As an independent artist…
It's tough to book shows
You want to play more shows, right? That means dealing with promoters, which can be downright painful.
You (almost) never get paid
If you're sick of playing without getting paid (or worse, paying to play), it's time for change.
The details stress you out
Touring is stressful for anyone. Especially as an independent artist, where all the responsibility is on you.
Hiring a tour manager is $$$
A tour manager makes your life easier, but they cost a LOT of money. Salary, hotel, food, etc. add up fast.
That can all change… Imagine this:
You book more shows
With a few actionable steps you can increase your chances of getting booked at amazing venues to play to bigger and better crowds!
You actually get paid
By harnessing the power of shows you played previously, you can prove yourself worthy to promoters and get paid for your appearances!
You reduce your stress level
With proper preparation, you can reduce your stress level, resulting in more fun, better shows, and faster growth in your fanbase!
Save money by self TMing
Instead of spending $200+ per day on a pro tour manager, you can learn to tour manage yourself and quickly make an unprofitable tour break even (or better)!
What's included?
Road Ready contains 42 videos spanning more than 200 minutes… And that doesn't include the bonus videos!
Regularly held group coaching calls allow you to ask questions and get a live, human answer
In addition to showing you what's needed to run a lean, mean, touring machine, I'll also give you templates for a tour budget, offer sheet, settlement sheet, rider, and more!
What does the course cover?
Planning
This is an easy one – the first section helps you get acquainted with the course platform.
To fully understand what it means to be a good tour manager – and to tour manage yourself effectively – it's important to start with the basics. This includes what makes a good tour manager and the artist and venue team members you may deal with on the road.
Chances are you don't love spreadsheets and crunching numbers… Right?
Not many people do, but in Road Ready we break it down into manageable chunks and give you an easy way to have the numbers done for you!
Doing
Dealing with flaky or sketchy venues and promoters is never fun. Artists need to protect themselves every step of the way, which starts with proper research and ends with a booked show with a signed contract.
Once the shows are booked, the real work starts – promotion, creating and sending stage plots and riders, and planning your day to day schedule.
On a daily basis, people will be pulling you in every direction. It's up to you, as the tour manager, to keep everyone on track and make sure the day runs smoothly. That includes getting paid at the end of the show!
Every tour is a learning opportunity. By harnessing the right data, you can make sure that each time you do a tour, it's better than the last one.
Want to learn about all the best tools to use to help your band both on and off the road? That's what the bonus section covers!
Why listen to me?
You have questions. Road Ready has answers.
I've been in the music industry for over a decade, doing pretty much everything there is to do: live sound engineer, tour manager, driver, merch manager, production manager, etc. You name it.
I even spent three summers on the Vans Warped Tour alongside some of the biggest names in rock.
These days, I focus on helping bands and artists build their careers using my years of experience and knowledge.
My goal with Road Ready is to help you plan and execute tours that will get you where you want to go.
You might have questions about Road Ready… Here are common questions and answers
I designed the course for business-savvy independent artists who are ready to tour effectively and efficiently to get the best results possible!
While touring isn't cheap, it's a necessary investment into your band. Factoring in hotels, food, fuel, etc. a well-planned DIY tour typically costs $300-$350 per day for a 4 piece DIY band. A tour that isn't well-planned (a tour that isn't Road Ready can easily cost 2-3 times that.
If you rough it by crashing on floors and paying for your own food out of pocket, you can reduce that to $100-$150 per day, but I don't recommend it – if you're well fed and well rested, you'll play a better show and convert more of the audience into fans!
This is going to sound harsh, but find new bandmates. If you and your band don't have goals that are closely aligned, your band won't make it. And if you want a music career, touring is essential to your longevity.
Frankly, if you have the budget, you should. The reality is, a dedicated tour manager will be more focused on a smooth tour than anyone in the band.
That said, hiring a tour manager adds extra costs: payment ($100/day and up), hotel rooms each night ($80+ depending on the area), food ($20/day minimum), and of course means one more person in the van. Unless you can honestly afford an extra $1400 per week for every tour you do, it's much more cost-effective to purchase Road Ready and learn how to tour manage yourself.
This depends entirely on who you are and your brand/demographic match. One thing that always works though is getting people excited enough about the show that they tell their friends!
Road Ready is a self paced course that includes live coaching calls in a group setting for one year after purchase. As you go through the course, if you have questions or need advice, all you have to do is ask!
Aside from hours of video content, you also get access to regularly scheduled coaching calls for the first year you're in the course. As part of the coaching calls, you can ask any questions about booking, touring, shows, production, etc. that come to mind!
Last, but not least, you'll get the Bandhive Tour Sheet (a Google Sheets-based tour management app), settlement sheets, offer sheets, our Master Show Log, and more!
I'm sure you'll love the course, but if for any reason you don't, just let me know within 30 days of purchase. Road Ready has a hassle free refund policy – all we ask is for your feedback so we can improve in future iterations of the course!
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