To an amateur band just starting out, the idea of touring
might seem synonymous with fame and fortune, but this is not necessarily the
case. In fact, it almost never is. Unless you’re an established band with a
proven draw, you’re probably not getting paid anything, or at most, gas
money. If you have a contract with anyone
other than the majorest of major labels, you’re looking at something like a
twenty dollar a day stipend at best. It
may seem fair if you get enough if you get so much joy out of performing that
you’d do it for free. But try to imagine
three square meals of fast food a day, everyday for as long as you’re on the
road, and don’t even think about setting your gaze on anything but the dollar
menu.
So if touring is such a raw deal, why do so many small time
bands do it? The easy answer is
exposure. The slightly harder answer is
that tours can be a great opportunity to sell merchandise. If you’re in a new city and you’re able to
rock a roomful of strangers as thoroughly as you rock your hometown crowd,
having enough (but not too many) copies of your albums can be a small goldmine. People know you’re touring, they know they
can’t get your album in stores, they know you’re probably not in iTunes, you
definitely don’t have material available for pirating, and they’ll probably
forget the name of your band within a few weeks. Price you’re CDs reasonably, you can even
burn your own copies if you want to go for sheer quantity over the illusion of
professionalism, which you probably do.
But don’t stop there if you can help it.
Posters, shirts, stickers – whatever souvenirs you can afford/think of
can be a great way to earn an upgrade from Taco Bell to Chipotle. To read more, click below.
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