How to become a Tour Manager

Career Description
The job of a Tour Manager is to make sure that life on the road runs smoothly for everyone involved. This means getting the band safely to venues and hotels, managing money coming in and money going out, and dealing with Promoters and Venue Managers

Advancement
The best way to advance in this career is to have a handle on several different aspects of touring, so that you can work in varying capacities

Education & Training
Read everything you can and above all, find a mentor to help guide you. College would be great to learn people and life skills.

Experience & Skills
. In general, Tour Managers have experience in one or more music industry careers before heading out with a band

Lifestyle
“I generally work at least 8 – 9 months out of the year. I’m a workaholic and need projects to keep me motivated.”

Employment
Like so many music industry careers, networking and word-of-mouth recommendations are the best way to get a job as a Tour Manager

Tour Managers are paid week-by-week, and payment varies based on the tour budget, length of tour, stature of the band, etc. Usually a Tour Manager gets a base salary, plus expenses (meals, for example), and sometimes a per diem for incidental expenses that come up on the road.