Long before arriving at rehearsals, it’s important to have a thorough conversation with artist management and business management regarding job responsibilities and tour manager salary.
There are many ways a tour manager’s salary can take shape depending on the organization and level of experience a candidate has.
Leave no stone unturned in the discovery process, as this will help minimize potential money-related headaches once out on the road.
Tour Manager Salary: A Comprehensive Guide
A tour manager carries a large number of responsibilities leading into, during, and after a tour.
Because of this, they need to receive proper compensation for the amount of work the position requires.
A good tour manager is worth their weight in gold and should be compensated appropriately for their level of experience and level of the gig.
Someone, somewhere along the way said, “You don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.”
There are a lot of things to talk about when it comes to discussing a tour manager’s salary.
- Job Responsibilities
- Advancing
- Weekly Rate
- One-Offs
- Per Diem
- Payment Schedule
- Accommodation
- Travel Class
- Travel Days & Days Off
- Rehearsals
- Post Tour
- 1099 or W2
- Retainer
- Benefits
- Cancellation
How Much Does a Tour Manager Make?
Trying to answer how much a tour manager makes is like trying to answer how long is a piece of string.
Perhaps a better question to ask is what is the average salary range for concert tour managers?
The average salary of a tour manager on a mid-level concert tour is anywhere from $35,000 USD to $100,000 USD per year.
Some people might be working for the same artist all year, while others will pick up work from different artists.
For a young-gun tour manager just starting out on a van tour, the average salary is anywhere between $1000 – $1500 per week.
With a few years of touring experience, the average tour manager’s salary can range between $2000 – $3000 per week, depending on the organization and responsibilities.
A more experienced tour manager on a higher-level gig that requires someone who is truly road-tested with an impressive resume can make a weekly rate of $3500 – $5000, or more.
Beyond that, there are definitely top-level A-List gigs that exist in the multiple six-figure per year range.
Take all of this with a grain of salt, as each employment situation has unique considerations that are more nuanced than this article can possibly capture.
With that said, let’s take a look at things to consider when negotiating compensation for tour manager jobs.
Job Responsibilities
Every tour manager position is different and it’s important to discuss the job responsibilities with artist management.
On some gigs, this might be crystal clear, on others, it may take a bit of exploration to understand what exactly they require.
On a smaller tour, this might involve driving duties or checking in merchandise with a local seller.
Other times, management might be trying to hire a tour manager, but what they are looking for is a tour and production manager.
In each scenario, there is a substantially higher workload to consider before bidding on a job.
Advancing
To ensure smooth sailing on a tour, a large portion of the work a tour manager does happens before the first tour date ever happens.
Tour management is a bit of a dark art in the sense that if a TM has done their job well, people don’t know they’ve done their job.
This seems counterintuitive, but it is only when there is a snag in the day that others begin to understand what a tour manager’s role entails.
As such, a tour manager needs to be compensated for their time spent advancing.
Everyone has different systems, but something that has worked well for some is charging 25% to 50% of the length of the run as their advancing rate.
For example, someone preparing for a four-week tour might charge anywhere between one week to two weeks for advancing time.
This can be a bit of a gray area for tour managers just starting out, as tour preparation often begins much further out.
Essentially, you need to figure out a rate that makes you feel valued for the amount of time you’re having to put into the gig.
Weekly Rate
Ah, yes. The weekly rate.
The term tour manager salary is a bit misleading in the sense that most mid-level gigs are paid on a contract basis.
When the gig is done, so is the paycheck.
Even though someone might be paid as a W2 employee, they are essentially a freelancer that has to find the next opportunity when the tour ends.
A good practice is to charge for the time spent working and away from home.
This includes advancing, rehearsals, travel days, show days, press days, and off days.
If you’re working from date X to date Y, pro-rate your weekly rate and charge for every single day.
Here are three questions to consider before proposing a weekly rate.
What are the responsibilities of the job?
Having a clear understanding of the job responsibilities will help to properly bid your wage.
What is the level of touring involved?
Is this a van and trailer tour? Mid-level clubs? Arena or stadium gig? Smaller tours have smaller budgets, while larger tours have more robust tour budgets.
What is my prior level of tour management experience?
How many years have you been touring? Have you worked for one artist or multiple artists? Do you have experience with production?
It’s important to clarify what exactly is covered by a weekly rate before locking anything in.
One-Offs
One-offs are singular shows that are not part of a routed tour.
Depending on the artist being worked for, or the genre being toured in, there might be a higher frequency of one-off dates.
They can sometimes require more work in the sense that there is an in and an out point of logistics that has to be coordinated.
Will the compensation be based on a pro-rated weekly rate, or will there be a higher rate due to the more demanding workload?
Something else to keep in mind is that one-offs can sometimes prevent crew members from taking on more substantial work.
If dealing with a string of disconnected fly dates, it might be worthwhile to consider negotiating a lump sum to cover all of the gaps.
Per Diem
Per diem is an allowance for personal expenses that are incurred while traveling on business while on the tour.
This is not the same thing as reimbursement or buyout.
Per diem is non-taxable and should be broken out as such on your 1099 or W2.
They can be paid in cash money on the road, but more frequently these days, per diem is included with payroll as a direct deposit.
The rate paid will vary by the level of tour, but generally, they are around $25-$35 per day on a mid-level tour.
Per diem should be paid out for every day away from home.
Reimbursements
As stated above, reimbursements are different from per diem.
Do not take on a gig that wants a TM or PM to use their personal credit card for business expenses.
This only leads to trouble and needs to be avoided.
Any reputable organization is going to issue a business credit card to the tour or production manager for artist expenses.
Reimbursements can either be handled with road cash or they can be submitted to business management.
Payment Schedule
This one is fairly straightforward, but it’s good to know when payment will be issued.
Is payment weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or some type of different payment schedule?
Also, it’s good to be aware of holidays that may impact processing time for payroll.
Ask when business management needs reimbursements so that they are included in whatever pay cycle.
Make sure the crew is informed as well to avoid any potential confusion.
Accommodation
What kind of accommodation is going to be available on days off?
Is there going to be a single shower room available for 12 people that are badly in need of some personal space? A shared room scenario? Perhaps the holy grail of a single occupancy hotel room.
Beyond the weekly rate, this is one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle to negotiate, because this is how touring personnel is able to rest and recharge.
Travel Class
Tour managers spend a lot of time in different forms of transportation, so it’s good to know what to expect.
If based in the US and consistently flying to Australia or Asia, those are long haul, 10+ hour flights.
Los Angeles to London is another 10+ hour flight.
A lot of this is determined by the tour budget, but it’s worth inquiring about business class in certain situations.
This also extends to ground transportation.
Will the organization be taking ride-shares or will you be utilizing some type of private car service?
There is a difference in the level of quality, service, and assurance they provide.
Travel Days & Days Off
It’s good to confirm that all travel days will be paid out the same as show days.
In some instances, a travel day can be more grueling than a show day.
Make sure to clarify that travel days are paid out the same as show days.
Time away from home is time you should be compensated for.
Also, make sure that you are being compensated for “off” days while on a tour.
For a tour manager, an off day is never really an off day. The work never stops.
Rehearsals
This is the same scenario as above.
Certain genres pay half-rate for rehearsals.
It is beyond anyone why this is an acceptable practice.
The same amount of work is done, if not more, on a rehearsal day.
Make sure that a full rate is paid out for rehearsals.
Post Tour
After the tour concludes, a tour manager is going to be dealing with all of the post-tour responsibilities.
It’s the job that keeps on giving!
This can include reconciling credit card statements, tracking down missing receipts or folios, dealing with revised settlements, and anything else under the sun that may come up that still needs attention.
Just make sure to highlight that you’ll need to be compensated for this time afterward as well.
1099 or W2
Clarify if the position will be paid as a contractor or as an employee.
This has tax implications in both scenarios.
If paid as 1099 the individual is responsible for making quarterly estimated tax payments.
If paid as an employee via W2, take note if state taxes are being withheld for gigs done in different states.
This is technically the proper way for business management to do it, but it creates an issue of having to file in multiple states if the employee wants to get that money back.
It’s beyond the scope of this article, but something to explore further is the creation of an S-Corp.
An S-Corp is a tax status that has advantages and disadvantages based on your tax situation.
This also introduces having to carry general liability insurance. Learn more about creating an S-Corp.
Retainer
A touring retainer is an amount of money paid out to keep touring personnel available for gigs.
Sometimes an artist will have private engagements or one-offs that pop up that are outside of a routed tour.
Instead of trying to start from zero every time, they put their band and crew on salary and “retain” them for when shows come up.
Sometimes this will come in the form of an annual salary, or it might come in the form of a reduced weekly rate to keep availability open.
This can be a good option for financial stability, but it can also limit the amount of money a touring freelancer can make.
Benefits
This is very rare in the touring industry, but if put on salary, it’s worth asking if there are health insurance benefits, retirement accounts, etc.
Generally speaking, this is not the norm for touring gigs, but maybe it should be.
Keep this in mind as well when negotiating tour manager salary.
Cancellation
This is the scenario no one wants, but sometimes tours get canceled for any number of reasons.
Is there any type of protection in place to ensure compensation in the event the tour gets canceled?
Discussing this at the beginning with any potential touring employer is always wise.
Having an agreement in writing can offer protection should things not go as planned.
Nashville Style Show Pay
For whatever reason, Nashville-style touring is a big fan of show pay.
They generally don’t pay for travel days and instead offer a higher day rate for show days.
In this style of touring, rehearsals are generally paid out at a half-day rate.
On paper, this show pay rate can look substantially higher than the pro-rated amount when compared to a non-country tour, but keep in mind that this rate is only being received on show days.
Make sure to do the math before agreeing to a show-pay-styled gig.
A yearly salary or retainer for a tour manager is common in Nashville-style touring.
Consider adding a clause in the agreement that covers additional gigs added beyond a predetermined point.
Nashville-style touring offers a balance between home life and touring due to its weekend warrior schedule.
Wearing Multiple Hats
A common practice on smaller tours is wearing multiple hats.
This means instead of specializing in one role, there are additional responsibilities of another role taken on.
A common combination often found with developing artists is TM/FOH.
This is done as a way of reducing expenses on a tour budget.
Instead of paying the full rates of two people, one person is paid a full rate and a half, approximately.
This additionally helps to save on expenses such as hotel rooms, extra flights, per diems, etc.
Adding any kind of personnel to a tour increases expenses exponentially.
However, If asked to take on more responsibilities beyond the scope of a tour manager’s job, additional compensation needs to be discussed.
Smaller tours may have more restrictive budgets, but a conversation still needs to take place.
With more hats, comes more responsibility, which can often lead to a more rapid frazzling of spirits.
Proceed cautiously as overwork can lead to fatigue, decreased morale, and burnout.
Discussing Compensation With Peers
A good way to get a sense of what the going rate for a particular role is is to discuss compensation with touring peers.
Up until the last few years, discussing compensation has been a bit of a taboo issue.
Thankfully, this culture is beginning to change, and people are realizing that openly discussing wages empowers workers and gives a clearer picture of what’s fair.
Sometimes people with less experience may agree to a wage that does not reflect the amount of work a position requires.
This is why it’s important to build a solid network of industry peers to discuss topics like this.
With that being said, there is a time and place to approach this subject.
A new acquaintance will likely frown upon discussing this, whereas someone you know and trust is going to be more open to talking about this.
It’s important to seek out a mentor who has been in these situations before and can offer guidance and suggestions as you grow into new roles.
Is a contract necessary?
Once the tour manager salary has been negotiated to a point agreeable for all parties, it’s good practice to formalize the agreement in writing.
This doesn’t need to be an overly complicated document, but it does need to outline everything that both parties are agreeing to.
Take the bullet points from above, and make sure everything is properly outlined and understood by both the hiring party and the person taking the gig.
Signing an NDA (Non-disclosure agreement)
It is very common practice for non-disclosure agreements to be signed when working in the entertainment industry.
Road crews are working in close quarters with public figures that don’t need their personal happenings aired out to the press.
What if I’m just starting out?
If just starting out, it may be okay to accept a rate that seems agreeable if it appears to offer an opportunity to get a foot in the door, lead to more work, or help jumpstart a career.
Many prominent figures in the touring industry began their journey on smaller tours, often wearing multiple hats.
Each individual must determine the value of their time.
For those who haven’t explored them yet, here are some ideas to help begin a touring career.
Conclusion
The longer you tour, the more experience you’ll have in figuring out the best way to discuss and negotiate tour manager salary.
It’s important to have a clear understanding of the job responsibilities and how you will be compensated.
When considering a position keep in mind work-life balance, opportunities for growth, the camp’s work culture, and experiences the gig may lead to.
Tour management can be a lucrative and fulfilling career for a tour manager who is good at their job.