Long Hours and Workloads: Tour managers often work long and irregular hours. They are responsible for overseeing every aspect of the tour, from planning and logistics to problem-solving and troubleshooting.
As a tour manager you are so busy that time goes very fast; you have a lot to think about and a lot to make sure is running smoothly. For some other roles it can be lonely. Tour managing is extremely exhausting mentally and physically. Often your average sleep time on tour is around 4-5 hours per night.
It's easy to forget that managing a tour means going on tour oneself. Just like the musicians and crew members they manage, tour managers spend hours riding in cars, buses, and/or planes, work long days that continue well into the night, and sleep in hotels and motels in unfamiliar cities.
As tour managers are responsible for holidaymakers throughout their tour, working hours are generally from early morning through until late in the evening, including weekends. You may be on call 24 hours a day, in case of an emergency.
It's easy to forget that managing a tour means going on tour oneself. Just like the musicians and crew members they manage, tour managers spend hours riding in cars, buses, and/or planes, work long days that continue well into the night, and sleep in hotels and motels in unfamiliar cities.
Tour managers ensure travel arrangements run as smoothly as possible and provide holidaymakers with practical support throughout their trip. An in-depth knowledge of a particular area or region is essential, and you may act as a tour guide during the tour.
Tour managers travel with musicians and crew members on touring journeys that can span the globe and last for months.
Kind of in general if it's a solo artist with hired musicians the artist has a bus of their own that maybe their tour manager and assistant are on, band and crew have a separate bus/buses, but a lot of times the artist will fly ahead anyway. If it's a long drive, like a few days, they may fly home in between.
As modern concert touring involves complex financial, legal and technical arrangements, the booking agent or artist manager hire a tour manager to organize the logistics, personnel, communications and schedule. Concert tour managers are usually freelancers working on a tour-by-tour basis.
For a young-gun tour manager just starting out on a van tour, the average salary is anywhere between $1000 – $1500 per week. With a few years of touring experience, the average tour manager's salary can range between $2000 – $3000 per week, depending on the organization and responsibilities.