Found Around: When Is Your Band Tour-Ready?
Written by Aidan Rush Posted in: Found Around on April 14, 2011
There's no question that touring with your band could be one of best experiences of your life. However, it's important to remember that good things come to those who wait -- not every band is ready to hit the road just because they played a killer local show. As the guys over at tourbinder explain in the post below, there's a series of questions your band needs to answer before pounding pavement to make sure it's the right time for such an endeavor. Remember, tours can just as easily be one of the worst experiences of your life if not approached intelligently!
-Aidan
(Tourbinder) THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PLANNING YOUR TOUR – PART 1
Credit: Tourbinder
“Touring that is not strategically planned can be an exercise in futility” 1
Playing live is by far the best way to connect with your fans on a personal level. It’s the age-old way to gain lasting fans, and can be the most rewarding part of being in a band. Once you’ve found a bit of success playing live at your local clubs, it may be time for you to branch out and expand beyond your hometown. But how do you know when you’re ready to go on tour? Ask yourself the following questions:
Why do you want to tour?
There are a number of reasons that bands decide to go on tour. The traditional tour cycle revolved around the album cycle. You recorded and released an album, and then you went on tour to promote it. This is still a perfectly good reason to tour. Or maybe your goal is to expand your fanbase beyond your hometown. Or even better, you’ve managed to gain some buzz and are beginning to notice that your fanbase is growing in new regions. Now is the time to take advantage of that growth and turn those new listeners into true fans by connecting face-to-face at a live show.
