6 Key Parties that Works Together in the Touring Industry

Touring is the huge portion of an artist’s life and the majority share of the industry’s revenues. It is also the only part of a music career that remains 99% “physical” in the digital-first industry. While some artists can easily reach millions of fans via streaming, putting together an international tour for the same crowd is an extremely complex process.

Live Music Industry

Live Music is still the leading cash cow of the industry despite the rise of digital streaming platforms. With the expected growth of live stream revenue to $22 billion by 2022, live music will reach a staggering $31 billion globally in the same year. Nevertheless, with the ongoing demand for live music, touring is a very complicated landscape to manage.

So, let’s dive into the basics and tackle the 6 key parties that work together to attain a successful touring.

Artists and Managers

Artists and Managers are crucial elements in the industry.  The manager’s role is to build and coordinate the artist’s team on all sides of the music industry, including the concert business. Management usually takes part in the initial route planning, helps the artist pick the touring team, and is a bridge between the live entertainment and all other sides of the artist’s career.

Booking Agents

The goal is to book the tour, sell the shows to local talent buyers, find the location, and negotiate the price. The shows are usually booked from 8 to 24 months in advance, depending on the scope of the venue.

Promoters

Basically, imagine promoters are middlemen, connecting concert spaces and artists to put together shows. Promoters are the side of the live business that funds the tour and buys the shows.

Tour Managers and Technicians

The routine of the tour manager is dealing with unexpected and solving a dozen of new problems each day — all while keeping the artists happy and ready to perform. On the other hand, technicians are a team that turns the performance into an audiovisual experience that the audience has paid to see.

Festivals & locations

Locations and festivals are the CORE of the business. A major festival performance puts the artist on the map, and the promotional effect of the show itself has to be considered.

Label & Publisher

The music industry comprises separate companies and people working on the different parts of the artist’s career — and, while not completely aligned, labels and publishers are always interconnected.

The six key players defined above work together to bring the live show to the concert. Yet, it’s important to mention that separate entities won’t always represent them. Often some of the roles will be designated by the different sides of the touring chain.