TourView
By Tara Tinsley
Like I mentioned in my article last month when I went over Step 1, (www.modestoview.com to read it) “It’s a lot of work to put on a well planned, successful tour, even if it’s a short one.” You really have to be willing to work hard and put in the extra effort to make your touring dreams happen. Step 1 last month involved research and planning. After you’ve figured out the basic outline of your tour including length, destinations, cost, contacts, etc, you’re ready for Step 2: Finding Sponsors.
If you have a band fund or extra money just lying about waiting to be used then you have this step taken care of for the most part but if you’re like most musicians, you don’t. As musicians, most of our extra money goes right back into our music, gear, getting to shows, you name it. So when it comes to affording a tour, you can forget about it. That’s why approaching people for sponsorships and donations is key. You don’t want to rely solely on what you ‘might’ make on the road when you’re on tour. You want to be prepared and have money in advance and hopefully, if you plan well enough, make more money along the way so you can, at the very least, break even.
Once you figured out the realistic cost of your tour, the best place to start is to create aproject on Kickstarter or create a merchant account on Paypal with a donation button and start pimpin’ your tour online to all your friends, fans, and family. Kickstarter allows you to create incentives for every tier of donation that people may decide to give and it’s a trustworthy secure site. You might even get donations from people you don’t know and who’ve discovered you on Kickstarter and decided to donate cause they dug your video, music, or merely your passion.
Though the internet is a good tool, your efforts shouldn’t stay virtual. Put out a tip jar at shows and mention that you’re trying to raise money to go on the road. Offer free stickers or something small to anyone who donates even $2 (as long as you’re making a profit). Approach local businesses or friends’ that own businesses that might want to support you and get their name out there in the market that you’re touring in. Trade them money for advertising on your tour.
Don’t be afraid to get creative. Get your girlfriends to do a bikini car wash or get the local pizza shop to do a fundraising night where they donate 15% of their profits to your band’s tour. You’ll be surprised in doing this by how much local support you didn’t realize your band already has and how much local support you will gain just by putting it out there that you are going on tour.
You can help Tara on her USA and Japan Tour http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/120095225/tara-tinsleys-usa-and-japan-tour-2012
