Once an artist (just beginning or established) lands a music tours manager, it can be the start of a beautiful relationship that completely relies on give and take; both sides need to be constantly delivering.
We’ve all heard those nightmare stories about artists that skip out on concert dates, show up late, do little promotion, and generally come up short and leave fans disappointed. However, a music tours manager has the ability to disappoint as well- it’s only not as public and therefore winds up reflecting on the artist. Before an artist delves into a working agreement with a music tours manager, they should check up on their background to see what their past history is like.
Once a relationship is in full swing, it is important to keep constant tabs on what kind of work a music tours manager is doing for the artists career. Are they constantly striving for the best for the artist, or settling for mediocrity? Have they been singing their client’s praises, or barely putting in any effort in promotion? Are people actually coming to see the tour and is there a lot of revenue coming in, or has it been money-losing proposition?
A bad music tours manager can bring even the greatest artist of all time down. Similarly, an amazing tours manager can elevate a marginally talented artist. Even before a tour kicks off, it should be easy for an artist to see if his relationship with a music tours manager is not going to work out. If this is the case, before a tour even gets off the ground they should either A) discuss their differences and continue their relationship, or B) cease working together and go their separate ways.
Another key facet to discuss (which is perhaps the most important and notable) is the tour’s budget. When a musician is on the road, there can be a variety of expenses to pay for, including transportation (which could get exponentially pricey, depending on various choices made), salaries for all of the tour workers, any advance a club or venue demands, and the exact cut of profit that the tours manager and musician gets. That last decision should be written out and agreed with beforehand, or else an artist could find themselves in trouble down the road- whether it be they suing for unjust pay, or a music tours manger is suing for unjust pay.