More Tips and Tricks for Touring Indie Artists.
In my series of blogs titled “Tips and Tricks”, I have been sharing with you some helpful tips that I learned from an indie friend who recently returned from a country tour as a DIY singer-songwriter.
Remember, you are financing this tour yourself. In the initial phase of your career, you are not going to have sponsors. Therefore, make sure you advertise your tour well. In my previous blog “More Tips and Tricks”, I have written about synchronizing your website to bands in town and other platforms. Facebook, Instagram and flyers are all extremely important. Another important thing is to make sure the venues you are playing at are displaying your info on their social media accounts. Send friendly reminders if they haven’t done it.
Ask the venues to give you a list of local stations and contacts. The venues are happy letting you do the job of getting people there when you are playing. Use the radio to advertise your event and have as many people attend as possible. There are many publication houses in every city and town. Contact them too. All of this should be done well in advance. Get your business cards printed. Make sure they have your website and Instagram information. Phone number is optional.
Where to Stay
If you want to save money, be open to more realistic options. Typically, house shows will host you for the period of your performance(s). Hostels can be cheap, but, ahem, well..!! My friend had the good luck of finding gracious fans that shared their spare rooms with them. See if you can find something good on couchsurfing.com. It will help you save money and crash for a night.
Be smart in making your bookings. You might want to check out a fan who would be happy to host you for a night. You can invite them to your show in return! Occasionally camping is prudent, especially when the weather is good because hotels can be costly!
Commuting
Your listeners are happy to see you out and performing, constantly, but for the young indie artists touring is not easy. When on a self-sponsored music trip, the indie artists are paying for their food, lodging, food and other travel costs. While I have written about this in my blog “It’s Difficult to be Indie”, I also did my research on automobiles and was glad to find some amazing fuel efficient vehicles with a decently sized engine that’s capable of carrying some extra weight, have comfortable seats for long distance driving and are inconspicuous as a vehicle with people sleeping within, or loaded with gear. Search the web for vehicles with a little build out that enable storage and can be transformed into a bed.
Next comes putting it to good use. Load it with healthy snacks and fluids bought at a wholesale store. Keep it serviced in advance of the tour and during the tour keep checking often to make sure it is well lubricated and fuelled.
Tip: If you are spending a lot of time in one area, get a pass for road tolls!
Instruments
Make sure you have a great sounding, compact, hardy and easy-to-use PA for the breweries and alternative venues. In my blog “Choose the Correct Mic”, I have written about different kinds of mics. Make sure you have the right mic for the occasion. Condenser mics tend to be more sensitive and responsive than dynamics, making them well-suited to capturing subtle nuances in a sound. They are not ideal for high-volume work, as their sensitivity makes them prone to distort. Normal venues will mostly have a sound person and the gear you need. However, extra cables, mics, power cables and strings can prove to be helpful in unforeseen situations.
Another very serious and practically possible problem that you should be prepared for is theft. Keep your gear secure by bringing it in where you are staying. Alternatively, have it secured in a locker.
In my next blog I will write about merch and some more miscellaneous things to be kept in mind by indie artists while planning a tour. Please share your experiences in he comments section and I will include them in my future blogs.
