How to Start Your Touring Career

Getting your first touring career opportunity can feel like quite the conundrum. It’s a little bit of the chicken and the egg scenario. You need touring experience to get hired onto a tour, but you don’t have the experience you need to get the experience you don’t have. Frustrating, right?

What can be done? How can you gain experience and find your first touring job in the live events industry?

The good news here is that there isn’t a one size fits all answer. Everyone has their own unique background and pathway as to how they ended up finding their way into a touring career. Some people always knew they wanted to tour, while others fell into it haphazardly and quickly knew they couldn’t do anything else. The touring industry attracts a wonderful cast of characters who are professionals at figuring it out.

A great quote to keep in mind as you begin your journey: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Below are some suggestions that could help lead you to your first job on tour.

1. Be an active participant in your local music scene

You likely wouldn’t be seeking a job in the live events industry unless you are already a fan of live music. Attending shows and concerts is not only a fun activity, but it’s also a great way to meet people who are involved in your local music scene. Over a period of time, you’ll start to recognize the staff, along with other fans who are as invested in the local scene as you are. Don’t be shy, go say hello and start to make friends. You might not be aware of it at the time, but this is the beginning of your professional network.

2. Get a job working at a local music venue or festival

Working at a music venue or festival is one of the best ways to put yourself in a position that could lead to your first touring opportunity. Being a fan and consistently attending shows could easily turn into employment over time. There are many different jobs available at music venues: ticket taker, stagehand, working the box office, security, usher, hospitality, production runner, promoter assistant, bartender, you name it. Depending on your role at the venue, you might end up interfacing with actual touring professionals on a day-to-day basis. Take your passion and turn it into a touring career!

3. Work for a vendor in the touring industry

There is no shortage of vendors when it comes to the touring industry. Getting your foot in the door with a reputable vendor is a way to fast-track your way onto the road. Some audio and lighting vendors actually have developmental programs where they will train you in the shop, then put you out on the road once you have the necessary technical skills. Not only will you be learning the hard skills of the job you’re in, but you’ll also be building relationships with other folks who work in the shop.

4. Gain experience at a touring adjacent organization

There are tons of organizations that are part of the touring ecosphere. This could come in the form of record labels, digital service providers, publishers, publicists, business management, artist management, booking agency, travel agents, etc. All of these play a necessary role and could either directly or indirectly lead you to tour work. Internships outside of the touring realm are great ways to build your resume, too. The entertainment industry as a whole has a number of opportunities that could help to develop your touring career. Cross-training in other positions will go a long way in bettering your understanding of the music industry as a whole.

5. Utilize social media to connect with touring professionals

One does not have to go far these days to get in touch with members of the touring community. There are a number of online forums, along with touring content creators on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Following along with touring crew members social media is a great way to get a peek behind the scenes of a touring career. LinkedIn is another wonderful resource for reaching out to touring personnel and road managers. There is no harm in reaching out to these people and asking if you can pick their brains a little bit. Once upon a time, they were in the position that you currently yourself in. Somewhere along the way, somebody took the time to talk to them too.

6. Take professional courses to build your skills and knowledge

Since you’re currently biding your time until you can hop on a tour bus, search out courses to help upskill what you’re able to bring to the table. Tour and Production Managers hiring young guns would much prefer someone who is being proactive when it comes to advancing their touring career. There are a number of high-quality resources for learning more about touring and the music industry as a whole that have appeared in the not-so-distant past. Here is a sampling of a few:

7. Listen to online conversations

This one piggybacks off of the previous bullet point. You may not have the on-the-road experience yet, but there are a plethora of online touring communities available that cost nothing to join and are fantastic resources for tuning in, listening, and asking questions. More often than not, road managers and other touring crew are happy to answer questions that you might have about a touring career. As with any online community, take what people say with a grain of salt, including this website!

8. DIY – Create your own opportunities

You keep knocking, but no one is answering the proverbial first-tour job door. It’s a tough place to be when you’re trying to get that first gig, but don’t be dishearted. Turn that dejection into your very own passion project. Maybe you start a band and handle the business aspects or book shows for a friend’s band. Being a self-starter is going to go a long way in helping to advance your touring career. You are your own best advocate.

9. Attend entertainment and tour networking events

Networking is a bit of an icky word. People can tell when you are trying to advance your career in a disingenuous way. Focus less on your end goal, and focus more on just being a good human being trying to get to know folks. Depending on where you live, you may already have access to music industry networking events right down the road. In North America, these might take place in major industry hubs: Nashville, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas. Don’t worry if you don’t live in these cities. A lot of these panels and sessions take place online now, making location less of an inhibiting factor.

10. Ask to grab a coffee

You can’t beat an in-person, face-to-face conversation with experienced tour managers. This ties back into networking and social media. If you live in an industry hub, you are likely already surrounded by people who work in the live events industry. Reach out and ask them to grab a coffee. Established touring professionals understand how difficult it is to break into a touring career and the good ones will be more than willing to share their insights with you. After that initial meeting, check in every few months to say hello and stay on their radar.

11. Enroll in a music business program

There are countless music business programs available, but it’s important to remember that there is also a hefty price tag involved. It’s worth mentioning them here because a lot of people have had success with them, but it is also 100% possible to find your way into a touring career without going thousands of dollars into debt. You can think of a music business program as an incubator. You are giving yourself time to develop your skills and build your professional network.

12. Be a good hang and have a positive attitude

Without a doubt, one of the best things you can do in order to make yourself more employable is to be a good hang. Soft skills matter in this business because you are living on top of one another in close quarters for extended periods of time. People want to spend time on the road with individuals who add something to a tour in a positive way. Nobody wants to be around someone who is a wet mop. You can have all of the technical skills in the world, but having the right vibe is an important attribute of fitting into a touring organization.

Conclusion

These are just a few ideas to help jumpstart your career in touring. Again, it’s important to remember that your pathway is going to be unique to you. No two people will have the same exact trajectory. When you’re ten years into your road manager career, you’ll wonder how it was ever so difficult to get on your first tour. It’s also important to remember that this process takes time, and none of these are overnight solutions. Building a quality touring career takes time and it’s a good thing to nourish and build it properly. Be patient, and good things will come.