💡✍️ADN #038: 3 Ways To Add 100k + To Your Tour

adn038 artist development artist development newsletter making money money tips tour touring Aug 13, 2023

Hey Friends -

Welcome to the Artist Development Newsletter.

Every Sunday, I send an email providing actionable tips for artists and industry on one area of the music business.

Last week we talked about 5 Tips For Turning Your Time Into Money.

You can re-read last week’s newsletter here if you want to refresh.

Today we will stay on the same theme but zoom into touring and explore 3 Ways To Make Extra Income On Tour.

Let’s jump into it.

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After a full day of travel, setting up gear, doing interviews, handing off your merch to a seller, and playing a show, it’s easy to think you’ve squeezed as much opportunity as possible out of a day on tour.

But, to justify being away from home, maximize every opportunity to connect with your audience, and make more money to get you to the next gig, there IS more you can do.

There are three main objectives when touring -

1. Make new fans

2. Grow deeper relationships with the fans you have

3. Make money

→ With fans, you can make money.

→ With money, you can put gas in the tank.

→ With super fans, you can make more money.

→ With more money, you can pay your crew and yourself.

→ Without money, you can’t truly connect with your audience & grow.

With that in mind, here are a few simple tricks that can significantly impact your bottom line on the road.

Pre-Show VIP
QR Codes
After-show signing @ merch

PRE-SHOW VIP

Offering a meet & greet package with additional VIP add-ons is an easy way to put more money in your pocket every night.

Here are some examples of what you can offer -

Photo w/ the Artist
Signed Item(s)
Tour of Backstage
Soundcheck party

You can do all this in 30 minutes or less and net $100 or more per person.

Here’s a quick breakdown -

20 VIPs x $100 = $2000

$2000 x 3 shows a week = $6000

$6000 x 4 weeks = $24,000

$24,000 x 6 months = $144,000

$144,000 could pay 2 or 3 salaries for an entire year, which leaves more $ to pay yourself when your tour ends.

QR Codes

QR codes are an easy way to upsell any last-minute VIPS when doors open at the venue.

They are also a great way to promote your new album and merchandise and get fans into your fan club or mailing list.

Here is an easy funnel you can create to pull fans toward your QR codes and, ultimately, your fan club and VIP offerings -

Sign at the venue door telling fans to get a free item @ the merch table when they enter.
In exchange for the free item, ask for an email address via a QR code
In the QR code link, insert offers for merch, albums, fan club sign-ups, and VIP meet & greets

After-Show Signings

Here is another place to add a massive difference to your bottom line.

It’s so simple, but most artists don’t do it.

Announce from the stage that you’ll be back at the merch booth after the show for 30 minutes, and you’ll sign any merch purchased.

Go back there, shake hands, and sign merch.

I guarantee you will sell at least twice as much merch the nights you go out and sign compared to the nights you don’t.

You could quickly turn $1000 into $2000 or $5000 into $10,000 by simply engaging with your audience immediately after your show.

There is no better opportunity for turning a patron into a fan, a fan into a super-fan, and $1 into $2 than by interacting directly with your audience before, during, and after every show.

By implementing these three simple tricks, you can add thousands of new die-hard fans to your audience and hundreds of thousands of dollars to your bottom line every year.

Action Item

Incorporate (1) or more of these tips into your next tour.

Track your results.

Compare to the tour before, and report back.

Here is a simple Google Sheet you can download and use to track your progress.

You can save the “Artist Development Fan Conversion Spreadsheet” by clicking on “file” & then “make a copy.”