When Chicago Band Concert Tour?
Major Concert Tour Promotion for a Chicago-Based Band
It is therefore important to note that organizing a big concert tour that involves several cities is a complex process that takes a lot of planning and organization. The idea of such a tour is exciting, but it should be planned for a band that wants to increase its popularity and visibility beyond the local level in Chicago.
Right Time: Scheduling is a critical element when it comes to planning a big concert tour. The band should have enough songs, a fan base, equipment, and recognition in each of the markets to attract an adequate audience and support a tour. This normally means that a band needs to have at least one successful album in their discography, plus several years of constant performances at local and regional levels before they can fill large venues across the country.
The band and its management team must look at streaming numbers, social media interaction, ticket sales from recent gigs, and press coverage to ascertain whether the fan base is at the stage where such a tour could be a success or if more local touring is required first. If the timing is not well-fitted, it is advisable to avoid a major tour for another one or two years. Slamming into it with an untested live draw might be financially catastrophic in the long run.
Booking the Venues When the band feels the time is ripe to go for a national tour, it is the concert promoter and booking agent who starts the process of getting the right venues in each of the markets. The actual theaters with 1,000 seats, 2,000 seats, and up to 10,000 seats are chosen according to the band’s current popularity and its ability to attract an audience in a particular metro area. This indicates whether they can occupy large halls or they still require mid-level halls. The right-sized venues need to be sought for effective tour promotion.
The fact that so many venues need to be scheduled all over the country for one full touring route is a huge task and requires planning for many months. This is especially the case with highly frequented venues as these are often booked up quickly. Every trip from routing to equipment transportation and accommodation depends on the venues obtained in each market.
Lining Up Opening Acts Main bands that are promoted often come with at least one supporting musician or band for each concert during the tour. The openers can be relatively unknown artists who are interested in getting more attention and reaching out to more fans. Concert promoters and bands then engage themselves in the process of identifying the right opening artists that will suit the type of music.
Every band that is to open for the entire tour across the country has to be booked a long time before the tour commences. Normally, the headliner’s management will come to an agreement with the openers regarding their fee and contract. Selecting the right opening band – one that ensures that the audience is well-prepared for the main act – is another factor in planning a successful tour.
Tour Routing Logistics Coordinating the routing and schedule for a cross-country tour that spans several months and involves multiple locations and guest performers is rather complicated from a logistical point of view. The tour manager then works out the most efficient way of traveling from one city to another which will involve as few miles on the road as possible but will also have to stick to the planned dates of the tour for each market.
The scheduling process also ensures that several related programs are grouped into some geographical areas to facilitate a series of concerts within successive nights rather than nightly cross-country traveling. This enables the band and crew to avoid many hours on the bus or van while at the same time allowing for productivity. Optimal planning will bring about some cost-cutting and curtail the effects of weariness over the rigor of an all-embracing cross-country trip.
Planning this puzzle tour by tour requires a lot of experience and work to be done effectively as well as within the set budget. In essence, the tour manager is in charge of all matters concerning travel and time management for the entire touring entourage of the band, their technical crew, road crew, equipment movers, and so on.
Promoting the Tour After a tour is sold and the dates have been set, the concert promoter and band engage in an extensive advertising campaign to sell the tour. This includes press releases to music and entertainment media outlets, the announcement of the details, and tour dates. Tickets are available months before the show begins, and those who want to attend can join the fan club or the mailing list to have a chance to buy tickets first.
The intense advertising campaign with radio commercials, newspaper ads, television commercials in some markets, Web ads, a campaign on social networks, and media stories that help to increase interest in the tour are launched about six to eight weeks before the first concert which is the kick-off concert. The band is usually involved in interviews to create demand for upcoming shows. They also engage in local advertising and promotions for their services and products.
A continuous publicity campaign before the first show and as the tour goes on is vital to ensure each venue sells the required number of tickets. Even if the band has performed a concert every day and has spent all their time traveling, they still have to dedicate time to promotion on the path they have chosen.
Managing Money Matters What about the expense – how does a band deal with expenses, get the money for a tour, and possibly make money on it from a cross-country tour? It is a very high-risk business that calls for massive initial investment and capital.
Many bands incorporate as soon as possible, usually as an LLC or corporation, so that all band money and any business-related issues go through this single legal organization. As the band prepares for a large tour, they review the operating agreement and ownership of the band before getting into a significant amount of debt.
The band consults a music business lawyer and an entertainment accountant to advise on financial matters such as planning, accounting, taxes, insurance, and risk assessment of engaging in an expensive venture. Unfortunately, most tours are not profitable in the early periods of the band’s efforts to gain a fan base. However, the long-term strategy often remains to generate enough revenues from ticket sales, merchandise, licensing fees, and all related sources.
Acquiring funding for the tour from lenders, investors, record labels and other backers ensures that production costs, equipment t, a lodging among other expenses are catered for before ticket sales come in. These loans are repaid gradually once the shows’ gross ticket receipts begin trickling in from the early datesofn a tour.
Proper financial planning and spending remain important throughout the entire tour period. The band and its advisers also establish contracts for rates and payments with all the vendors and contractors involved in the concerts in each market. Economy and prudent measures should be employed to ensure one does not get home with an empty wallet.
Executing a Smooth Tour Last but not least, when the long-awaited kickoff show is finally here, it is time to go! The band and crew begin tiring from the everyday basic travel, loading and unloading equipment, and possibly performing an impeccable show, sleeping for some time and then the process is repeated.
Even when a competent plan has been developed, there are always emergent incidents – a piece of equipment malfunctions, a worker becomes ill, or there is inclement weather. The tour manager is in charge of all mishaps in this business to ensure the tour train keeps on chugging down the tracks. Some problems demand immediate intervention mostly through innovative solutions.
The main objective is to perform before fans every night. Even when the band members are tired or sick, they have to make sure their music and performance are the best they can be every timetheye tour. It is the fans who should get the best of performances from their favorite stars.
It takes two to three months to tour across North America, the final scene of the tour takes place in Chicago where the band is originally from. This intense life chapter hopefully takes their success to the next level with all the new fans and growth during the months on the road. They enjoy some well-deserved break before preparing for the next album and tour sometime from now.
