporting Documents
I acknowledge the use of AI (ChatGPT) to provide estimated figures for insurance cover on my planned tour (Appendix 5) and to
calculate fuel costs (Appendix 6).
Appendices
Appendix 1 – Tour Route
Appendix 2 – Ford Transit Custom Van
Appendix 3 – Gear List
Appendix 4 – Poster Sample
Appendix 5 – Fuel Calculations (ChatGPT)
Appendix 6 – Liability and Insurance (ChatGPT)
Appendices
Appendix A- The Sunflower Lounge Events
Appendix B – The Sound House Events
Appendix C – Poster Sample
Appendix D – Accommodations
Appendix E – Poster Deal Cost
Appendix F – TikTok Promotion Cost
Appendix G – Instagram Promotion Cost
Appendix H – Cross-Reference Artist Ticket Prices
