Tour:Smart: And Break the Band

by Martin Atkins

From packing the right equipment to keeping enough gas in the tank to get home, every aspect of making a successful tour with a band is addressed in this comprehensive guide. More than 100 luminaries and leading organizations from the world of touring—among them Chris Connelly, Henry Rollins, the House of Blues, and the Vans Warped Tour, as well as club owners, tour managers, and even sex advisors—provide handy insider know-how along with insight on mistakes commonly made by novice bands. Chapters address the nitty-gritty of touring, with instructions on how to secure venues and publicity, how to stay healthy on the road, and how to keep the budget in the black. Loaded with hundreds of years' worth of collective hands-on experience from those steeped in the music business, this is a must-have resource for creating an unforgettable tour.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Business

592 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Martin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, and Killing Joke. Atkins is also an honorary board member of the Chicago-based nonprofit organisation Rock For Kids.

Reviews

[BeerDiablo · Rating 4 out of 5]

For furthering a musician's education on the business side of music, this book expands several horizons and helps to possibly eliminate some of the bad experiences necessary to learn the business.

Contracts are not covered in depth with the exception of those with the live venue. There's other books out there on the legal side but this one tells you what contract validity stands for in the field.

Also covered is the lifestyle needed to get ahead in a very frank manor. Drugs, sex and how charging sushi/hot tubbing to room service in Japan can lead to a tour of the U.S.

If you're a serious musician, this should be part of your foundation/armor for trying to get ahead and not get screwed too badly.

Fans of Killing Joke, Pigface and PIL will find some good stories as members of these bands are interviewed. The author, Martin Atkins, played drums for each of those bands.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

To call this book "exhaustive" would be selling it short. It is hands down the most helpful and thorough resource for bands interested in touring. Clearly Atkins not only knows his stuff, but he knows how to present it in digestable chunks.

The stories were equally hilarious and head-shakingly bad, the testimonials were all great, and if there is one thing I have learned from every single band, musician, driver, and crew member I've ever heard is that you do NOT poop on the bus.

If I had to critique the book, the only thing I would say is that a great deal of the advice is somewhat above the huckleberry of most bands (it aims more at the tour bus set), but regardless, the basic information is every bit as essential no matter how big or small your tour is.

Overall, this was one of the more helpful, modern, and relevant music biz publications I've read to this point.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a textbook than a casual read, this paperback provides a fascinating insight into all of the details to cover in order to take a band - large or small - on the road for a successful tour. It's a must-read for anyone aspiring to elevate out of Mom's basement and into the real music world, while casual fans will enjoy learning about all the logistics required to bring a fave band to your hometown. As somebody in music once said, "you're not paying me for my 2 hours on stage, you're paying for all the headaches from the other 22 hours of the day it took me to get here and prepare," and this book will illustrate why. Plenty of entertaining anecdotes of the "I was there and this is what happened" variety, spanning a range of popular and obscure bands from the 70s through early 2000s. Some good advice can also be extrapolated for even the "simple" family motor vacation.

[Roger Cottrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If "free is the new black" - and I believe it is - then this is the Talmud, Bible and Koran for ALL creatives hoping to exploit the free media to get their ideas and product across - and make a few bob in the process.

Although very specifically targeted at the msic industry everything that Martin says relates to Independent Filmmaking and I'm now looking to how his methodology might be adapted to self published books.

Tour Smart is also highly readable and entertaining - a bit like the writer - which is important to creatives in a world where the business of business can often be quite boring (but, alas, necessary, if anyonbe's going to know about or buy your stuff).

Read, digest and enjoy

[Matthew Harding · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took a nice long stroll through this tome. The only way to go. I think there are actually two books here. There's a starter guide and then a book for folks at the next level. Some of it isn't even applicable to me and I've been doing this shit for awhile. He also needs to expand on the para-musical touring vehicles. Lots more to mine there. And a wider range of voices *in* the industry would be helpful too.

But overall, this is a must read.

Thanks for pointing it out to me Reverend.

Recommended for anyone in the business of the business of music and promotions.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great guide to touring, BUT most of the advice comes from the perspective a large-ish tour. Now, while this is good stuff to keep in mind for the future, and there are lots of helpful hints about merch, etc. some stuff really doesn't apply to a smaller indie band looking to string together 10-14 dates.

It's definitely still worth a read, and I really liked the matter-of-fact, cuss-word filled first person narratives and advice columns.

[Karl · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is lame enough to suggest that you can't be creative on anti-depressants, but heroin can be helpful. From personal experience (the anti-depressants, not the heroin) I know this to be horseshit and a completely irresponsible statement. It is also over $30.00 to buy...and if you are a musician trying to make it, that is way too much. Talk to your peers and forget this one.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. The best book I've read on DIY band touring, wish it had been around in the Nineties when my band was touring the USA, would have saved us a lot of cash! Martin Atkins is a great drummer and a very confrontational writer, he pulls no punches. If you are ever thinking of touring in a a band, read this first, and make sure one guy in the band is a mechanic!

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything you need to know about touring. If you plan on going on a tour, I highly recommend you read this book first. Martin Atkins gives readers an inside look at touring. He lists real world examples from himself and other artists he has worked with. This book includes everything from what vehicle to take, how to allocate your money, what not to do, and so much more.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a great guide to do-it-yourself concert touring. The author has seen it, done, it and got the t-shirt, and this book breaks down his methods and philosophy for financially successful, impact -assured touring. The book is a ‘warts’ all’ manual and contains swearing and upsetting stories. Just like being on-the-road…
Recommended.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fair about touring, but a little hard to read and I wish that it had much for more detailed info on the core aspects of touring such as settlement, routing, accounting, and the psychology of touring.

[The · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent practical advice for people actually trying to play gigs and make a little money. Some of the usual wacky "advice" from other "industry insiders" (e.g., "do what you love, and the money will come"), and it might be more interesting to hard-drinking punk rockers, but not bad.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! Everything from what drugs to do, and when (and when NOT to do them) to how to do the accounting for your tour and how to best handle merch. Love the informal tone of this book and the fact that they include ALL the information you need, not just the sanitized version!

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about touring and being in a band!

[Dan Helton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic material that would benefit from a little more editing. If there is a revision of it, that should be excellent.

[Daniel A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming from someone who has a past in the music industry, I can say that while I did not agree with everything in this, it does offer a lot.

[Alex Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

the Best "music business" book I have ever read! Super cool! Tons of insights and real stories about real people.