Before You Book Your Next Tour, Read This

This is probably the biggest mistake I see.

Most artists start with a calendar.

I start with a map.

Let’s say you’ve already booked Nashville on Friday and Birmingham on Saturday.

Most people see two shows.

I see everything between them.

Are there listening rooms along the route?

Breweries that host live music?

Coffee shops?

Small theaters?

House concert hosts?

A college town just off the interstate?

Another artist looking for an opener?

Those are the questions worth asking before you ever leave home.

Too many artists think their job is getting from one show to the next.

I think your job is finding every opportunity along the way.

Sometimes that opportunity is only fifteen minutes off your route.

Touring is expensive.

Fuel.

Hotels.

Food.

Vehicle maintenance.

It all adds up.

Every mile you drive costs you something, so it’s worth asking one simple question before you hit the road.

Can this drive make me money?

I’m not saying you should stop in every town you pass through.

You’d wear yourself out.

But if there’s a venue just off your route that could put a few hundred dollars in your pocket, wouldn’t you want to know about it?

One extra show might pay for your gas.

Another might cover your hotel.

By the end of a tour, those little decisions can make a big difference.

When artists first start booking tours, it’s easy to think success means filling every open date.

I don’t see it that way.

I’d rather play the right room than the biggest room.

I’ve seen artists play to twenty people who bought merch, signed up for their email list, and invited them back the next year.

I’ve also seen artists play packed venues where nobody remembered them a week later.

Not every room is your room.

Find the places where your music fits.

Get to know the owners.

Treat people well.

Show up prepared.

Leave them excited to have you back.

Those relationships are worth far more than another pin on a map.

The artists who build lasting careers aren’t just booking shows.

They’re building relationships.

Every venue owner you meet.

Every artist you share a stage with.

Every fan who sticks around to say hello.

Those connections have a way of opening doors you never expected.

A show that barely pays today might turn into a festival next year.

A local opener might become the person who helps you book an entire region.

Never underestimate the value of simply being someone people want to work with again.

For years, I watched artists piece together tours using five or six different tools.

Google Maps.

Spreadsheets.

Notes.

Facebook.

Venue websites.

Email.

It worked.

Kind of.

But it took forever, and it was easy to miss opportunities that were sitting right along the route.

I kept thinking there had to be a better way.

I wasn’t trying to replace booking agents.

I wasn’t trying to tell artists where they should play.

I simply wanted to build something that helped them see the opportunities they were already driving past.

That’s why I built Map My Gig.

The mission has never changed.

Help independent artists tour smarter.

Turn dead travel days into booked shows.

Spend less time planning and more time making music.

I’ve learned something after all these years around musicians.

The artists who keep going aren’t always the most talented.

They’re the ones who keep learning.

They get a little better with every tour.

They learn which venues fit their music.

They build relationships.

They make smarter decisions.

They stop repeating the same mistakes.

That’s what I hope for you.

I hope your next tour is easier to plan.

I hope it’s more profitable.

I hope you meet people who become lifelong friends.

And I hope you come home excited to start planning the next one.

If this article helped you look at touring a little differently, then it was worth writing.

And if Map My Gig can make your next tour a little easier, I’d love for you to give it a try.