Learn how to build a responsible and sustainable touring operation while working with labels, service companies, and other partners to manage campaigns and expectations.

Outcome. Run a tour that does not cost you more than it earns, in money or in people, and manage the partners around it.

Sustainability starts with settlement. Settlement is where the deal becomes money: bring your own copy of the agreement, know the ticket count, know the expense figures, and check the arithmetic in front of the person paying you.

Record what actually happened at every show: tickets sold, gross, expenses deducted, merchandise sold, what you were paid. That record is what lets you negotiate the next offer in that market on evidence rather than hope, and a market that has not paid for itself twice is one you stop playing or play differently.

Label services companies and distribution partners can extend reach while you retain control of your music, which is a different arrangement from a traditional label deal and should be compared on its own terms. Whoever the partner is, agree what each side is responsible for and what success looks like before the campaign starts.

The people are part of the operation. Hours, rest, hearing, and what happens when someone is unwell are planned rather than improvised. A crew and a band that are looked after are the reason a tour can happen again next year.

What you will produce

A settlement sheet per show, a tour profit and loss for the whole run, and a written agreement of responsibilities with every partner.