An artist manager plays a crucial role in planning and organizing tours for musicians and bands. They handle logistical details such as booking venues, arranging transportation, and coordinating schedules. Artist managers also negotiate contracts, manage budgets, and handle tour promotions.
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.
Here are the basic steps you can take to become a tour manager: Pursue relevant education. Some employers may require a bachelor's degree, while others need only a high school diploma or certificate. Gain experience. Develop a professional network. Perfect your social skills. Identify a mentor.
It's worth noting that tour managers often double as personal managers. This means that they not only oversee the logistics of the tour but also manage all aspects of an artist's life. They are responsible for not only ensuring a smooth-running tour but also ensuring the artist's happiness and well-being.
They make transportation and lodging arrangements; communicate in advance with concert producers and venue management to coordinate load-in, sound check, and set times; convey the band's hospitality needs (backstage catering and dressing room setup); see to it that musicians and crew get to their next stop safely and ...
Some employers may require a bachelor's degree, while others need only a high school diploma or certificate. Most employers prefer a degree in business management, music, communication, marketing, entrepreneurship or a related area.
In general, road managers handle tour details for their specific band, while tour managers are used to oversee the logistics, finances and communications for tours as a holistic entity.